Two National Consultancies on ”The Development and Validation of National Rangeland Management Strategies for Somalia and South-Sudan”

Background

The African Union’s Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) is a specialized Technical Office of the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union Commission. Its mandate is to support and coordinate the sustainable development and utilization of animal resources (livestock, fisheries and wildlife) to enhance nutrition and food security and contribute to the wellbeing and prosperity of the people in the Member States of the African Union (AU). AU-IBAR accomplishes its mandate through supporting and empowering the AU Member States, the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and other stakeholders in the livestock sector.

About 60-70% of the terrestrial land surface in IGAD region (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda) is arid and semi-arid, and is classified as rangelands. Mainly pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities whose livelihoods mostly depend on extensive livestock production. About 53% of the region’s cattle (51 million), 71% of the goats (58 million), 68% of the region’s sheep (58 million) and 51% of the global camel population (17.5 million) are found in the rangelands. The livestock sector in the region contributes 10% – 50 % of the individual countries’ agricultural GDP since it provides various economic opportunities along the value chain.

Moreover, rangelands are a source of various goods such as timber, and non-timber products such as fibre, gum and resins, honey, medicinal and food plants, minerals, oil, gas, among others. In addition, the rangelands provide various ecosystem services that include water catchment, scenic beauty, as well as habitat for wildlife that form the basis of ecotourism in respective countries. Rangelands also host sacred sites that are valued for spiritual and religious purposes.

Despite enormous social, cultural, ecological and economic importance of rangelands, they face a myriad of challenges, chief of them degradation of the resource base partly linked to land use and land tenure changes, breakdown of traditional institutions of natural resource management, low institutional, organizational and human resource capacity. These challenges are exacerbated by the advent of climate change and weak policy and legal framework for rangeland management.

As identified in the Regional Rangeland Management Strategic Framework (RRMSF) report undertaken by IGAD Center for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD), with financial support from the World Bank, through the Regional Pastoralist Livelihood Resilience Project (RPLRP), various policy challenges were identified that include:

• Inadequate policy and legal framework;
• Low institutional and organizational capacity;
• Rangeland degradation;
• Poor governance of rangeland resources;
• Insecure land rights and tenure in the rangelands;
• Inadequate research, extension, technical training and poor knowledge management.

Most IGAD MSs have national strategies and or policies being implemented, and is very important to support Somalia and South-Sudan to develop and validate national rangeland strategies aligned to the IGAD range land management strategy. Therefore, it is becoming a priority for AU-IBAR and IGAD to focus on assessment of the rangelands management and related policies and frameworks; and to support the two MSs to develop and validate national rangeland strategies to help them domesticate the IGAD Regional Rangeland Management Strategic Framework (RRMSF). This TOR has been developed to facilitate Somalia and South-Sudan to develop their national rangeland strategies and to domesticate the IGAD regional rangeland strategy. The draft strategies will be then be validated at each country levels, before pilot interventions will be initiated by Live2Africa to support implementation.

In this regard, AU-IBAR is seeking to engage the services of Two (2) National Consultants for conducting two national studies and developing the national strategies covering, the current status of the range land; and related policies and strategic frameworks under the following aspects:

• Availability of policy and legal framework; challenges for domestication ;
• Institutional and organizational capacity for domestication;
• Rangeland management and degradation/restoration practices;
• Governance of rangeland resources;
• Land rights and tenure in the rangelands;
• The needs for research, extension, technical training and knowledge management.

Objectives of the two- National Consultation Missions

The Overall Objective

“To develop and validate national rangeland management strategies with action plan for Somalia and South-Sudan, which is aligned to the IGAD Regional Rangeland Management Strategy (IGAD-RRMS)”.

The Specific Objective

The process of developing national rangeland strategies will compile the following: To assess the current status of rangeland management (e.g., production, conservation and security, governance, utilization in livestock production; and availability and domestication of policies and legal frameworks); to identify the gaps and draw the road map for supporting the domestication of the RRMSF by the different stakeholders in the two MSs; and to develop and validate the two national strategies and action plans.

To effect the above; the consultant will undertake the following:

1. To design the List of Content to be followed in the preparation of the 2 National consultancy missions’ reports to secure harmonization and compatibility in the preparation of the two national reports.
2. To design needed data collection tools (questionnaires/forms/guidelines) and analytical approaches to be utilized in the process of data collection and analysis and facilitate comparative analysis.
3. To build consensus with IBAR/IGAD on data sources (stakeholders, review studies, etc.).
4. To assess the Base-Line Status of Rangelands Management and sustainability in supporting the
   IGAD live animals’ priority value chain.
5. To assess rangeland system resilience/vulnerability to the disasters/risks (draught cycles,
   diseases, etc.), gaps and needed interventions to fill gaps for best rangeland management.
6. Inventory of the previous rangelands supporting programs and innovations (e.g. water harvest and
   management, security and tenure management, degradation and restoration, conflict management, etc.) that have been implemented in the last 10 years, their impacts, gaps left and opportunities to fill the gaps.
7. To assess the gaps in policy and legal framework; challenges for domestication; institutional and
   organizational management capacity; governance of rangeland resources; the land rights and tenure management/organization.
8. Identify the needs for research, extension, training and knowledge management.
9. To draw the road map for the domestication of the RRMSF for filling the gaps identified in the
   previous aspects of assessment, for supporting the regional live animals’ priority VC.
10. To identify the best implementation/domestication modality and implementers’ partnership for the
    domestication process.
11. From the previous, to develop two National Rangeland Management Strategies with Action plans for Somalia and South-Sudan, that are aligned to, and supporting the implementation of the IGAD Regional Rangeland Management Strategy (IGAD-RRMS).
12. To facilitate validation workshops for the two developed strategies in coordination with AUIBAR and IGAD/ICPALD.
13. To finalize the validated two national rangeland management strategies with action plans according to recommendations resulted from the validation workshop.

Methodology

The methodology of the consultation process will include Desk (literature, official census and database) reviews, individual interviews and group-discussions with stakeholders and strategic actors of the rangeland management chain that supports the whole live animals value chain (feed and water resources, producers, traders, marketers, suppliers, and consumers, professional organizations and technical supporters, public sector, etc.) and analysis of quantitative data and qualitative observations in proper approaches to achieve the objectives of the study.

The following are some parameters to be considered, in addition to other to be developed in brain storming sessions with consultants and IGAD experts:

1. Assessment of the Base-Line Rangeland management in the two IGAD MSs.
2. To assess investment and marketing, along the rangeland management chain.
3. To assess existing Policy and regulatory frameworks associated with Rangeland Management.
4. To assess stakeholder/actors organization and partnership in the management chain.
5. To assess the rangeland resilience/vulnerability to disasters/risks.
6. Inventory of the previous supporting programs implemented in the last 10 years, impacts and gaps.
7. Road mapping the way forward for supporting the domestication of the RRMSF, throu the development of two national strategies.
8. To identify interventions to be implemented by Live2Africa to help the implementation of two developed strategies and domestication of the RRMSF.

Consultancy Mission and deliverables

In regard of the above, AU-IBAR is seeking to engage the services of Two (2) rangelands national consultants, to carry-out the two national consultation studies with regard to methodology, deliverables and responsibility indicated in the current TOR.

Deliverables

1. Inception report covering the below

   • Tools, forms and questionnaires to be utilized for harmonized data collection process.
   • Quantitative / qualitative data analysis approaches.
   • List of target groups for interviews/group discussion and key stakeholders/actors.
   • List of content and report outline.

2. Timely delivery of the draft and final two national and facilitation of validation workshop with AUIBAR and IGAD/ICPALD.

3. Validated two national rangeland management strategies with action plans.

Scope of Work

The methodology of the consultations will include literature reviews, data-base and consensus reviews, individual interviews, and group-discussions. Interviews and group-discussion sessions will use the participatory process that allows the ideas of individuals/groups to be tested, argued, amplified and refined through constructive discussions. The consultants will perform the consultation services with the highest standards of professional and ethical competence and integrity. The consultants are strongly encouraged to develop highly interactive and practical outputs for this consultancies.

Competences and Experience

The consultant should have;

1. Advanced university degree in rangeland management, pasture management, natural
   resource management or in relevant field of expertise.
2. At least five years’ experience in rangeland management, pasture management, natural
   resource management or in relevant field of expertise.
3. Proven record of contribution to developing, implementing or assessment of
   Rangelands / natural resource management policies /strategic frameworks in IGAD region /East Africa
4. Proven record of experience in the developing and facilitating stakeholder consultations.
5. Proven record of experience in executing and developing national/regional consultation studies.
6. Record of soft and interpersonal skills and ability to work with people of different cultures and
   professional backgrounds.
7. Fluency in English (the report will be produced in English).

Remuneration

The actual duration of the consultation mission is 20 days of technical consultancy, within the total period of 70 days, for each consultancy.

Duration

The assignment will be undertaken in a maximum total period of 70 days; with actual consultation work of 20 days for each of the 2 National Consultants. The consultancy period will commence on Monday 28^th September 2020, and will end by Sunday 6^th December 2020.

Supervision

The consultant will work under the overall guidance and supervision of the Animal Production, Natural Resource Management and Resilience expert.

Timeline and Budget

Interested consultants are required to provide “Technical and Financial” Proposals, and an updated CV. The deadline for submission of documents is by Sunday 20^th September 2020 at 23:59 Nairobi, Local Time.

How to apply:

Submission of Proposals

The email address for submission of the proposals is procurement@au-ibar.org with copies to khalid.seid@au-ibar.org and ahmed.elbeltagy@au-ibar.org with mentioning ”The development and Validation of National Rangeland Management Strategies for Somalia and South Sudan”, indicating the application to either MSs’ studies (Somalia or South-Sudan), or by post addressed to the following address

The Procurement Officer
African Union InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources
Kenindia Business Park, Museum Hill, Westlands Road
P.O. Box 30786 00100, Nairobi, Kenya

Yours faithfully,
Prof. Ahmed El-Sawalhy
Director AU-IBAR