Terms of Reference Baseline Assessment from Climate Heroes to Climate Victims Project

INTRODUCTION

Preamble

Solidaridad is an international network organization with eight regional expertise centers worldwide. Its mission is to bring together commodity supply chain actors and to engage them to develop innovative solutions to improve production, thereby ensuring the transition to a sustainable and inclusive economy that maximizes the benefit for all. Solidaridad strives to be an organization that understands the signs of modern times, seeking to be a Civil Society Organization (CSO) with its own place and role in society, while simultaneously interacting with Governments and markets. With 50 years of experience Globally in facilitating the development of socially responsible, ecologically sound and profitable supply chains, Solidaridad is a frontrunner in the area of sustainable economic development. Solidaridad envisions a world in which all we produce, and all we consume, can sustain us while respecting the planet, each other and the next generations. Solidaridad embraces the public-private and people partnerships (PPPP) in order to test innovations, speed up change, and take success to scale. Globally, Solidaridad works around coffee and other 12 commodities/sectors (http://www.solidaridadnetwork.org)

Program Summary

Solidaridad with support from the Netherlands Postcode Lottery Dream Fund is implementing a multinational project dubbed “From Climate victims to Climate Heroes” that seeks to transform 50,000 smallholder coffee farmers in Eastern Africa from climate victims to climate Heroes. The project is expected to have an impact on three fronts:

1. Making farming communities more resilient to the changing climate
2. Improving the quality of life for 50,000 farm households in Uganda and Kenya.
3. Mitigating climate change through the sequestration and reduction of greenhouse gasses.

Millions of smallholder farmers around the world are the victims of climate change, but at the same time, they possess a unique opportunity to mitigate climate change. They have no access to international carbon markets, but the land they manage offers major opportunities for sequestering carbon. They are missing out on a source of income that can help them break out of the vicious cycle of poverty and invest in climate-smart farming practices.

Project Outcomes

1. The use of climate-smart farming practices by smallholder farmers will lead to the sequestration of greenhouse gasses, better yields and healthier soils. This carbon farming is a key outcome that will make a direct contribution towards all three impacts.
2. Another assumption is that carbon sequestration on farms can be monetized when carbon rights are traded for insetting and offsetting. Farmers will then be able to earn money from new revenue streams. Not only will this make a direct contribution to the first and second impacts, but it will also generate a significant flywheel effect.

Background

The climate crisis is without doubt the biggest challenge facing humanity this century. Global warming is progressing faster than we feared and record-breaking temperatures are coming thick and fast. Smallholder farmers in developing countries have to contend with droughts and heavy rainfall, with devastating consequences for crop yields. The increasingly severe consequences of climate change will hit smallholder farmers hardest. Farmers in low and middle income countries feel the effects of the climate crisis first-hand – longer periods of drought, more extreme weather and food shortages and to make matters worse they do not even have the means to adapt to them. Of the more than 500 million smallholder farmers who play a major part in our food system, the vast majority live in poverty. As long as smallholder farmers remain dependent on the low prices they receive for their main crops, they will remain trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty. Climate change increases hunger and food scarcity. The amount of land suitable for agriculture is decreasing, reducing the area of land available for the cultivation of crops and driving farmers onto other land, which often involves deforestation. Agricultural production must be transformed to mitigate climate change and become more resilient to the consequences. Only then can we safeguard the long-term supply of food for ourselves and for the millions of people in developing countries. Women and youth provide a significant labor force across most agricultural value chains coffee inclusive. Increasing their knowledge and skills in good agricultural practices or climate smart agriculture can be a significant force in sustainable agriculture however, they may not have the motivation to put the skills into practice as they most cases do not get the proceeds from the land usage nor do they make decisions on the income. Women too engage on the land for most of their reproductive roles such as growing subsistence food crops, and cooking using mostly firewood. These engagements no doubt compromise the quality of the land overtime and therefore the need to collaborate with women in securing the land through agroforestry practices and climate smart agriculture while discouraging practices such as cutting trees for firewood. In addition, communities need to be sensitized so that women and youth can benefit from the land usage so that they are motivated to adopt best practices aimed at carbon farming and sustainable land management.

Purpose of the Livelihoods Baseline Assessment

The Baseline Assessment will provide information on the existing socio-economic situation of smallholder coffee farmers who will be part of the From Climate Victims to Climate Heroes. The primary purpose of the Baseline Assessment is to serve as the reference point for assessing future changes and impacts resulting from project interventions in the aspect of livelihood.

Objective of the study

The objective of the study is to conduct research that adequately responds to the following questions based on the contextual realities among the smallholder Coffee farmers in Kenya and Uganda and provide information to the target beneficiaries as per the indicators of project objectives and expected results specified in the project results framework. This will enable project indicators at output and goal/outcome level to be measured and tracked.

Several objectives are determined to see the results into below mentioned areas;

1. Climate resilience of coffee farmers
2. Households with a better quality of life
3. Average income increase per farmer related to Climate Smart farming, carbon revenues and higher prices
4. Hectares under sustainable management (retaining water and soil, specific crops, etc.)

Methodology

The methodology for this assessment will include both direct and indirect data collection, analysis and cross-referencing, and formulating recommendations thematically and as area/site-specific to adequately meet the objectives of the survey. The consultant will finalize the assessment methodology to undertake this study in line with the scope of the assessment, presented and refined with the management during the inception meeting.

The methodology used during this survey will overall, include, but not be limited to the following:

1. Review existing relevant secondary information and reports related to the Kenyan and Uganda coffee value chains.
2. Review of previous Solidaridad related programme level documents and reports.
3. Discuss with key Solidaridad staff, partners, and key informants at Office and field implementation levels.
4. Carry out field visits in the implementation areas for data collection, observations, and triangulation.
5. Hold community-level participatory meetings and focused group discussions for data collection and information gathering. Carry our Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focused Group Discussion (FGDs) shall be utilized.
6. Data collection will also entail analysis of climate risks and vulnerability where both secondary data and primary data through qualitative and quantitative methodologies will be done.
7. Special emphasis will be put on women spaces, youth engagement, and people with disabilities participation, so as to understand and recommend interventions on issues concerning these interest groups from a gender, youth, and people with disability inclusion’s perspective.
8. Use of data from local institutions or organizations.
9. Data analysis and verification of analyzed data.

Geographical area and Stakeholders’ scope

The Livelihood Baseline studies will be carried out in Kenya and Uganda within specific communities agreed upon during the inception phase. The stakeholders and actors in the respective industry will be the primary target with specifics agreed upon during the inception phase meeting. Study area: Uganda (Elgon, Northern, Central, West Nile, SouthWest and Western regions), Kenya: (Trans Nzoia and Bungoma counties)

Expected Deliverables:

The Consultant should deliver the following:

1. Work plan and expression of interest (EOI) for the survey, outlining;
   1. A detailed methodology for implementation of the survey, including proposed sample sizes.
   2. Draft data collection tools (The Consultant shall refine proposed standard indicators in reference to the proposed programme indicators and other guidelines provided by Solidaridad)
   3. A detailed work plan for the survey
2. Inception Report: which covers the entire process of the preparation phase as per Solidaridad standard/template which will be provided on demand.
3. Draft Report: A draft report on the survey, present to key staff of Solidaridad and partners of initial findings. The consultant will address the feedback from Solidaridad and partners involved.
4. Presentation on the main findings of the study for validation involving project teams, and other stakeholders as agreed with the project team.
5. Final Report: in English incorporating all the comments received from Solidaridad staff and
6. Raw Data and Study Resources: The consultant should annex any relevant documents related to the assessment. He/she will also submit raw data of the assessment to Solidaridad. The consultant should respect the property right of all primary data/information generated as a result of this survey. Any relevant documents related to the assignment should be annexed, and raw data of the assessment should also be submitted to Solidaridad.