Consultancy: Gender Analysis for Coffee, Tea, Food Products and Gold Projects under RECLAIM SUSTAINABILITY! Program

Solidaridad Network is an international solution-oriented civil society organization working through eight regional expertise centres to transform markets to make them more sustainable and inclusive. Our eight regional expertise centres include Asia, Eastern and Central Africa, Europe, Latin America, North America, Southern Africa, South America, West Africa and our global Secretariat in the Netherlands. Solidaridad Eastern and Central Africa, one of the regional centres, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya with country offices and programs in Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda. We bring together supply chain players and engage them with innovative solutions to improve production, ensuring the transition to a sustainable and inclusive economy that maximizes the benefit for all. We facilitate strengthening of local capacity in developing countries, support the creation of enabling environments for economies to thrive, and improve market access.

RECLAIM SUSTAINABILITY! Program.

RECLAIM SUSTAINABILITY! Is a 5-year program (2021-2025) supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of the Netherlands. The program is implemented through a consortium and in brief it tries to invoke the actual meaning of sustainability both in theory and practice in global commodity supply chains.

Sustainability seems to have lost its true meaning. There is no such thing as sustainable products when the people who produce those goods live in poverty, when natural resources are not managed sustainably, and working conditions are poor.

Civic space in supply chains of our target countries remains confined. Space for farmers and workers to improve their position in the chain, to bargain for better prices, or working conditions, or to influence equitable access and use of natural resources, in the countries and sectors of our focus is limited.

Systemic, transformative change is therefore required by reclaiming the essence of sustainability through an enabled civic space that sets the right conditions for this to happen.

Given the above explanation, the strategic objective of the RECLAIM SUSTAINABILITY! Program is to contribute to inclusive sustainable value chains and trade in an innovative way, in which the interests, voices and rights of farmers, workers and citizens (both male and female) are represented and heard in decision making for sustainable use of natural resources, decent work, fair value distribution, and sustainable consumption.

The Program’s theory of change’s premise is that: IF we strengthen civil society; IF we increase and maintain civic space; and IF we apply a gender & social inclusion approach – throughout all our interventions in trade and value chains; – THEN this will influence the public and private sector to adopt and implement sustainability norms that will ultimately alleviate the poverty of farmers and workers.

The RECLAIM SUSTAINABILITY! Program works in 7 supply chains being; Palm Oil, Cocoa, Cotton & Textiles, Gold, Food Products, Tea and Coffee. These commodity supply chains are sub-projects of the entire program. We see a strong relevance of these sectors for the global living income/decent work agenda, and a strong linkage with the local Dutch embassy priorities.

The program seeks to strengthened interaction between:

• A Vibrant and Strong Civil Society that engages and debates with public and private decision makers, monitors implementation and enforcement of policies and mechanisms, holds decision makers accountable, safeguards gender and social inclusion, and demands and consumes sustainable products;
• A Responsible Private Sector implementing comprehensive policies and innovative inclusive business models for truly sustainable sourcing, production, trade and investment;
• A Supportive Public Sector enforcing national, regional and international comprehensive norms and regulatory frameworks that ensure sustainable production, trade and consumption.

RECLAIM SUSTAINABILITY! Consortium:

This consortium has come together in a broad coalition of local civil society partners under one unified banner in a proposed strategic partnership with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to embark on an ambitious goal: to RECLAIM SUSTAINABILITY! We do this in service to our local constituencies: farmers, workers and their communities. The RECLAIM SUSTAINABILITY! Consortium (RSC) is deeply rooted in local societies with a local identity, ownership and autonomy, and local staff under local leadership, acting in compliance with local legislation. The consortium comprises of: Fundación Solidaridad Latinoamericana, Solidaridad West Africa, Solidaridad Southern Africa, Solidaridad East & Central Africa, Solidaridad Asia, and Solidaridad Europe; FairFood; Business Watch Indonesia (BWI) and TrustAfrica .

The Coffee, Tea, Food Products and Gold Projects under RECLAIM SUSTAINABILITY! Program

Background

Coffee: Coffee Farmers’, workers’, and civil society’s ability to claim and defend economic, social, ecological and political rights, and influence decision making affecting these rights is confined. The majority of farmers and workers in poorer countries face many hardships: sustained poverty, poor and often dangerous working conditions, degraded land, water and air pollution, and low incomes. They also suffer most from climate change and have little say in the policies that determine their future. For female farmers and workers, the situation is even worse. Inclusive sustainable value chains and trade means there is a clear win for farmers and workers and an enabling civic space that sets the right conditions for this to happen. To address these systemic challenges; the Coffee Project under RECLAIM SUSTAINABILITY! Program seeks to strengthen the interaction between A Responsible Private Sector to improve the position for coffee farmers and workers in Kenya and Uganda as a result of an innovative and inclusive private sector that sources and trades coffee transparently and responsibly.

Tea: A number of problems need to be addressed in the tea value chain. These include resource inefficiency, waste and depletion of natural resources, vulnerable employment, unfair distribution of value in the chain, unequal access to sustainable, healthy and safe food products, voluntary standards which have shown limited results, and confined platforms for growers and workers to bargain for better incomes and working conditions. The tea project will be implemented in Uganda and Kenya and it aims to transform the global commodity industry through development of business models, improving global trade, increasing consumer demand and improving income to farmers and workers. Project Impact is to promote & support a responsible private sector that implements comprehensive policies and innovative inclusive business models for truly sustainable sourcing, production, trade and investment.

Food Products: The horticulture sub-sector plays a crucial role in export earnings contributing significantly to the agricultural GDP. The horticultural industry is one of the most promising sub-sectors for increasing incomes in the rural and peri-urban areas, improving nutrition of people, diversification of exports, provision of raw materials for agro-based industries as well as creating jobs especially for youth and women. The sector is also the main driver of the non-agricultural economy including manufacturing, providing inputs and markets for non-agricultural operations such as building/construction, transportation, tourism, education and other social services. Horticulture holds great potential for increasing household income, nutrition and health status as well as increased earnings from export, yet this sector is largely under-developed in Africa. A wide diversity of vegetables and fruits are found in Kenya and Uganda with both men and women and youth involved in producing, processing, marketing and utilization of different types of products. Horticulture production and productivity in East Africa is largely constrained by factors related to poor management of production resources, weak and non-inclusive policy framework, low adoption of new technologies and unfair value distribution. The majority of horticulture growers and value chain actors, both in Kenya and Uganda face many hardships; low incomes, degraded natural resources (land, air, water), and poverty. Uncertainties brought about by climate change makes the situation worse by exerting more pressure on the horticulture value chain. Farmers have little say in the policies that determine the operations of their business and their future. The growers’ and civil society’s ability to claim and defend economic, social, ecological and political rights, and influence decision making affecting their rights is confined. These challenges are worse for female growers, youth and other marginalized groups as a result of sociocultural inhibitions.

Gold: Gold mining is a global business with operations on every continent. Africa produces about 24% of the world’s gold, with gold mining operations in at least 34 African countries. While the majority of the global gold mining is conducted by major corporations, there are also smaller independent gold mining operations. The nature of the ore body determines whether it is suitable for either large-scale or small-scale mining activity. Artisanal Small-scale gold Mining (ASM) is a collective term embracing both small-scale and artisanal gold mining. It covers formal and informal mining which is characterized by low capital intensity, high labor intensity and relatively simple methods for exploration, extraction and processing. ASM is estimated to occur in more than 80 countries globally and to employ between 20-30 million people worldwide. Between 70% and 80% of the small-scale miners are informal, ranging from those whose livelihoods rely on subsistence farming to skilled workers who migrated from urban areas in search of work. Reliable statistics of ASM production volumes are a challenge, however it is widely assumed that approximately 20% of the global supply of newly mined gold comes from ASM sources, and 80% comes from large scale gold mining (LSM) sources.

Coffee Project Objectives:

• Coffee trade solutions promoted through global and regional platforms that engage civil society, public and private decision makers.
• Working collective agreements that fairly transform value distribution in the coffee value chain developed, implemented and monitored.
• Better incomes for farmers as a result of a transparent and traceable coffee value chain.
• Global coffee consumers demand more ethically produced and sourced coffee.

Tea Project Objectives:

• Establish and strengthen regional MSP dialogues to enable them advocate for issues affecting tea sector (e.g. gender inequality) Support East Africa Tea Trade Association (EATTA) in advocacy and lobbying
• Establish inter regional digital dialogues and share scientific knowledge; involve other stakeholders including tea association, workers’ unions, local NGOs and environmental committees on co-designing
• Develop and implement women inclusion models, gender analysis design, advocacy, MSP dialogues among others
• Co-develop business models that will sustain investments and trade

Food Products Project Objectives:

• Accelerate disruptive innovations that optimize the bargaining position of horticulture farmers in the supply chain, through innovative, digital, circular, and fair production and trade models.
• Advocate through inclusive dialogue creating, strengthening and joining networks to enhance access to knowledge and information, facilitates an informed dialogue in which vulnerable groups can speak up, and policy makers can make informed decisions conducted/facilitated.
• The voice of citizenry amplified through mobilized, activated and engaged citizens and CSOs to change norms, and influence the policy agenda, for the range of issues highlighted in the problem analysis.
• Civil society strengthened through building up the ability of farmers, workers, and civil society to claim and defend rights, and influence decision making

Expected Outcomes of the Gold project

• New inclusive regulatory frameworks in Kenya and Uganda, that optimize ASM formalization, provide decent working conditions and living wages, stop child labor and ensure pollution free mining.
• Gold sourcing companies in Europe implement responsible sourcing practices and invest in a responsible ASM sector.
• A strong CSO network in Europe advocates for decent work, fair value distribution and sustainable natural resources management in ASM
• New digital tools and technologies in place for mercury-free processing and geodata

Gender and Social Inclusion

In RS! We take a gender and social inclusion approach in all the program interventions. Through a lens of inter-sectionality, we examine different forms of inequality resulting from gender and social differences, and power imbalances, and then tailor interventions. The program applies an Inclusivity of ABC strategy:

Analyze and address barriers for participation

Balance power relations

Create togetherness based on shared interest and values

Through the three impact pathways while applying gender & social inclusion approach throughout all six commodity value chain interventions RS! End result is to change the relative position of women and other marginalized groups – youth, indigenous and migrants’ groups. At the close of RS! The marginalized groups are strengthened, and policies and social norms that perpetuate inequalities deconstructed. Projects within RS! will actively engage women and men on these topics to address the root causes and resulting barriers to gender equality and social inclusion in the specific contexts of the program.

One of the impact pathways tailor-made and sector-specific to increase and maintain civic space:

Amplification of the citizenry voice: RS! interventions will set forth rebalancing of power by way of changing norms in constant awareness raising campaigns, ranging from consumer campaigns, to local awareness campaigns on gender norms, production practices; applying (digital) tools, varying from companies’ benchmarks publications (Sustainable Cotton Ranking, True Price) to transparency and traceability initiatives; and citizen led movements calling for action (petitions).

Objectives of the Gender Analysis:

RS! Seeks to examine inequalities resulting from multiple identities of our target clients – farmers, miners and workers – these multiple identities may result in discrimination as this is a matter of layered-on inequality hence the demand for intersectional gender analysis. In this particular case, the analysis must therefore pay attention to intersectionality given that a commitment of RS! to policies and social norms requires attention to power dynamics at work. The gender analysis will be expected to utilize well recognized gender analysis methodologies taking the analysis at the three levels of micro, meso and macro while identifying gender relations, gender issues, constraints/opportunities and inequalities in the sectors. The levels of analysis illustrated in the table below.

Micro-analyses – Individual/household

Meso-analysis – Community, CBOs, farmer groups, associations etc.

Macro-analyses – Public/policy

Methodology:

The methodology for the gender analysis will utilize gender analysis methodologies that will generate information on gender relations, gender issues, constraints, opportunities and inequalities in the sectors at the micro, meso and macro level while using an intersectionality lens.

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

• Review existing relevant secondary information and reports related to gender variables in East Africa coffee, tea, food products/horticulture and gold production, processing and marketing. This to include the review of policy, strategy reviews at the macro and meso levels identifying the extent to which they consider gender and intersectionality.
• Discuss with key Solidaridad staff, partners, and key informants at office and field implementation levels on gender and intersectionality variables in the Coffee, tea, food products/horticulture and gold mining.
• Data collection at micro level focusing on the Individual/households in the respective communities to identify the gender relations, gender issues, constraints and opportunities at this level of players. And the power dynamics in the respective sectors at this level of analysis. The consultant will utilize gender analysis tools that generate the gender relations, gender issues, social exclusion issues, constraints, opportunities and inequalities among others in the respective commodity value chains.
• Data collection at meso level focusing on the Community, CBOs, farmer groups, miner’s groups, associations etc. Using gender and social analysis tools that generate the gender relations, gender issues, social exclusion issues, constraints/opportunities and inequalities among others.
• 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.
• Use of data from local institutions or organizations.
• Data analysis and verification of analyzed data.

Geographical Area and Stakeholders’ Scope

The Gender analysis 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.

Deliverables

1. Inception Report for the Gender Analysis
2. Presentation of gender analysis methodology to Solidaridad team in an inception meeting and later incorporate suggestions in the final inception report.
3. A draft report of the gender analysis for feedback and comments from Solidaridad and partners involved.
4. Presentation on the main findings of the gender analysis for validation involving project teams, and other stakeholders as agreed with the project team.

An intersectional and gender Analysis report will be developed in the following format:

Table of contents

List of Acronyms/abbreviations

Acknowledgments

Executive summary

Chapter 1: Introduction

• Background
• Purpose of the intersectional and gender Analysis
• Overview of report content
• Limitations of the study

Chapter 2: Methodology

1. A description of the intersectional and gender Analysis methodology used
2. micro, meso and macro level

Chapter 3: Results of the intersectional and gender Analysis

1. Micro level
2. Gender and Social issues/constraints and opportunities identified and findings of existing gender relations, power relations as per the theoretical intersectionality and gender analysis tools agreed upon in the inception meeting.
3. A detailed framework/matrix matching the constraints & opportunities with related proposed interventions.
4. Meso level
5. Gender and Social issues existing in the commodity value chain as identified with and by varied stakeholders (stakeholder perspectives):
6. local community perspective
7. commercial stakeholders
8. local CSO/CBO perspective
9. Intersectional gendered strategies to challenge or resist different forms of power around gender discriminatory or social exclusion issues identified that exist at meso level e.g. community, cooperative, CBO etc. hindering inclusion, empowerment or equality for example lack of land rights among indigenous groups.
10. Varied contextualized strategies to build transformative power and work towards addressing the identified gender discriminatory or social exclusion issues with those with power, those affected and in circles where the issues take place.
11. Existing efforts by stakeholders and capacity (including capacity gaps) to address the gender and social issues through stakeholder’s service provision mechanism for the affected groups.
12. Macro level
13. An examination of values, objectives, expected results and action of implemented policy(ies) to bridge/address commodity-based value chain gender gaps and social exclusions in light of the gender relations, roles, and identities of the target.
14. Strengths and gaps of the project to influence gender and inclusion actions at policy level

Chapter 4: Lessons learnt and key challenges

Chapter 5: Conclusions and recommendations

Appendices (to include the intersectionality and gender analysis tools used)

List of tables

Expert/Consultant’s Profile:

Consultancy firms/companies with verifiable work in conducting gender analysis and who fulfil the following requirements are encouraged to express their interests.

• Demonstrates an understanding of the gender technical aspects in relation to the assignment.
• Has been part of a similar engagement e.g. gender analysis and was able to fully deliver.
• Education background. A MUST have minimum academic post graduate qualification in Gender studies. Or an equivalent of a minimum of a Postgraduate qualification in Social sciences. Experience in development work in gender, social inclusion and women empowerment is a plus.
• Shows prior experience supported by capability in practical application of different gender mainstreaming tools or specific tools needed to accomplish the assignment e.g. analytical tools.

Consultancy Period:

The overall time frame of the survey will be 20 days (including Saturdays and Sundays), which will include inception meetings, finalizing the methodology, data collection, data analysis, report writing, presenting findings of the gender analysis and submission of the final report.

1. Interested parties should submit a Technical and Financial proposal. Budget proposals should include logistics costs (transport, communications, meals and accommodation).- 8th August 2021, 5:00pm (EAT)
2. Decision of selected consultant – only selected candidates will be contacted.- 10th August 2021
3. Inception report and meeting (virtual or in-person depending on covid19 situation).- 12th August 2021, 5:00pm (EAT)
4. Draft report submitted – 26th August 2021, 5:00pm (EAT)
5. Validation meeting and final report (virtual or in-person depending on covid19 situation).- 29th August 2021, 5:00pm (EAT)