The Strengthening Capacity in Agriculture, Livelihoods, and Environment (SCALE) program is a five-year Associated Award funded by the USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) through the Technical and Operational Performance Support (TOPS) program led by Save the Children US. SCALE is designed to further improve the impact, sustainability, and scalability of BHAs programming in agriculture, natural resource management, and alternative (off-farm and non-farm) livelihoods in emergency and non-emergency settings. Specifically, the program focuses on sustainable and climate-sensitive approaches that foster resilient agricultural systems, and enhance income opportunities within or outside agricultural systems. This program is managed through Mercy Corps Agriculture Technical Support Unit (TSU) and is in its fourth year.
Develop a Facilitators Guide to accompany the Resilience Design in Smallholder Farming Systems technical manual.
The Strengthening Capacity in Agriculture, Livelihoods, and Environment (SCALE) program is a five-year Associated Award funded by the USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) through the Technical and Operational Performance Support (TOPS) program led by Save the Children US. SCALE is designed to further improve the impact, sustainability, and scalability of BHAs programming in agriculture, natural resource management, and alternative (off-farm and non-farm) livelihoods in emergency and non-emergency settings. Specifically, the program focuses on sustainable and climate-sensitive approaches that foster resilient agricultural systems, and enhance income opportunities within or outside agricultural systems. This program is managed through Mercy Corps Agriculture Technical Support Unit (TSU) and is in its fourth year.
Purpose/project description:
Develop a Facilitators Guide to accompany the Resilience Design in Smallholder Farming Systems technical manual.
Consultant Objectives:
The consultant will lead the design and development of a Facilitators Guide to support USAID/BHA-funded programs with implementing the Resilience Design (RD) in Smallholder Farming Systems approach. The RD approach document (RD Manual) has the technical content for how to apply the approach; the Facilitators Guide will be used by BHA-funded partners who work primarily in West, Central, and East Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia on food security programming.
Given the size of these programs, most take a Training of Trainers (ToT) cascading approach in order to train program staff from international and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), extension agents and community members. The consultant will need to consider this as they develop the Facilitators Guide. The consultant should have expertise in adult learning, instructional design and sustainable capacity strengthening and cascading methodologies in order to design a guide for users across different continents, who may have English or French as their second or third language, and who may have different education backgrounds and specialty areas.
Consultant activities:
The Consultant will:
- Consult with SCALE for orientation to the RD Manual and summary of trainings to-date
- Review the RD Manual content in order to understand the RD approach
- Review past RD training agendas, facilitator notes, and notes from previous discussions with BHA-funded implementers to understand their interests and needs related to the RD Manual and Facilitators Guide to ensure needs are being met by the Facilitators Guide
- Conduct key informant interviews with select members of SCALEs Technical Committee and select BHA-funded implementing partners to further refine needs and inform the approach for the Facilitators Guide.
- Produce draft Facilitators Guide outline for review by relevant stakeholders (such as SCALE staff, the SCALE Technical Committee, SCALEs Resilient Agriculture consultants, and BHA-funded program staff)
- Draft Facilitators Guide
- Remotely pilot test the Facilitators Guide with at least one BHA-funded program
- Finalize Facilitators Guide based on feedback from pilot
Consultant Deliverables:
- Draft outline and suggested approach to the Facilitators Guide
- Draft Facilitators Guide for pilot testing
- Plan for remote pilot testing and process for soliciting and incorporating feedback
- Final Facilitators Guide for Resilience Design in Smallholder Farming Systems
Timeframe / Schedule:
Approximately 25 working days between April-December 2021
Required experience and qualifications:
- 5-10 years of experience in a relevant technical field
- Demonstrated experience designing and developing Facilitators Guides for use in global contexts with low literacy or illiterate populations (preferably experience with smallholder farmer populations)
- Expertise in participatory adult education training methodologies
- Experience facilitating trainings for adults in diverse contexts, including with low literacy or illiterate populations
- Familiarity with Resilient Agriculture techniques preferred
Find the original call on the Mercy Corps website