Consultancy Services Assessment of Fruit and Vegetable Value Chain Opportunities

The ACTION AGAINST HUNGER in Lebanon from Middle East region had released this tender for Tenders are invited for Consultancy Services Assessment of Fruit and Vegetable Value Chain Opportunities in Lebanon (Food System Approach). Action Against Hunger – Lebanon (AAH) is exploring the possibility of supporting vulnerable economic sectors through the provision of assets and resources, improved technical and financial capacity of actors, increasing access to and use of market information. To do so, AAH would like to focus on sustainable food systems – from a social, economic and environmental point of view, analyzing the linkages within the core system: linkages between actors across the stages of the product flow (production, aggregation, processing, distribution and consumption) and their support service providers, as well as the interactions between the core system and social and natural contexts they are embedded in. The core of the understanding would nonetheless be agricultural value chains Currently, AAH has a basic knowledge on actors and infrastructures of the agricultural value chains in Lebanon. Some assessments with small scale farmers have been carried out in the last 6 months, yet the data is not sufficient. Data and available resources will be shared with the consultant. Scope of the consultancy The action intends to: analyse the agriculture and agrifood sector in Lebanon; identify a value chain (or more value chain sub-groups) that needs to be supported and enhanced by providing technical support to farmers to enhance production and establish related agri-food businesses to address gaps and constraints along the value chain; analyse the linkages within the core system, meaning linkages between actors across the five main stages of the product flow (production, aggregation, processing, distribution and consumption) and their support service providers, as well as the interactions between the core system and social and natural contexts they are embedded in; identify potential for support at any stage of the product to overcome root causes of underperformance (undesired behaviour), as well as the areas of greatest potential for improving system performance (binding constraints, leverage points). This consultancy should therefore assess various potential sub-sectors or value chains within the agricultural sector (fruits and vegetables) using the food systems approach, to provide evidence-based information to feed sustainable development strategies. The requested study should shed light on impact, uncovers main pathways, and identifies at which stages of the chain and of the system and for which actors, potential investment and support can generate benefits, eliminate drawbacks and constraints and foster sustainability and inclusiveness. Specific Objectives Using the Value Chain Analysis methodology and the Food Systems Approach, the specific objectives of the consultancy will include: Map the existing potential value chains within the agricultural sector (fruits and vegetables). It is advisable to also follow Value Chain Analysis for Development (VCA4D) methodology considering that the selected VCs are socially and environmentally sustainable and its economic growth is inclusive: analyzing the gender and age distribution of roles throughout the chain. Select the most promising ones in terms of social, economic and environmental opportunities (employment opportunities, product expansion, value maximization opportunities potential for development and improvements, market viability, sustainable and inclusive growth). The technical selection mechanism must be considered also the following dimensions: Seasonality, Productivity, Proliferation, Governance. Conduct production and market gap analysis of the selected value chains and key features (including but not limited to identifying inputs and outputs constraints in production, main varieties, market dynamics, consumer preferences, policy, and regulatory dimension). Conduct assessments of demand and market conditions for products within selected value chains including analysis of input and output markets, their structure and dynamics between actors, procurement processes, and related standards. Identify constraints in the value chain, including, but not limited to, linkages to storage, transport, processing, packing, marketing, and financing, proposing innovative linkages for value addition and upscale marketing of the enterprises’ agriculture produce. Analyze and suggest the interventions that are required to make the value chain more efficient by addressing its gaps and potential, including both existing facilities/infrastructures/storing/packaging/processing units and missing ones (e.g., infrastructure, finance, human resource/skills, marketing, information, related services) as well as identify new roles and opportunities for these groups and identify how the selected value chain can be enhanced and developed considering the gender mainstreaming approach. Review the environmental and social aspects of the selected value chains and identify the environmental and social development needs. To recommend value chain development plan(s) and interventions that lead to improvement of living conditions and wage/self-employment together with a road map for its implementation. Methodology The methodology for this study should combine quantitative-qualitative methods of data collection. Additionally, an exhaustive literature review of secondary sources must be done to improve the analysis. To set the delimitation of the scope of the value chain study, the analysis should focus on the following items: Mapping of agricultural actors, inputs and outputs The consultant will take into consideration all the data provided by Action Against Hunger, as well as any secondary data available, for producing a mapping of the actors, inputs and outputs in agricultural production in Bekaa and South Lebanon, including but not limited to size of farmers, type of farming approach (for subsistence, for market…), crop type, presence of cooperatives, types of marketplaces and type of land ownership. It is recommended to integrate the desk review with field visits. Screening, shortlisting, and selection of promising value chain through desk review The consultant will review recent reliable sources for secondary information and through this review, he / she will shortlist 5 sub-value chains within the fruit and vegetable value chain with high potential for expansion and upgrading as well as with opportunities for youth and women, for a deeper assessment. For this phase is advisable to take into consideration Action Against Hunger internal toolbox (which will be made available to the selected consultant), GIZ technical documents for value chain analysis, and the Value Chain Analysis for Development (VCA4D) methodology. Analysis should focus amongst others (and not limited to) to the following questions: How profitable and sustainable are the VC activities for the actors involved? What is the contribution of the VC to the GDP and to agriculture GDP? Would improving VC promote local consumption and reduce imports? Is the VC viable in the international economy? Are working conditions throughout the VC socially acceptable and sustainable? Do VC activities contribute to upgrading and securing the food and nutrition conditions? Do the VC activities contribute to improving the living conditions of the households through acceptable facilities and services? What are the potential damages of the VC on resource depletion? What is the potential impact of the VC on climate change? How is income distributed across actors of the VC? What is the impact of the governance system on income distribution? How is access to income generating activities distributed across the VC from gender, age and diversity perspectives? Presentation for validation and recommendations The consultant will facilitate a presentation and validation of the findings from the desk review and field investigation and fill in any missing gaps through a stakeholder workshop. The final value chain selection of 3 sub-value chains can be confirmed during/after the workshop according to the new information collected. The outcome will be the elaboration of an inception report, which should also include a first stakeholder mapping, to be validated by Action Against Hunger. Value chain mapping and gaps identification The consultant will analyze the dynamics of the selected value chain to identify opportunities and constraints for upgrading. The analysis should address all levels of the value chain, from the production to the processing stage. This analysis should review the full range of activities, services, and actors (suppliers, producers, processors, buyers, services providers, etc.) involved in all the activities needed to bring a product or service to the end market. The investigation will include end-market assessment (market dynamics, varieties, prices, consumers preferences etc.), business environment, socio-economic context, enabling environment (policy and legal framework, required standards and certifications), VC relationships, support products and services and business performance. The analysis should also concentrate on mapping the existing and missing infrastructures/facilities/processing units that represent a challenge in the development of the value chain. In all dimensions investigated, the consultant will include a gender and youth focus, highlighting roles and challenges of the two categories. At this stage, the consultant will also provide a comprehensive stakeholder analysis, including relationships, interconnections, and communication between the VC actors. Development of a value chain development plan The consultant will elaborate a detailed development strategy of the selected value chains to demonstrate how challenges, gaps, and constraints can be overcome, making the value chain more efficient and profitable. In particul with tender notice no. LBBT00967 published on 17 Jul 2023. The tender expired on 05 Aug 2023. This tender is sourced from Official Website and is eligible for suppliers interested in consultancy services. Interested bidders can obtain further information including complete bid documents or ways to participate by registering on Tender Impulse and referencing via Tender Impulse ID 3335394.