AL
ENPEER-TO-PEER COOPERATION WITH IRAQI GOVERNORATE – MISSAN
Programme ‘Supporting Recovery and Stability in Iraq through Local Development’ Funded by the European Union and Implemented by UNDP
TERMS OF REFERENCE for EXTERNAL CONSULTANCY FOR PREPARATION OF “BEST PRACTICE IN TRADITIONAL FOOD PRESERVATION TECHNIQUES IN ALBANIA”
Consultant funded under: PROGRAMME ‘SUPPORTING RECOVERY AND STABILITY IN IRAQ THROUGH LOCAL DEVELOPMENT’ FUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION AND IMPLEMENTED BY UNDP
Project: Peer-to-Peer Cooperation with Iraqi Governorate – MISSAN and Albanian Association of Municipalities, Governorate for Agriculture Innovation
Location: Tirana/Albania
Missan/Iraq
- Background
Iraq has recognized the importance of agriculture and the need to prioritize its role in the overall economic and social development of the country (National action plans, Sustainable development goals etc.). The policy framework guiding the prioritization of needs aims at creating a proper environment to support efficient and sustainable increases in food and agriculture production, improvement of food security and reduction rural poverty. Policies relying mainly on oil production had a deteriorating impact on the growth of other economic sectors, including agriculture. As a matter of fact, agriculture is the largest source of employment in the country (approximately 20 percent) and is dominated by the private sector. Yet, the contribution of agriculture to GDP has been declining in the last decade from 5.2 % in 2009to between 2.5% and 3.5% in 2021, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, statistic office. This data is the result of many factors that affected the agricultural sector: war, protests, institutional and economic setbacks. The security situation and rural poverty have contributed to this decline with an outflow of people from the countryside to the urban areas seeking employment and economic opportunities. Other contributing factors include a low percentage of water that Iraq receives, high cost of fertilizers and seeds and unclear policies to support the local agricultural products.
In light of the above, under the Programme ‘Supporting Recovery and Stability in Iraq through Local Development’ Funded by the European Union and Implemented by UNDP, the Association of Albanian Municipalities is carrying out the project titled Peer-to-Peer Cooperation with Iraqi Governorate – Missan and Albanian Association of Municipalities, “Governorate for Agriculture Innovation”.
Under this project, the Albanian Association of Municipalities will engage in preparing Best practices in food processing and preservation with traditional techniques in use by households. The focus will remain with simple processes that can be easily replicated in families without the need of industrial equipment. Such techniques do not require use of herbicides and pesticides.
The activity might increase range of agricultural products used by population to address the rising demand for more diversified products. AAM will produce short brochures in the traditional processes for preservation and processing of fruits, vegetables, diary and meat. The materials will be prepared in the local language and shared in the social media or other appropriate channels.
- Objective
The consultant will be responsible for designing and preparing a package of 4 best practices in traditional food preservation techniques. This assignment will be completed within a total of 16 working days for one individual expert or single organization.
The consultant will work together with the AAM team in designing the best practise and will be responsible for its completion, which will be submitted in English language.
The following tasks and responsibilities are expected to be accomplished over the consultancy. Please note that this list not exhaustive and AAM would welcome inputs and ideas from the consultant on other areas of expertise that can be included in the TOR:
Task 1:
Prepare 4 practices on food preservation techniques. To ensure readability and a clear presentation of what makes a practice innovative, interesting, informative and, indeed, a “Best Practice”, must include the following sessions.
(a) Title of the “Best Practice”
(b) Food that will be preserved/processed and materials needed for the technique
(c) Steps to implementation of the preservation/processing technique
(d) Time required to final result
(e) Use of processed/preserved food
(f) Illustration with photos.
Techniques to be included are:
(a) Preservation of fruits (dried, compost, jam)
(b) Preservation of vegetables (dried, pickles)
(c) Processing of milk (cottage cheese, cheese)
(d) Preservation of meat (dried). No pork meat should be included in the practice.
The above write-up should not exceed 20 A4 pages. It should be prepared in Microsoft Word. The contribution should be submitted in English.
Task 2:
Submit the draft documentation to AAM for review and further comments. Reflect any changes needed to reflect the comments provided.
- EXPECTED OUTPUTS
- The full documentation of the best practice as per the outline provided in English language;
- Photos to illustrate the practices in high quality
- CONSULTANCY TIMEFRAME
The consultancy timeframe is negotiable based upon the needs of the project and the consultant’s availability. The following is an outline of the anticipated consultancy period for the three Tasks.
Task 1: 14 working days to be held in September – October 2022
Task 2: 2 working days to be held September – October 2022
- QUALIFICATIONS & EXPEREINCE REQUIRED
- Demonstrable knowledge and experience of working with food preservation/processing techniques
- Strong presentation and communication skills
- English language fluency
- Report writing skills
- Albanian nationals
- GENERAL CONDITIONS
Required start date: 22 September 2022
Duration of work: 16 working days (home based)
Location of work: Tirana/Albania (remote)
Fees: The total amount for consultancy fees to be negotiated based on the proposition and experience of the consultant.
Payment: 100% of the fees to be paid on completion and approval of each task and following the submission of the consultancy report
Other: Any materials required to carry out the assigned consultancy (laptop, mobile phone etc.), must be provided by the consultant.
- APPLICATION PROCESS
Interested applicants should send their CV and a 1–2-page technical proposal on proposed content for the two tasks.
- The letter should also include the proposed gross daily rate for remuneration (in USD)
- Applications to be sent to the AAM email address: [email protected] with the subject “Food Preservation/Processing Consultancy” no later than 22nd September 2022.
