AA Nigeria is an affiliate of ActionAid International, which is a global alliance of organisations working towards achieving a world without poverty and injustice in which every person enjoys the right to a life with dignity. As a large and visible development organisation, we work in more than 40 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and America. Our expertise lies in community-led approaches to development and working through partnerships with the poor and other grass root organisations.
Background
ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) is implementing Phase 3 of the Public Financing of Agriculture (PFA). The Phase 3 which is designed to strengthen and deepen Public Financing of Agriculture project, seeks to address the challenges of low voice and participation of smallholder women farmers in agricultural policy making processes at local, state and national levels. It also focuses on issues of poor access and control over land and low spending on smallholder agriculture by the government at all levels, little support to smallholder women farmers. These include lack of access to agricultural credit/finance, business development/advisory services, women-friendly Agricultural extension and market access, technology, crop insurance, etc.
Part of the project deliverable is supporting smallholder farmers to undertake annual assessment of government expenditure on the agricultural sector at the national and state levels and making such analysis available in a format appropriate for engaging key partners and for presentation to key officials. Therefore, the Food and Agriculture Team intends to work with community and citizens groups and a consultant to carry out the assessment in Ondo, Kwara, Delta, Gombe, FCT, Bauchi, Kogi and Ebonyi States and national level.
Rationale:
In line with the objective of the PFA project to assess government expenditure on the agricultural sector at both national and state levels, the smallholder women farmers and CSOs intend to monitor and assess service provision under government’s agricultural insurance. The government’s insurance scheme is supposed to protect smallholder farmers from losses due to climate change or any other eventuality at national and state level; to increase their production, productivity and secure and sustainable livelihoods. This assessment is intended to assess the extent to which the objectives of the existing agricultural insurance scheme are being achieved, who is benefiting, and to what extent it has contributed to tackling poverty among smallholder women farmers and promoting their food security.
The assessment will also seek to determine rationale for the existing agricultural insurance scheme as well as determine if smallholders were involved in the design and identification of priorities for funding. The assessment should be able to provide tangible information as to the accessibility, appropriateness, timeliness, usefulness of the scheme and quality of service provision targeting smallholder farmers especially women. The outcome of findings will provide CSOs, smallholder farmers and the communities with evidence for policy advocacy as well as holding government at the different tiers accountable.
Objectives of the Assessment:
- To identify the government’s agricultural insurance scheme at both national and state levels covering who pays for the insurance premiums, the value for money, how compensation is calculated and handled; who benefits within the household.
- To review the gender responsiveness (Determine the number of beneficiaries in relation to smallholder women farmers against other groups both at National and State level), accessibility, adequacy, appropriateness, usefulness and timeliness of the agricultural insurance scheme in addressing and compensating smallholder farmers, particularly women farmers’ losses due to climate change or other eventuality.
- To assess to what extent the objectives of the government’s agricultural insurance scheme have been achieved and or met its set targets.
- To determine if smallholders especially women were involved in the design and priority setting for funding areas as criteria for accessing such agricultural insurance scheme
- Ascertain the level of government expenditure on agricultural insurance services that specifically targets and supports smallholder women farmers in the respective PFA States.
- To generate information on the quality of public service provision (What services are provided? When is the scheme triggered? Do smallholders benefit, did they get any compensation? What about landless who lost their incomes) in agricultural insurance and its contribution to ending poverty and hunger.
- Identify budgetary allocation against actual expenditure to agriculture insurance from 2014 – 2018 fiscal year with beneficiary analysis and ratios
- Determine the % allocation and expenditure on agricultural insurance available to smallholder women farmers and cooperatives in relation to annual sector budget per state
Methodology:
A two-prong approach will be employed involving desk reviews/document analysis and key informant interviews and community participatory approach using the score card tool and involving direct assessment by and with supposed beneficiaries. The assessment will be undertaken across the eight implementing states of the PFA project (Ondo, Kwara, Delta, Gombe, FCT, Bauchi, Kogi and Ebonyi States), focusing on national and local expenditure in each state.
For the participatory approach, ActionAid Nigeria’s Food and Agriculture Team and Partners will facilitate a Focus Group discussion with the farmers on the one hand and the providers of the services on the other hand (government) to develop the community score cards after which the consultant will analyse the data. The FGD is aimed at developing criteria and grading system for assessing the government’s agricultural services provision. Information thus generated would be put together in the form of a score card for each participating state. Thereafter an interface meeting will be held with both groups to ensure feedback.
The process will also include states and federal budget allocation analysis (percentage compared to the Malabo Declaration Commitment)/budget implementation, comparing spend on insurance, benefit received, and what if that money was spent in building resilience/adaptation to climate change report analysis by the consultant.
Deliverable
- The assessment instruments developed.
- Detailed analysis of National and State agricultural insurance spending in 8 states (Detailed analysis report of 2014/2015/2016/2017/2018 Agricultural Insurance Programme at National and State agriculture budgets in 8 states focusing on agricultural insurance scheme with key recommendations for policy advocacy work)
- Report cards on National and State agricultural insurance spending to be used for advocacy
- 8 PFA State Score cards on local agricultural insurance spending to be used for advocacy
- Actual Government agricultural insurance expenditure targeting smallholder farmers especially women ascertained and impact on lives and livelihoods as insurance is post disaster; also, how is it linked with building back better.
- Agricultural insurance budget spending analysis in a form appropriate for engaging key partners and for presentation to key officials developed
Qualifications and criteria for selection
The consultant should have the following experiences;
- A minimum of seven (7) year experience of carrying out similar assignment
- A good understanding and practical experience of food and agriculture work including advanced skills in agriculture budget analysis.
- Experience in developing tools for Community Participatory Assessments of Government Expenditure on Agriculture
- Experience in developing tools for the development of Community Score Cards.
- Excellent facilitation, writing and data analysis skills
Place of Work & Administrative Support
The consultant will be free to work independently from any base location or where required. S/he will be expected to provide his/her own work equipment and space except where otherwise stated.
Ownership of outputs
Outputs of the work done as stipulated in the call for expression of interest belongs to ActionAid.
Timelines for Submission of Deliverables
The duration of this assessment for the consultant is 16 working days beginning from 28th June,2019. These are broken down into
- Desk Review: 2 days (28th June – 1st July 2019).
- Development of tools and review: 2 days (2nd – 3rd July 2019.
- Data gathering from the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development (FMARD), Central Bank of Nigeria, and Bank of Agriculture. This also include focus group discussions with the farmers and the providers of the service (Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development (FMARD), State Ministry of Agriculture officials, Central Bank of Nigeria, Bank of Agriculture, etc.) and interface meeting: 8 days (4th July – 6th August 2019.
- Data analysis and report writing: 4 days (7th August – 12th August 2019)
- Submission of draft report: 13th August, 2019
Mode of Payment
The Consultant shall be paid daily consultancy fee of N50, 000. Fifty percent of the total sum shall be paid in advance at the beginning of the consultancy period. The balance of 50% will be paid when the final reports have been submitted and signed off by the Director Programmes.
ActionAid shall however deduct the statutory 5% With Holding Tax (WHT) for individuals and 10% for limited (LTD) and public companies (PLC); and remit to relevant authority. The successful applicant would be required to provide AAN his/her Tax Identification Number (TIN) for the purposes of remittance.
Reporting Lines:
The Food and Agriculture Programme Coordinator will provide technical oversight to the Consultant during the work. The consultant shall be responsible for pulling together the report and documents for submission to the Food and Agriculture Programme Coordinator at ActionAid Nigeria who will confirm reports satisfactory before balance payments are made.
Submission of expression of interest
Interested candidates should send their expression of interest with a CV detailing competency. Links to sample of past works and any other relevant information, demonstrating skill and experience in this area should also be included in the application.
The Expression of Interest (EoI)must be electronically submitted to: [email protected]. The Subject line of your application should be “Community Participatory Assessment on Access to Agricultural Insurance Services” Submissions should be sent Not later than 13th of June, 2019.
Please note that only successful applicants will be contacted.