Consultant to Develop Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Materials - A3 SEED project

About IFDC

IFDC is a public international organization active in 27 countries in Africa, Asia, and America. IFDC uniquely approaches the global issues of food security and poverty by bridging the gap between research and impact, combining science-based innovations, holistic market systems development, an enabling policy environment, and strategic partnerships to assist farmers and countries to identify and scale sustainable agricultural solutions, including improved nutrient use efficiency. These approaches are needed to boost soil health and crop productivity while reducing the environmental impact of fertilizer use. IFDC translates research into action by using locally driven, environmentally sound, and impact-oriented solutions. With our partners, we seek to close the yield gap, eradicate global hunger, safeguard the soil on which our lives depend, and generate economic resilience for farming households and the countries in which they live.  

Overall objective of the assignment

IFDC seeks the services of a consultant to document and develop content on good agricultural practices for groundnut, maize, beans and sorghum crops, including their varieties, characteristics, recommended planting/ sowing methods as well as their respective diseases and pests, their characteristics symptoms and control mechanisms. This information is meant for the farmers in the program (Rumbek, Bor, Torit, Magwi, Yambio and in and around Juba) by influencing their behaviour and decision-making processes.

Responsibilities

1.   Conduct a needs assessment to understand the current knowledge, attitudes, and practices of farmers regarding their farming practices (agronomic practices);
2.  Identify and understand the key barriers to adoption of good agronomic practices;
3. Develop engaging and informative visual content, including animations, and infographics, tailored to the target audience;
4.  Research, edit and develop content in all the above crops as specified in English Language;
5. Design infographics to represent the information on Good Agricultural practices (GAP) practices (sources of seed/ access, land selection/preparation, row planting, timing of weed control, pest and disease management practices, harvesting, post-harvest practices, marketing etc.);
6. Source for appropriate photos to show crop varieties, pests, and diseases (documents have guiding images);
7. Provide an A5 foldable detailed booklet on groundnut, maize, beans and sorghum crops GAP practices;
8. Summarize GAP practices on A1 posters.

Deliverables

The following outputs are expected at the end of the contract period:

•  4 manuals on maize, groundnuts, beans and sorghum.
• Vinyl Chart sets (1 set for each crop)
•  A1 Value chain posters
•  A5 Foldable booklets

    Duration of Assignment

The recommended engagement of consultant is 30 days, starting the date of signing contractual agreement, planning and submission date. The task is very time sensitive, and hence in the work plan the consultant should present in detail how he/she will adhere to this timeframe.

It is important to consider the following during the design:

1. Design the content with illiteracy in mind - with the ability to stimulate behavioural change (shift from traditional to modern farming practices).
2. Make IEC materials motivating and informative to youth, women, and men.
3. Borrow good ideas, but adapt them to the context of South Sudan
4. Pre-test IEC materials with project target populations
5. Strong understanding of the local context and cultural norms.

Reporting and Work Relationships

Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager, the consultant will work closely with the Seed Extension Manager, Agribusiness and Market Development Manager, MELS Manager, Gender and Youth Inclusion Officer of the project.

Location

This is a temporary consultancy (national/international) recruitment.

Benefits      

The service will be hired under IFDC terms of contract and supervised solely for the purpose of delivering the above outputs within the agreed time frame. IFDC as the client shall provide necessary support to the consultant to execute the assignment during the duration of the consultancy.

Salary Clause: 

To be determined through competitive bidding.

Diversity Clause

IFDC is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion, and offers equal employment opportunities based on ability, performance, and potential. Equal opportunity is integral to the recruitment and selection practices at IFDC. IFDC recognizes the value in recruiting employees with different backgrounds, knowledge, experiences, perspectives, and beliefs. IFDC recognizes and values the contribution of people with a diverse background in capabilities, experience, and perspectives. Diversity encompasses gender, age, experience, education, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and cultural backgrounds as well as other dimensions such as lifestyle and family responsibilities.

About Program/Project

In South Sudan, IFDC is implementing a private led seed sector development project. The “Accelerating Agriculture and Agribusiness in South Sudan for Enhanced Economic Development Project” (A3-SEED) provides market-oriented interventions to support the establishment of a commercial, sustainable, and adaptive agriculture sector in South Sudan. The project ensures the availability of improved seed down to the last-mile through agri-entrepreneurship and supporting existing private sector seed companies to improve seed and input marketing, distribution, and production practices.  

A3-SEED seeks to reach more than 100,000 farming households, double incomes from marketable surpluses, increase farmer yields by 20-50% on target commodities (maize, sorghum, beans, cowpeas, facilitate the development of 100 agro-dealers as well as 200 women-owned and 200 youth-led businesses, and bring 42,000 ha of farmland under agroecological production. The project supports the emergence of individual commercial seed producers, who produce for the local market, as out growers for a seed company, or both. The primary purpose is to enable smallholder households to improve their food and nutrition security through productivity growth and improve resilience of communities to cope with climatic and environmental volatility.

A3SEED project is implemented by IFDC together with the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) in collaboration with the national, state and county level government counterparts targeting Rumbek, Bor, Torit, Juba and Yambio hubs of stability.  A3SEED is financed by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Juba, South Sudan.

The deadline for submitting your application for the above consultancy is COB Monday 23rd September 2024 via the IFDC Career page.

Required Experience

The consultant/s will be multimedia specialists or firm with proven experience that will have primary responsibility for the design and implementation of strategies that promote seed adoption and effective marketing of produce, with the following expertise, experiences and competencies:

The successful entity is required to meet the following criteria.

1.  At least a master’s degree qualification in any of the following areas: Agriculture, and Extension.
2.  Strong background in graphic design (a MUST requirement for one of the team members).
3.  Strong writing, translation and editing skills.
4.  Previous experience working on the development of extension materials will be an added advantage.