Consultant to Develop a strategy approach to Integrate Fertilizer data into the Cadre Harmonisé (CH) – EnGRAIS/IR4 – Office of Programs

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.   

 

This role aims to develop a detailed proposition and roadmap for integrating fertilizer data into the CH framework.

More specifically, the objective will be to:

 

• Outline a strategic plan for data integration, considering differences in data granularity and scope;

• Propose methodologies for data collection, consolidation, and analysis to align IFDC data with CH requirements;

• Develop a detailed roadmap for the implementation of the integration plan, including timelines, resource requirements, and potential challenges.

 

The Consultant will be responsible for the specific tasks including the following:

 

• Conduct a thorough assessment of existing CH and IFDC data frameworks;

• Identify and analyze integration points and synergies between the two datasets;

• Evaluate the differences in data granularity and propose solutions to harmonize the data.

 

• Develop a strategic plan for the integration of fertilizer data into the CH framework;

• Propose methodologies for data collection, consolidation, and analysis to align IFDC data with CH requirements;

• Outline a detailed roadmap for the implementation of the integration plan, including timelines, resource requirements, and potential challenges.

 

 Stakeholder Engagement:

• Engage with key stakeholders, including CH technical committee members, CILSS, AfricaFertlizer and IFDC representatives, to gather inputs and validate the integration plan;

• Facilitate discussions and workshops as needed to ensure stakeholder buy-in and consensus.

 

 Documentation and Reporting

• Provide monthly progress reports detailing activities undertaken, challenges encountered, and recommendations;

• Prepare a comprehensive final report, including the detailed proposition, methodology, stakeholder feedback, and implementation roadmap;

• Submit all reports to the supervisor by the 20th of each month.

 

• Be available to respond to calls, emails, and WhatsApp messages for coordination and support. 

• Assist IFDC in organizing related in-country events and activities.

 

• Provide training and capacity-building sessions for relevant IFDC and CH stakeholders to ensure smooth implementation of the integration plan.

• Develop training materials and manuals to support the ongoing use and maintenance of the integrated data system.

 

• Develop a monitoring and evaluation framework to track the progress and impact of data integration.

• Conduct periodic reviews and adjustments to the integration plan based on feedback and performance data.

 

The Consultant will deliver the following deliverables:

• A detailed report outlining the consultant's understanding of the assignment, methodology, work plan, and timelines.

• A comprehensive report on the assessment of existing CH and IFDC data frameworks, including identified integration points, synergies, and recommendations for harmonization.

• A report with detailed plan for the integration of fertilizer data into the CH framework, including proposed methodologies for data collection, consolidation, and analysis, along with a detailed implementation roadmap. 

• Comprehensive training materials and manuals to support the ongoing use and maintenance of the integrated data system. 

 

Interested parties must submit a comprehensive proposal that includes: 

• A summary of the understanding of the project's scope and objectives;

• A detailed plan of how the tasks described in the SOW will be accomplished;

• Information about the qualifications, experience, and expertise of the team that will be working on the project;

• A detailed budget that aligns with the budget provided in the SOW;

• A proposed timeline for completing the project within the expected duration;

• Contact information for at least three references that can attest to the quality of similar work performed in the past;

• Example of similar work performed in the past.

 

The consultant will report to the team Leader for Knowledge dissemination on fertilizer market data who will be responsible for supervising the consultant's work such as reviewing progress reports, providing feedback and guidance, and evaluating the consultant's performance.

 

The assignment will be carried out over a period of 4 months from initiation to final presentation.

 

This is a national recruitment with a duty station at the IFDC office based in Senegal 

 

The project is responsible for ensuring that the consultant receives payment for his work in accordance with the terms of the contract.

 

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.

 

Established on February 19, 2018, the Feed the Future Enhancing Growth through Regional Agricultural Input Systems (EnGRAIS) Project represents a strategic effort to reinforce the agricultural sector in West Africa.  

Since its initiation, EnGRAIS has been instrumental in developing strong collaborations with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the private sector, and farmer associations to enhance the supply of high-quality balanced crop and soil-specific fertilizer blends across the region. The fertilizer consumption in the region reached an all-time high of approximately 4 million metric tons in 2020, a significant increase from 2.7 million metric tons in 2016.

However, the challenges posed by global events such as the Covid-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions have led to a renewed emphasis on the region's self-sufficiency. The project's extension aims to consolidate and scale up efforts to ensure the continued availability of fertilizers and complementary inputs supported by a vibrant private sector at an affordable cost.

The EnGRAIS Project operates within a comprehensive framework, focusing on four essential workstreams:

1. Boosting the Private Sector-led Supply of Quality Fertilizer: Leveraging public-private partnerships to enhance the quality and availability of fertilizers in the region;

2. Increasing Nutrient Use Efficiency: Scaling up the dissemination and adoption of efficient agricultural input packages;

3. Increasing Investments in Policy Reforms: Creating attractive, robust, and competitive frameworks for increasing access to quality fertilizer;

4. Facilitating Knowledge Dissemination: Providing large-scale access to high-quality fertilizer market data.

The subject of monitoring the fertilizer situation and its relationship with food security in the region is also made more relevant in the aftermath of the Lomé round table where leaders of the region adopted a roadmap for soil health and security in the region. Indeed, Priority action 1 of the roadmap that seeks to Improve access to market information on agricultural inputs is well aligned with the objective of workstream 4.

There are already several Early Warning System and food crisis preparedness monitoring going on the region. Chief among those is the PREGEC and the Cardre Harmonisé under the CILSS (Comité permanent Inter-Etat de Lutte contre la Secheresse au Sahel). Through these two instruments, CILSS collects data on food security and assesses the readiness of member countries to respond to crisis.  However, consideration of fertilizer data/information is limited. But with the crisis, they are seeking to include it in their system.

 

The well-known past Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with geopolitical tensions such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, has significantly disrupted the fertilizer supply chain including West Africa. The resulting scarcity has led to soaring prices and diminished availability. These events have underscored the critical need for the region to harness its resources for local fertilizer production, thereby reducing dependency on international supply chains. A key element in reaching this objective is to develop the strategic plan for integrating fertilizer data into the CH framework the best known implemented by CILSS (COMITÉ PERMANENT INTERETAT DE LUTTE CONTRE LA SECHERESSE AU SAHEL).