Background

At HarvestPlus, we believe that hidden hunger should not be inevitable for the people most at risk. We break down silos between agriculture and nutrition to develop creative solutions to combat hidden hunger. Our food-based approach targets some of the most vulnerable populations around the world. HarvestPlus, and its CGIAR partners, breed crops with naturally higher levels of key micronutrients, using a process called biofortification, as well as other beneficial agricultural traits, such as climate resilience, higher yields, disease resistance, and pest tolerance. This approach complements other nutrition interventions, and is evidence-based, cost-effective, and sustainable. We work across the entire value chain to develop and deliver nutrient-enriched seeds, grains, and foods to the people who need it most, via a large collection of innovative and traditional supply chain activities. HarvestPlus is a program of the International Food Policy Research Institute, a research center of the CGIAR, a global agricultural research partnership for a food secure future. Its science is carried out by its 15 research centers in collaboration with hundreds of partner organization. To learn more about HarvestPlus, visit our home page here.

Nutri-Pathshala Model

The Nutri Pathshala program focuses on incorporating biofortified grains into the school feeding program in India. Biofortification is a process that increases the nutrient content of food crops through conventional breeding techniques or modern biotechnology. In this case, iron pearl millet and zinc wheat are being promoted. Micronutrient deficiency, also known as hidden hunger, is a prevalent issue among school-age children in India. It can have long-lasting effects on their cognitive and physical development. By introducing biofortified grains like iron pearl millet and zinc wheat into school meals, the Nutri Pathshala initiative aims to address this problem.

These biofortified grains have higher levels of essential micronutrients such as iron and zinc. Iron is crucial for the production of red blood cells and overall growth, while zinc is important for immune funciton and cognitive development. The Nutri Pathshala program works in collaboration with state governments, schools, and local communities to ensure the successful implementation of nutrient rich diets in school feeding programs. It not only provides nutritious meals but also promotes awareness about the importance of a balanced diet and healthy eating habits. Through the use of biofortified grains in school meals, the Nutri Pathshala program intends to improve the overall health and well-being of school-age children.

Biofortification in India

India is home to some 1.3 billion people. In India, 30% of adult males, 45% of adult females, 80% of pregnant females, and 60% of children are iron deficient. Meanwhile, some 300 million Indians (22% of the population) are deficient in zinc, including 44% of all Indian children under the age of five.

Nationally, pearl millet is consumed by 6-7% in India but reaches a much higher percentage in six states, i.e. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. Gujarat, Haryana, and Rajasthan account for 90% of pearl millet production and consumption. Other states where the crop is consumed include Mahrashtra and Karnataka. Consumption of pearl millet is highest in the state of Rajasthan, at 60 grams per day on average. Wheat is widely consumed across all states in India, with an average consumption of 138 grams per day, accounting for 20% of daily caloric intake. Outside of southern India, average consumption is even higher.

Objective of the RFP

The main objective of the RFP is to identify an organization, JV, or consortium (hereinafter referred to as consultant) that will primarily work to achieve the following. The objective is to develop a comprehensive traceability platform that ensures transparency and accountability throughout the entire supply chain of the school feeding program The scope of the RFP is to implement a platform across the value chain and benefit all stakeholders. Specifically the platform must facilitate:

Traceability of Farmer Fields

1. Geotagging: Implement a system for geotagging farmer fields to precisely track their locations and activities.
2. Remote monitoring of farmer fields: Develop a solution for remote monitoring of farmer fields to collect real-time data on various parameters such as crop health, growth, and pest infestations.
3. Timely advisory generation: Utilize the monitoring data to generate timely advisories for farmers, providing them with actionable insights and recommendations.

Traceability of Seeds

1. Captcha codes for seed packets: Introduce captcha code-enabled labeling for seed packets to ensure complete visibility of seed movement from the point of dispatch by the multiplier.
2. Seed quality and quantity details: Include comprehensive information regarding seed quality and quantity on the packets to enhance transparency and facilitate informed decision-making.

Traceability of Grains

1. Captcha codes for grain traceability: Implement captcha codes for grains to establish traceability from the farmer’s field to the end consumer, such as school students.
2. Nutrient and processing information: Incorporate details on the nutrient levels and processing stages of grains at each level of the supply chain, enabling stakeholders to track nutritional content and quality assurance.

Key Deliverables

The platform must cater to or have four different modules. The platform must support data collection through a mobile app to be used by field executives/applicable staff. The data collected through the app must be integrated on a webpage ensuring below activities.

1. Local language contextualization: Ensure the application is user-friendly among farmers, clusters, and FPOs. Contextual translation and adaption of the application in Hindi and Marathi is critical.
2. Dashboard capturing farm and farmer profile: While onboarding farmers, their farmland with geo-references, crop cultivation details, input application, and harvest details will be collected on the platform.
3. For crop management, technical advisory services like insect-pest management, irrigation and fertigation issues, crop harvesting advice, etc. will be provided to the farmers and members of FPOs.
4. Develop a solution for remote monitoring of farmer fields to collect real-time data on various parameters, such as crop health, growth, and pest infestation.
5. Utilize the monitoring data to generate timely advisories for farmers, providing them with actionable insights and recommendations.
6. Database of diseases, insect-pests with remedies: A library of crop diseases and insect-pests with their remedies will also be maintained to match the problem for quick service delivery.
7. Single dashboard showcasing progress of the program, including detaails such as farmers onboarded, district/village seed distribution tonnage/mapping, area under cultivation, other cultivation and business attributes.
8. Incorporate details on the nutrient levels and processing stages of grains at each level of the supply chain, enabling stakeholders to track nutritional content and quality assurance.
9. Reports section: Ability to generate and download data points captured on the platform, with up to five customizable reports as per the project requirement.
10. QR scanner-based traceability from seed to school/pathshala.
11. Capture school feeding program data on a daily basis, and create an impactful digital platform, where HarvestPlus will monitor the Nutri Pathshala model, morning meal supply, and engagement of nutri-buddies with Arogya club.

Further customizations of data:

Pre-production module from source to field

• Capture source of seeds and link the receivers of the seed lots, e.g. FPOs, NGOs, etc.
• Further link the seed distribution at the farm level alongside other attributes such as fertilizer applications
• Enable possibility of real-time data observation/collection from the mobile app as text or image by the Field Executives during agricultural operations
• Capture historic data on crop and yield achieved in previous years

Production module for on-ground live operations

• Farm-wise traceability and geofencing for each farm to monitor activities
• Observation-based field data collection and tracking of field staff productivity
• Integration of various data resources including satellite imagery analysis, sensors, and hyperlocal farm data (as optional services
• Implementation of a chat function and task assigning function for efficient communication between the project managers, administrators, and farm executives
• Farm based advisories on best practices for the farmers in local language

Post-production module from produce to market/buyer

• Harvest management and traceability to monitor harvesting methods and quality
• Traceability of packing and processing stages to ensure compliance with standards
• Tracking of transportation and logistics to maintain product quality during transit
• Supply chain visibility for real-time monitoring and response to issues or recalls

Nutri-Pathshala

This module is dedicated to engaging with end-consumers, particularly school children, to promote nutrition education. The idea is to leverage “digital runners,” or part time school and college graduates to capture data and observations in schools (with Nutri-Pathshala) through mobile app named Nutri Buddies. The observations captured by Nutri Buddies will be integrated on a webpage named Nutri-Pathshala, which covers all information on nutrition, program, participation information, traceability of ingredients, etc. The Nutri-Pathshala webpage should serve as a one-stop information page for the overall program, with the ability to share photos, videos, testimonials, feedback, etc.

All activities mentioned above will be carried out in UP, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, AP, Telangana, and Karnataka. The partner will ensure the implementation of these activities in close coordination with the district administration, ICDS department, and HarvestPlus.

Timeline

After contract finalization, the stages of the workplan will be as follows:

Stage 1: The consultant will create the platform and demonstrate/pilot the data traceability app in two states or two partners of HarvestPlus. The piloting includes both the Nutri Pathshala app/webpage and production of data traceability mechanism with inclusion of post harvest data management.

Stage 2: After successful demonstration, the same model will be replicable with all partners of HarvestPlus under the HaNSA project.

Stage 3: The agency will provide the monthly output/information/analysis report from the data captured in the app. All the relevant activities will be executed and operated by the agency.

To Apply

Please submit technical and financial proposals on the IFPRI website. In the event of any questions, please contact Sanya Sharma at sanya.sharma@cgiar.org and mention the position code 2024-H44-012 in the subject line.