ASSESSMENTS FOR CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT CENTER

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Project: Enhancing climate resilience and food security of vulnerable farmers through Climate-Smart Agriculture Resources Development Center in Kagua Erave and Ialibu Pangia Districts, Southern Highlands
• Duty Station: Papua New Guinea site visit and remote
• Contract Duration: 03 Feb 2025 – 28 April 2025
• Consultant Level: Level 5
• Total Fees: USD 15,000

The GGGI began its operations in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 2018. Since then, the GGGI has implemented several projects in the country funded by various donors which include the establishment of the Credit Guarantee Cooperation, the Climate Resilient Green Growth Project (CRGG), Infrastructure for Resilient Island States PNG Project, and Climate Finance Initiative for Resilience and Sustainable Transition (Climate FIRST), among others. By supporting these initiatives, GGGI aims to enhance the country’s resilience to climate change and promoting sustainable, inclusive growth.

The agriculture sector plays a pivotal role in the economy of PNG as it contributes significantly to food security and employment generation. More specifically, it accounts for 83% of the dietary energy and 76% of the protein required for the population’s nutritional needs. Subsistence agriculture is the main source of livelihood for the many people who practice traditional food crop gardening methods using simple tools. In areas such as Kagua Erave and Ialibu Pangia Districts under the Southern Highlands Province (SHP) of PNG, the continued overuse of plots of land leads to soil nutrient depletion, which adversely affects food and nutritional security. Challenges such as malnutrition, stuntedness, short life expectancy, high rates of maternal and infant mortality are common in the area. Based on WFP’s estimate in 2017, almost half of Kagua Rural local-level governments (LLG) in Kagua-Erave District were severely food insecure.

PNG is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change and natural disasters such as drought, heatwaves, floods, landslides, tropical cyclones, sea level rise and ocean acidification. The country is ranked as the 9^th most vulnerable country by the World Risk Report 2021, and 167th by the ND-GAIN Index 2023, indicating high exposure and low adaptive capacity. PNG’s vulnerability is driven by high exposure to changing climate, the sensitivity of its society and economy to those changes (e.g., poverty, subsistence livelihoods, settlement in low lying coastal areas, tribal conflicts, limited access to clean water and sanitation), and the lack of capacity to adapt. PNG’s agriculture sector is dominated by smallholders, subsistence, rain-fed farming system, relying on traditional technologies and practices, which makes the sector sensitive to impacts of climate change. Drought and frost as a result of monsoon and El Nino represent the biggest climate change threats in SHP region, which will exacerbate the existing issues in terms of agricultural productivity and food security.

The proposed project titled “Enhancing climate resilience and food security of vulnerable farmers through Climate-Smart Agriculture Resources Development Center in Kagua Erave and Ialibu Pangia Districts, Southern Highlands” aims to enhance sustainability of agricultural production and food security of farmers in Kagua Erave and Ialibu Pangia Districts in the Southern Highlands province in the face of climate change through demonstration and adoption of climate smart practices coupled with effective extension services, improving post-harvest storage and processing, improving agricultural business development and access to markets. This will primarily be achieved by establishing and operationalizing the Climate Smart Agriculture Resources Development Center.

The GGGI is seeking the services of an expert to carry out detailed stakeholder and site assessments in Kagua Erave and Ialibu Pangia Districts, Southern Highlands of PNG.

The primary objectives of this assignment are:

• To develop a comprehensive stakeholder assessment for the proposed project, clearly mapping the different stakeholders including entities and communities, who are directly and indirectly important to achieve the project goals and objectives.
• To identify the linkages and synergies among stakeholder entities within the project context, and also any apparent issues of the stakeholder entities to participate in the project effectively, in terms of funding, and knowledge.
• To undertake a detailed assessment of the sites earmarked for the project located in Kagua Erave and Ialibu Pangia Districts in the Southern Highlands of PNG, particularly verifying ownership and legal status of land, as well as the current status in terms of usage.
• To assess and confirm if any additional infrastructure such as access roads, water and electricity, will need to be connected to targeted project sites.

Specifically, the scope of work for the consultant includes:

Task 1: Understanding of the assignment and workplan

The first task is aimed at ensuring good understanding of the project landscape, key informants, methodology, deliverables, and timelines. In this regard, the consultant will undertake the following activities:

1. Review and assess relevant policy documents, existing studies, agriculture sector reports, and data to gain more insight into the backgrounds of key agriculture sector stakeholders and the project sites in Kagua Erave and Ialibu Pangi Districts in the Southern Highlands of PNG.
2. Schedule meetings with the project stakeholders concerned (at the national level) to discuss priorities and past/on ongoing related activities in the area, which may be relevant to better understand the project and alignment.

Deliverable 1 – Inception Report and Workplan

Task 2: Stakeholder and Sites Assessment

The consultant shall prepare a report covering the tasks below. Please note the tasks are not meant to be an exhaustive list of the stakeholder and site assessments, and the consultant shall consider any other tasks that may be deemed appropriate by the project stakeholders.

1. Identify and map all relevant stakeholders, including community groups, government agencies, and the private sector, involved in the agriculture sector in Kagua Erave and Ialibu Pangi Districts, Southern Highlands, PNG.
2. Clarify the stakeholders’ interests/goals/objectives and categorize them based on their interests.
3. Map the geographical locations of the different stakeholders’ activities and, if possible, include the current and planned or approved budget allocations.
4. Map government departments, including district and divisional levels, along with their plans and how their contributions and needs can be incorporated into the proposed project.
5. Map how the private sector would engage in the project through public-private partnerships and knowledge sharing.
6. Conduct stakeholder consultations, through interviews, focus groups, and surveys to gather feedback on the proposed project. The consultations should among other aspects, include gender views on challenges or issues women are facing in the agriculture sector in Kagua Erave and Ialibu Pangi Districts, and also how the Climate Smart Agriculture Center can help address them.
7. Visualize the relationships of stakeholders to the Climate-Smart Agriculture Resources Development Center Project and with each other to identify possible synergies.
8. Document the challenges to stakeholder engagement, including policy, market access (value chain), business development, and other barriers.
9. Identify capacity/training as well as technology needs (in terms of availability in the province, cost of the technology, and back up service) which should be prioritized under the Climate Smart Agriculture Resource Development Center
10. Visit the identified potential project sites which are located Kagua Erave and Ialibu Pangia Districts in the Southern Highlands of PNG, to assess ownership and legal status of land, as well as the current status in terms of usage.
11. Seek and review legal documents confirming the ownership status of both potential project sites.
12. Engage various stakeholders at national, provincial and district level, as well as community leaders to re-confirm the ownership of the land.
13. Assess and confirm if any additional infrastructure such as access roads, water and electricity, will need to be connected to either of the two project sites.

Deliverable 2 – Stakeholders and Sites Assessment Report.

Task 3: Validation and Final Report

Building on task 2, the consultant shall undertake the following activities:

1. Make recommendations on the proposed components and activities for the project
2. Make recommendations on the project sites located in Kagua Erave and Ialibu Pangia Districts, taking into account the ownership of the land, current status in terms of use, and also any other additional costs which may be incurred in terms of access roads, water and electricity connection.
3. Facilitate validation of the stakeholder and site assessments with relevant stakeholders and submit the final report

Deliverable 3 – Final Report taking into account results of validation workshop.

The Consultant will be supervised by the Climate Finance Access Network (CFAN) Advisor for PNG with support from the GGGI Pacific team, including the Green Investment Services (GIS) Regional Technical Lead for the Pacific, and Senior Regional Climate Smart Agriculture Officer, and GGGI provincial coordinator, and deliver the following:

– Travel cost (return airfare, local transportation, accommodation, etc) to the sites, as well as validation workshop related costs will be covered by GGGI

The following shall apply:

• The Consultant shall submit the Final Report which should reflect the outcome of all activities prepared by the consultant. The report should also give recommendations for further activities to be carried out in order to secure a long-term sustainable development.
• All relevant technical papers, reports, and other documents prepared from the start to the end of the assignment shall be attached to the Final Report.
• The Consultant shall submit the report in both hard copies and electronic versions readable by a Microsoft Office application.
• All outputs must be in English.
• Final report must be approved by the GGGI with the agreement of the Department of Agriculture and Livestock. The Consultant shall consider the comments and necessary revisions proposed. Within 14 days from the receipt of the comments or modification proposal from the GGGI, the Consultant shall prepare and submit the final versions of the report

EXPERTISE REQUIRED

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION