Identification of Programme Component Under 11th EDF Focal Sector: Food security and Resilience to Climatic Shocks

The European Union in Kenya is discussing a possible allocation of approximately EUR 20 million from the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) to support nutrition- and foodsecurity in ASAL counties with high levels of chronic maternal and child malnutrition. The proposed action is foreseen under the 11th EDF NIP focal sector 1, "Food Security and Resilience to climate shock".

Nutrition-sensitive agriculture is an approach that seeks to maximize agriculture’s contribution to nutrition. This strategy stresses the multiple benefits derived from enjoying a variety of foods, recognizing the nutritional value of food for good nutrition, health and productivity and the social significance of the food and agricultural sector for supporting rural livelihoods. Nutrition-sensitive agriculture also entails targeting poor households, promoting gender equity, and providing nutrition education so that household resources are used to improve household members’ nutrition, especially that of women and young children. Finally, it involves linking agriculture to sectors that address other causes of malnutrition, namely education, health and social protection.

Promoting nutrition sensitive agriculture in arid or semi-arid regions is facing additional challenges as climate variation, land degradation and water scarcity somewhat limit broadly diversified crop, plant and livestock production systems.

Global objective

The overall objective of this assignment is to assist the EU Delegation in Kenya to identify and formulate a programme to address Maternal and Child Under-nutrition through Nutrition- Sensitive Agriculture.

Specific Objectives

• To review national and county agriculture sector policies, strategies and ongoing/ planned interventions/actions with a view of identifying gaps in relation to addressing maternal and child malnutrition;
• To design a nutrition-sensitive agriculture support programme addressing identified gaps in order to improve nutrition and food security at the level of poor communities and households;
• To ensure that the programme design integrates potential synergies and complementarities with other GoK/County level interventions in support of agriculture, nutrition or related areas, the SUN movement and other EU and EU MS cooperation;
• To ensure that the programme design will foster cross-sectoral linkages and collaboration resulting in a broad-based and sustainable impact on the nutrition status of the target beneficiaries;
• To ensure that the programme is designed to generate evidence of the impact that nutrition-sensitive interventions have on improving the quality and frequency of diet of women and children that will inform agriculture policies and strategies at both the national and county levels.

The exercise entails, but not limited to:

• Literature review;
• Develop a critical stakeholders' analysis in nutrition with an aim of identifying actors with adequate capacity to implement the action;
• Propose a ranking of the target counties, to be validated at inception report level, and be the basis for the field visits;
• Field visits and interviews with key informants including county officers;
• Analyse the causes of chronic malnutrition in target counties in order to identify suitable interventions;
• Assess risks and assumptions as well as mitigation measures to lower risks;
• Develop a budget indicating the allocation of resources to achieve the expected results of the programme;
• Suggest an implementation modality: identifying the administrative, technical and communication needs to facilitate the implementation of the Action;
• Draft an Action Document (AD) Identification supported by a logical framework with SMART indicators. Particular attention should be paid to identifying appropriate indicators that measure the contributions of different pathways to achieve better food and nutrition security, especially relating to utilisation and diet;
• Draft preliminary AD Formulation.

• At least a master degree in a relevant field of expertise;
• Perfectly fluent in English with good inter-personal communication skills. He/She should be able to ensure complete editing of the report to international standard.

• At least 12 years of experience in East Africa in rural development with a bias in the Agriculture/nutrition sector;
• At least 10 years' experience with stakeholders in East Africa involved in Nutrition, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries; and County governments, especially in the ASALs;
• At least 3 years with stakeholders in Health, Education, Water & Sanitation and Social Protection will be an added advantage;
• 10 years' experience in the conceptualisation, design, management and implementation of rural development programmes in a developing country;
• In depth experience of at least 10 years in project identification, design and formulation of EU funded support;
• Knowledge of Project Cycle Management;
• Experience in programmatic situational analysis and work with devolved government administrations;
• Ability to engage in high level policy dialogue with Governments and other stakeholders (at least 5 years' experience);
• Sound experience in the agriculture and nutrition sectors targeting smallholders in the arid and semi-arid lands.

• University degree in civil or water engineering, Water supply and Sanitation Management or equivalent;
• Fluent in spoken and written English, with good reporting, interpersonal and communication skills.

• At least 10 years of experience in the field of nutrition/agriculture including nutrition-sensitive agriculture;
• Knowledge of a multi-sectoral approach in nutrition-sensitive agriculture programming will be important (at least 3 years' experience);
• At least 5 years' experience in either project designs, development of strategies, policy analysis, project evaluation or project management in nutrition;
• Experience and knowledge of at least 2 years of the current discussions in nutrition sector in East Africa and especially the SUN movement will be an added advantage;
• Sound experience in the agriculture and nutrition sectors targeting smallholders in the arid and semi-arid lands.

• At least a master degree in a relevant field of expertise;
• Perfectly fluent in English with good inter-personal communication skills. He/She should be able to ensure complete editing of the report to international standard.

• Should have at least 10 years of experience in community development, and especially in the agriculture sector;
• At least 7 years' experience in social analysis, social protection schemes, designs, management and implementation of community projects at the grassroots;
• At least 2 years' experience of nutrition related interventions at the community level will be of added advantage;
• Sound experience in the agriculture and nutrition sectors targeting smallholders in the arid and semi-arid lands.