Consultancy Opportunity - Tea Sector at Traidcraft Exchange

The purpose of this assignment.

This assignment aims to analyse the tea sector setup and specifically to understand the capacities of smallholder farmer's organisations/groups in addressing market barriers, climate change, and policy issues. The specific objectives include:

• To understand the Tea sector setup and key players in the tea value chain in the mentioned countries
• To Identify smallholders' organisation structure from the grassroots to the apex levels and understand how they are networked and the level of collaboration with other actors nationally, regionally, and globally on addressing market barriers and policy issues.
• Identify the capacities of existing farmer's organisations, specifically on the strengths and weaknesses of addressing market barriers and policy issues in both countries.
• Assess smallholders' organisation Leadership and Governance structure with rapid assessment on inclusion.
• Identify and advise the areas where TT can collaborate/support farmer's organisations in market barriers, policy, and climate change issues in the countries.

This consultancy is to assist Transform Trade to:

• To understand the tea sector setup and key players of the tea business in both countries which will inform TT to create contacts and network with them .
• Understand/identify critical stakeholders to engage/collaborate with and areas of support in the value chain for sustainable impact, specifically in market barriers, climate change, and policy issues.
• Understand smallholders' organisation setup, leadership and Governance structure, and their capacity, strength, and weakness. This information will inform TT on the leadership inclusion, the organizations’ capacity, and areas of support, including in the areas of collective voices in climate change issues, market barriers and policy issues.
• To understand the capacity women and PWD leadership. This information will help TT to provide support that ensure that women and PWD leadership is strengthened. To inform TT about the key market barriers, climate change, and policy issues facing smallholder farmer's organisations.

Scope of work.

• Stakeholder consultations, to identify key players in the tea value chain and their role in Kenya and Tanzania.
• Prepare smallholder apex tea organization’s needs assessment and advice on the areas of support /collaboration according to TT strategy.
• In collaboration with farmers, organisations identify the key market barriers, climate change, and policy issues which affect farmers' tea business.
• Recommend ways of improving farmers' organisational leadership and Governance and leaders' capacities for a collective voice for better business returns in the value chain.
• Recommend ways on strengthen inclusion of women and PWD in farmer organization’s leadership
• Prepare a draft framework document that will define the process and guide the preparation of a standard action plan (SAP) on how best farmers' organisation can identify and mitigates market barriers, climate change and policy issues.

Expected outputs.

• A document that captures the tea sector structure with critical players in the value chain and their roles in countries.
• Report on smallholder farmers' organisation leadership and Governance structure, organisation's capacities, areas of engagement/support, and organization needs.
• Plan on how to strengthen farmer's organizational leadership and Governance, including a section on strengthening women and PWDs in leadership an
• Brief report on how TT can collaborate/support farmer's organisations on collective action in addressing market barriers, climate change and policy issues.

 Minimum qualifications and skills required: The service provider must:

• Demonstrate experience in the agriculture sector or Agriculture donor-supported projects in East Africa.
• Have significant experience working with smallholder farmers within East Africa.
• Have working knowledge of the tea sector in East Africa.
• Have strong communications kills in English and Kiswahili.
• Have a strong network in the East Africa Tea sector.