Terms of Reference (ToR)
for
Conducting Training on
“Agroecology”

Background of the Assignment

Agriculture is the principal livelihood option of Bangladesh. Integrated agriculture productivity of the country has been threatened largely by the scarcity of land; hence, emphasis has been given to increasing food production by intensifying the use of land, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and excessive use of ground water. This has caused major changes in cropping patterns, uses of agricultural inputs, and management of soil fertility. Again, natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, drought, changes rainfall pattern along with climate change induced disasters have emerged as major threats for the marginalized communities especially young men and women to keep up agricultural practices which can ensure their sustainable livelihoods. Rather impact of rapid climate change poses the increased risk of food security for the marginalized communities. Agroecology now a days is seen and increasingly recognized as the way forward for agriculture in countries like Bangladesh.  It is a science, a practice, a movement that bridges ecological and socio-economic aspects. It works at various levels – farm, community, national, regional, and so on. Agroecology, which uses ecological concepts and principles for designing and managing agricultural system is capable to achieve productivity goals without depleting the environment and disempowering the communities. Agroecology has consistently proven capable of sustainably increasing the total output of diversified farms and has far greater potential for fighting hunger, particularly during economically and climatically uncertain times.

To address the challenges of climate change, ActionAid Bangladesh is implementing a project titled Action4Transformation (A4T): Youth for rights, resilience and redistribution in fragile context. The aim of the project is to capacitate young people on the issues of climate justice for gradually taking leadership positions in the community and working with climate change advocates and professionals, private sector actors, and with government officials. The project also envisions that young people will develop and practice few sustainable agroecology-based livelihood models with the support of community, government institutions and private sector. Accordingly, young people and young women will hold the government, private sector, and international community accountable to protect the natural environment and support the climate change resilient sustainable livelihood alternatives.

ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB) is seeking a consultancy/training service to develop the resource pack and conduct the training on Agroecology to enhance the knowledge and understanding of the grassroot youths on agroecology and agroecological practices to be able to deliver the training to their community members.

Objective of the assignment

• Develop a resource pack and conduct training on Agroecology.
• Enhance knowledge and skills of the participants on the concept of agroecology to practice agroecological interventions in coastal regions, flood and drought prone areas towards climate resilient sustainable agriculture.
• Support to develop contextualized and replicable agroecological plans to be leaded by young people.

Expected number of training days and participants

The envisaged training will be conducted for 5 days, each day from 10 AM to 5 PM. And 25 participants are expected to attend the training.   

Scope of work (Task Implementation Plan)

The Consultant / Trainer’s responsibilities include:

• Prepare and submit detailed work plan with methodology.
• Develop and submit training resource pack.
• Conduct 5 days training programmes to 25 participants.
• Undertake post-training assessment against the pre-training assessment.
• Seek feedback from participants to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the training.
• Submit training report, along with printed and soft copies of detailed training modules, participants’ feedback, and pre and post-test assessment results.

Timeframe of the Assignment

The consultant/trainer will implement all the activities under this ToR starting in first week of July 2022. And the envisaged training must be conducted by 11 August 2022. The draft training report shall be submitted to AAB within one week of training. Below table encompasses the detailed timeline of the assignment

Confidentiality Agreement – Copyright

The Consultant / Trainer shall maintain strict confidentiality of all AAB information which Consultant will become aware of in the context of his/ her assignment.

AAB shall solely possess the copyright of all the works produced by the Consultant within this consultancy task and the consultant must not share any information, data, or analysis related to or borne from this task with anyone other than AAB, without AAB’s prior written consent.

Payment Method

The payment will be made into two instalments:
- 1st instalment (40%) will be made after the submission of training resource pack.
- 2nd instalment (60%) will be paid when the training is done, and the consultant submitted the report to AAB’s focal point.

The payments will be made in A/C payee cheques/Bank Transfer in the name of the Consultant. AAB will deduct income tax at source as per the rules of GoB and it will be deposited to treasury of GoB. Besides, no other benefits shall be admissible beyond what is stipulated in the contract, nor does it guarantee a regular position in AAB.

Experience and qualification

- Post-graduate degree in Agriculture or relevant studies
- Agriculture expertise and comprehensive experiences in agroecology and climate-resilient sustainable agriculture
- Experience in providing training, facilitating, coaching, and mentoring especially in the field of agricultural studies
- Ability to write and produce training materials clearly and concisely
- Good interpersonal skills and be proactive and independent in delivering results

Proposal submission

Interested consultants/trainers are requested to submit a technical and financial proposal by the e-mail to:  aab.jobs@actionaid.org

Interested consultants/ trainers should include the name and contact details in the proposals for future communication. Detailed updated CV of the consultant/trainer along with the copy of E-TIN certificate should be included in the annexure of the technical proposal along with any other supporting documents the interested candidate may wish to include towards the evaluation.

The deadline for submission of the Proposal is June 28, 2022.