Strengthening the Participation of CSOs in the
Agriculture Sector in Egypt
Terms of Reference
Informative Study: Governance Pillars in Service
Provision of the Agriculture Sector
(Agriculture Guidance Sector and Agriculture Service
Sector - Cooperatives Department)
CARE International in Egypt
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CARE International in Egypt:
CARE International is operating in Egypt since 1954. Its programming aims to help communities
living in poverty meet basic needs, improve their social positions and cope with their challenging
environments in ways that are sustainable and empowering.
Underpinning all of CARE’s work is a commitment to strengthening local civil society, promoting
human rights and addressing the underlying causes of poverty and injustice, such as poor
governance, gender inequity, economic and social exclusion and conflict. CARE places special
emphasis on investing in women and girls because its experience shows that their involvement
invariably brings long-term benefits to families and communities. CARE Egypt focuses on four main
programs: Women’s Rights, Governance and Civic Engagement, Education, and Agriculture and
Natural Resources.
For further information, please visit our website: www.care.org.eg
The Governance and Civic Engagement Program
The program aims to empower marginalized and excluded citizens aged 18-30 in Upper Egypt to
achieve better living conditions by building and fostering good governance practices in line with
regional and national best practices and experiences. Accordingly, the program works towards:
(1) enhancing the understanding and acceptance of stakeholders for good governance
principles and practices as well as youth engagement/role in local communities;
(2) strengthening the capacities of institutions and youth to independently practice good
governance as well as;
(3) advocating for laws and mechanisms that support good governance practices and youth
engagement.
The Agriculture and Natural Resources Program
The Program aims to contribute to increasing sustainable and equitable access to natural
resources and services for rural families in Upper Egypt that depend on farming or agriculture
based industries as their main source of income. CARE targets families living below the poverty
line, particularly female- headed farmer households, small farmers, agriculture laborers and
workers. The program works to:
1. Increase the influence of vulnerable communities in planning and decision-making for the
use and management of scarce resources.
2. Encourage improved flow of information among and between stakeholders.
3. Widen the impact of sustainable concepts and methodologies and advocate for their
adoption on a larger scale across the country.
4. Use rights-based approaches for analysis and dialogue with poor and marginalized groups,
especially women.
5. Share knowledge, learning and strategies within CARE and with other partners and
stakeholders.
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Strengthening Civil Society Participation in the Agricultural Sector in Egypt
This project’s overall objective is to improve local governance and accountability within the
agricultural sector in Egypt through greater participation of a stronger civil society in policymaking processes and policy dialogue. That will be accomplished through strengthening the
capacities of civil society and government authorities in the governorates of Beni Suef and Minya pilot governorates - to engage in more structured, visible and inclusive dialogue(s) targeting the
reform of the agriculture sector. At Beni Suef governorate, El Fashn and Ihnasia were the selected
districts to work at, while at Minya governorate, Matay and Maghagha were the selected ones.
Within these two governorates, the agricultural sector involves multiple actors with varying and
sometimes conflicting interests, therefore CARE’s Agriculture and Governance teams focused
mainly on the below target groups:
(1) 20 Civil Society Organizations (Community Development Associations and cooperatives)
providing agricultural services,
(2) At least 30 representatives of local government authorities at governorate and district level
responsible for providing extension services to farmers;
reaching the below beneficiaries of:
(3) Approx.117,800 farmers/ landowners within selected districts.
(4) Local Communities in the selected districts who will benefit from improved agricultural services
(population approx. 1,623,500)
For attainment of the above-mentioned objectives reaching those beneficiaries, estimated results
with a set of activities will be worked through marking an intervention at the governance and
agriculture sectors:
Result 1: Strengthened capacity of local civil society agents to apply inclusive governance
mechanisms (both internal and external)
Result 2: Increased capacity, knowledge and understanding of relevant local government
authorities to engage with civil society in the agriculture sector
Result 3: Enhanced local governance and accountability mechanisms within the agricultural sector
Result 4: Effective policy dialogue between agriculture sector stakeholders (through the
introduction of an effective platform)
Objective of the Assignment:
To design and implement a research study and analysis of the capacities and capabilities of public
service providers in the agriculture sector with respect to service provision. Another objective will
be to identify needs for development in the identified areas.
Scope of Work and Deliverables:
The consultant is expected to:
1. Develop and submit a conceptual framework of the study
2. Review governance of service provision questionnaires developed by the Ministry of Local
development and integrate within the research study
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3. Submit a timeline of the study implementation
4. Prepare a mapping of laws and decrees, legal and institutional arrangements that govern
the agriculture service provision with specific focus on: Agriculture Guidance Sector and
Agriculture Service Sector (Cooperatives Department)
5. Mapping of service provision within the identified departments with respect to: (1) list of
services; (2) processes and procedures of service delivery with respect to the following
governance pillars: transparency, participation, accountability and responsiveness
6. Develop a needs assessment toolkit to identify the capacity of service providers in
prioritizing service users’ needs from a governance perspective - specifically: transparency;
participation; accountability and responsiveness.
7. Oversee implementation of the needs assessment toolkit in selected districts in Beni Suef
and Minia (Ihnasia and Fashn in Beni Suef; Matay and Maghagha in Menia; in addition to
one control district in each governorate)
8. Analyze assessment findings
9. Submit a report that covers two sections: section (A) informative report on conceptual and
legal framework of selected agriculture sectors at both national and local level; (B) results
of the needs assessment tool that includes recommendations on governance and social
accountability needed interventions.
Deliverables:
1. Conceptual framework of the study
2. Timeline of the study
3. Narrative report of on conceptual and legal framework of selected agriculture sectors at both
national and local level;
4. Draft needs assessment toolkit
5. Final needs assessment toolkit
6. Implementation plan of the needs assessment
7. Analysis of the needs assessment
8. Capacity building plan
9. Final report with recommendations on governance and social accountability needed
interventions.
Consultant’s Qualifications:
The consultant should have the following qualifications:
 University Degree in a relevant field (social studies, economics, business administration or
equivalent)
 5 years of experience in the design and implementation of qualitative and quantitative
researches
 Knowledge of governance and social accountability processes
 Excellent Report Writing Skills (both Arabic and English)
 Excellent Communication and Facilitation Skills
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
Preferred: Working experience and/or knowledge of public sector on the local/governorate
level with focus on agricultural cooperatives and agricultural services (guidance)
Consultancy Level of Effort
A total of (29) working days is foreseen for this assignment including preparation and reports.
Execution of Assignment:
Consultancy start and end date:
From 20 / 05 / 2015 - to 15 / 07 / 2015
Coordination and Reporting:
The Consultant will report on progress to (Mays Abu Hegab/Governance Program Initiatives
Manager) who shall within 4-5 working days of receipt notify the Consultant about the decision
concerning the documents or reports received, giving reasons should s/he reject the reports or
documents, or request amendments. The Governance Program Initiative Manager may in turn
delegate some tasks to the Governance/Agriculture Program Field Coordinators in Beni Suef and
Minia.
Conditions of Implementation:
Interested applicants should submit the following documents in their offers:
1. Technical Proposal:
i. A brief statement in understanding of the assignment, and general approach to it.
ii. A brief description of the methodology proposed to be use in the assignment,
including techniques and tools,
iii. A capabilities statement of the consultant organization and/or brief description of
relevant (similar) consultancies that would qualify for this assignment. This
statement should be included as a separate annex, in addition to the five-page
proposal.
iv. Consultant CV and relevant consultancy team.
v. It should indicate a complete list of deliverables and a proposed time-frame.
2. Financial Proposal: The financial proposal should include a breakdown of the cost elements
to assist in determining the rationale of the given rates. The financial proposal should take
into account all costs necessary for the implementation of the assignment including travel
and accommodation costs to the governorates Beni Suef and Minia.
Deadline for sending the technical and financial proposal is May 20, 2015.
Payment Schedule:
All payment should be linked with deliverables.
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