CONSULTANT PROCUREMENT NOTICE
(NATIONAL)
Date:
23 June 2014
Country: Kenya
Description of the assignment:
Request for Recruitment of a consultant or consortia of consultants to Review and analyze existing
PGRFA policies and frameworks and develop a Strategy Action Plan and Policy Paper:
40 days Consultancy.
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and Ministry of Agriculture Livestock Development and
Fisheries in partnership with The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Kenya are
implementing a Project on climate change adaptation. The objective of the Project is to mainstream the
conservation and use of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA) into national climate
change adaptation policy, programs and projects for enhanced food security and economic development.
UNDP wishes to commission a study to review the existing plant genetic resources’ administrative and
regulatory frameworks in Kenya. Expressions of interest are therefore invited separately for the following
tasks of this study from individual or consortia of consultants. This is a national consultancy and
preference will be given to qualified Kenyan citizens.
Project name:
Integrating the Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources into National Climate Change Adaptation
Planning in Kenya
1. BACKGROUND
A) GENERAL BACKGROUND
Agriculture is the mainstay of Kenya’s economy and the growth of the sector is crucial to the country’s
overall economic and social development. Unfortunately climate change and variability threaten to
worsen the performance of the important agricultural sector in Kenya, thereby increasing food insecurity
especially among the very poor. Climate change for Kenya means, inter alia, increased variability and
intensity of droughts and floods, more invasive species, and generally higher temperatures. All of these
factors will render domestic agriculture less effective at meeting the nutrition needs of the nation. The
agriculture sector is currently attempting reform aimed at converting agriculture into a vibrant
commercially oriented enterprise. The planning and execution of this reform will have tremendous impact
on the future state of PGRFA.
Maintaining a rich diversity of crops along with wild crop relatives will be a critical component of climate
change adaptation in the coming years. Yet, the diversity of plant genetic resources is on the decline in
Kenya. Traditional crop varieties have been increasingly replaced with elite strains. This trend has been
accelerated by climate change, population pressures, changes in land use, over-exploitation, and
appropriate agricultural development policies. A concerted conservation effort of plant genetic resources
for food and agriculture is underway in Kenya; but it needs both strengthening and integration with a
broader cross-section of government and stakeholders.
Since indigenous farmers are the primary conservators of the diversity of seeds, they must have the skills
and knowledge needed to carry out a continual process of seed development that will allow crop varieties
to adapt to drought, higher temperatures, and other variations, while maintaining or increasing
productivity. This process will become increasingly difficult as climate change and variability increase.
Small producers and farmer’s organizations must actively participate in collaborative breeding efforts
alongside research and extension institutions, which need the capacities to combine state-of-the-art plant
breeding methods with traditional practices. On-farm conservation and management of PGRFA is
strategically important as a resource to ensure decentralized ready access to these resources.
Additionally, sustainable agricultural practices that maximize productivity and agro-ecosystem resilience
must be identified, strengthened and disseminated. Supporting policies, incentives and markets should
work together to help motivate and reward farmers, while supportive institutions provide cost-effective
and timely technical assistance, credit and other services.
Especially important will be the sharing between communities, ethnicities, and regions, of traditional
knowledge around crop diversity and cultivation practices, facilitation of collaboration between farmers’
organizations and extension services, a legal and policy framework which sends the right incentives for
conservation of PGRFA, and market information and mechanisms to support conservation in the longterm. A great deal of information remains to be gathered around social dynamics of seed access,
preservation and cultivation, and grass-roots collaborative activities.
This broad array of barriers to farmer empowerment, toward genetic conservation and productive
landscape efforts, can be best overcome in the context of a larger climate change adaptation effort. Such
a project exists in the Sustainable Land Management, Agro pastoral project that seek to promote
economic development, food security and sustainable land use practices while restoring ecological
integrity of the Arid and Semi-arid lands (ASALs).
Projects overall goal is to promote economic development, food security and sustainable land use
practices while restoring ecological integrity of the ASALs. Its objective will be to provide land users and
managers with the financial incentives, enabling policy and institutional capacity for effective adoption
of sustainable land management (SLM)
The SLM project outcomes are
i. Outcome 1: Knowledge based land use planning forms the basis for improving dry lands
sustainable economic development
ii. Outcome 2: Viability of the agro-pastoralism production system increased through
diversification and increased access to finance for SLM
iii. Outcome 3: Policy, regulatory and institutional arrangements support mainstreaming of
sustainable land management in the agro-pastoral production system
Kenya is a rich source of genetic diversity, the conservation of which could be leveraged as a potent
adaptation strategy especially for small farmers in the face of climate change. However, a pathway to
full integration with a broad policy regime must be established.
It is within this background and context that UNDP and its partners seek the services of a National
consultant to review and analyze the existing PGRFA policies and frameworks and develop a Strategy
Action Plan and Policy Paper. The consultant will focus on the existing and drafted agricultural and
environmental policies in Kenya.
B. PROJECT OBJECTIVES
Overall Objective: To mainstream the conservation and use of PGRFA into national climate change
adaptation policy, programs and projects for enhanced food security and economic development.
Specific Objectives:
1. To develop a national strategic action plan for mainstreaming conservation of PGRFA into national
planning through a consultative and all inclusive process.
2. To promote consultative networks between all stakeholders involved in conservation and
promotion of use of the PGRFA that include community based organisation and non-state actors
(for in-situ conservation) and research and education institution (for ex-situ conservation).
3. To enhance programmatic synergies between the Orphan Crops Program at KARI with the
Ministry of Agriculture - and link these two with the Climate Change Unit and National Gene Bank
within KARI.
4. To work out modalities for strengthening linkages of the above initiatives with Kenya Climate
Change Secretariat at the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources and the National
Environment Management Authority (NEMA) that is spearheading the review of National
Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.
2) OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT
i.
To propose recommendations on overcoming any identified bottlenecks that may hinder access
to germplasm and develop policy briefs on them
ii. To develop a Strategy Action Plan to integrate PGRFA into national climate change policy in
consultation with stakeholders through: relevant policy reviews, consultations with
stakeholders, thematic working groups and workshops
iii. Develop and share institutional frameworks for PGRFA conservation and sustainable use under a
changing climate
iv. To develop a policy briefs on integration of climate change agenda on PGRFA national policies
3) SCOPE OF WORK
In order to achieve the above objectives, under the overall guidance of KARI the consultant will be
assigned specific duties and is expected to perform the following tasks:
i. Review the current regulatory framework governing plant genetic resources (PGR) in the country
ii. Review of the National Climate Change Draft Policy and Action Plan and recommend the entry
points for PGRFA issues
iii. Analyze the impact of the current PGR regulatory frameworks on access to plant genetic
resources to support climate change related activities.
iv. Identify organizational, administrative and national policy bottlenecks that may exist in the sharing
of germplasm between farmers, national research and breeding organizations, genebanks and
international sources of PGRFA for climate adaptation purposes.
4) DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT, DUTY STATION AND EXPECTED PLACES OF TRAVEL
Duration: 40 days overall and subject to extension on a need-to basis
Consultancy days: The successful consultant will be paid based on the number of Consultancy days agreed
upon for this assignment. The Unit proposes 40 Working Days based UN rates for National Consultants.
Duty station: Nairobi based with regular reporting to KARI (Genebank)
Travel: The consultancies are expected to undertake reasonable travels within the country particularly in
the selected regions (the list will be provided by KARI).
5) FINAL PRODUCTS
Expected results
i. An inception report
ii. Synthesis reports on the current;
a. Regulatory framework governing plant genetic resources (PGR)
b. National Climate Change Draft Policy and Action Plan
iii. Draft contents that will go into appropriate policy briefs
iv. A strategic action plan
v. Institutional frameworks for PGRFA conservation and sustainable use under a changing climate
developed and shared.
vi. Briefing and presentation of reports to KARI and key stakeholders and validation of the same
through at least 2 workshops
vii. Final consultancy report with clear and practical conclusions and recommendations to guide the
design, implementation and integration of PGRFA programmes into the National Climate Change
Adaptation Plan
Work Breakdown Schedule
Task
Consultancy Expected product
Days
Desk Review as per TORs
5
Inception report
Review existing PGRFA & climate change 15
Strategic action plan
policies and frameworks as per TORs
Identify organizational, administrative and 5
Policy briefs
national policy bottlenecks
Develop institutional frameworks for 10
Draft final Assessment Report
PGRFA conservation and sustainable use
under a changing climate
Validation and publication of the final 5
report to the national PGRFA committee
Total consultancy days
40
Final report and presentation in a
workshop
6) PROVISION OF MONITORING AND PROGRESS CONTROLS
The work of the consultant will be interactive and will be supervised by the Project Coordinator.
7) DEGREE OF EXPERTISE, QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES
Qualification requirements for the consultants
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At least a master’s degree in Conservation of Plan Genetic Resources, Conservation Biology or a
related field (PhD Preferred).
Minimum of 5 years professional experience in plant genetic resources for food and agriculture
(PGRFA)
Reasonable knowledge in climate change regulatory frameworks in Kenya
Must have published relevant PGRFA and/or climate change national and international reports
Demonstrated analytical, communication and report writing skills;
Excellent ability to communicate in English and Kiswahili
Competencies in team work, strategic partnerships and networking
8) EVALUATION CRITERIA
Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70 points will be considered
Criteria (Technical)
Weight (100%)
Max. Point (100)
Post – graduate degrees (PhD or Masters)
in biological sciences
20%
20
At least 5 years of professional work
experience in PGRFA
25%
25
Reasonable knowledge in climate change
regulatory frameworks in Kenya
25%
25
Must have published relevant PGRFA
and/or climate change national and
international reports
10%
10
Demonstrable analytical and report
writing skills
10%
10
Language proficiency in English and
Kiswahili
Competencies in team work, strategic
partnerships and networking
5%
5
5%
5
10) PAYMENT TERMS

20 % after acceptance by KARI/UNDP of the inception Report

30 % upon delivery of the draft report on review of existing PGRFA policies and
frameworks

50 % after acceptance by KARI/UNDP of the Strategic Action Plan and a Policy Paper
11) APPLICATION PROCESS
1. Qualified and interested candidates for this consultancy are hereby requested to send in their
applications addressing them to: Procurement Unit, UNDP Kenya Country Office and emailing
them to consultants.ken@undp.org
2. The application should contain the following:
 Brief proposal addressing the requirement (Methodology)
 UNDP Personal History Form (P11)
 Detailed achievement based CV