RFQ for Project Evaluation Consultant

In order to address the multi-layered challenges facing vulnerable communities in Lebanon, CARE proposed a community-based, participatory project that seeks to address critical capacity gaps along targeted Agricultural value chains at both the individual, communal and institutional levels, which are aligned with WFP Lebanon’s Country Strategy Strategic Outcome 2, as well as with CARE’s Women Empowerment Framework which seeks to ensure that all interventions advance gender equality by building agency, changing relations and transform structures. By utilizing a market-driven approach that builds sustainable linkages among value chain actors (including producers, processors, supplier and traders), this project was designed and implemented over 13 months (from September 2018 to October 2019) with the intention to increase incomes of rural farmers, benefiting the broader Lebanese economy through rural job creation that also benefits marginalized youth and women, and by increasing producer value in both domestic and export markets by upgrading entrepreneurial skillsets and production/processing capacities in order to improve quality, quantity and consistency of targeted agro-products (Apples, Olives, Honey, Grains, Aromatic Plants). In addition to a vocational training program that is focused on youth to promote employability technical and psychosocial skills of targeted youth with low chances of permanent employment; and a partnership with local actors to charge them with part of the implementation and to build their organizational capacity.

At the individual level, this project intended to improve the skills, capacities and livelihood opportunities of 345 vulnerable women, youth, and men (Specific Objective/SO 1), including the capacity building of vulnerable agriculture workers. At the communal level, the project was implemented to work with 685 farmer, food producers, and agro-processors engaged in targeted value chains in order to increase their income and market opportunities (SO 2). At the institutional level, the project intended to strengthen key agricultural and market support (AMS) infrastructure that benefits targeted value chains (including 76 coop and processor entities SO 3). All three SOs are complementary and reinforce one another; for example, the improved individual skills/capacities in SO1 will also lead to improvements in the value chains as the improved skillset of a youth on food processing will improve the practices and capacities of a hosting enterprise in SO2, thereby leveraging these outputs to increase the marketability of their products leading to higher export potential and increased engagement in the value chain by institutional support actors in S03.The target locations were carefully identified and chosen according to the local need for development where in Dannieh there was no to poor INGO presence and in Akkar there was high stress on the infrastructure and labour force due to high concentration of Syrian refugees; the apple and beekeeping value chains were chosen to concentrate on because of the opportunity they provide for economic growth and the fact that both regions rely on those VCs as a main production. Other urban and semi-rural areas of Tripoli and the surrounding areas were targeted with the food processing and the VT component to increase employability and income of women and youth in particular. Soap production showed promising results as well where in Akkar small production units have a great potential for income generation as the product has a long shelf life and a higher chance of being sold. By doing so, the Project aimed at improving sustainable livelihood opportunities for 1106 vulnerable men women and youth (18+) in targeted refugee and Lebanese communities in North Lebanon, Mount Lebanon, and South Lebanon.

The project interventions can be summarized in providing (a) capacity building in business development, marketing, book keeping, et… , (b) technical training in GAP/GMP/GHP, (c) grants (d) subsidies … supporting the production, processing and marketing of olive, apple, honey, ashta, preservation, dairy production, and soap and the use of drip irrigation as a way to save water and the introduction to the Value Chain approach of the local actors in order to give them the ability to grow; and raising awareness on 2 specific subjects (the agriculture calendar and agriculture ethics)