Somalia: TERMS OF REFERENCE TO PROVIDE TRANING ON SMALL SCALE PUMP IRRIGATION

TERMS OF REFERENCE TO PROVIDE TRANING ON SMALL SCALE PUMP IRRIGATION – SOMALIA

Somalia Resilience Program (SomRep) – Nairobi, Kenya.

1.0Background

The Somalia Resilience Program (SomReP) is an ambitious approach to tackle the challenge of recurrent droughts—and the chronic vulnerability among pastoralists, agro-pastoralists, and peri-urban households in one of the poorest countries in the world. SomRep is being implemented through a consortium of 7 INGOs (ACF, ADRA, CARE, COOPI, DRC, Oxfam and WVI) with the Technical Unit housed under World Vision Somalia for the coordination and provision of technical support/direction to the program. These seven international organizations have deep experience in Somalia and jointly aim to build resilient households and communities across Somaliland, Puntland and South-Central Somalia using their own potential and abilities other than depending hand-outs. . This approach was adopted to foster synergies on approaches and best practices by different members to better support the communities.

This is a five-year multi-sectoral initiative that started in March 2013 targeting over 70,000 households (agro-pastoral, pastoral and Peri-urban) across 23 districts in Somalia. Currently the districts with on-going interventions includes: Dollow, BeletHawa and Luuq in Gedo Region of South Central Somali; then Odweyne, Badan, Erigavo, Las Anood in Somaliland; finally Caddado, Dhuusamarreb, Afgoye in Southe central and Eylin Puntland among others with the following overall objective and results:

Overall ObjectiveTo increase the resilience of chronically vulnerable people (disaggregated by Age Gender & Diversity - AGD), HHs, communities and systems in targeted pastoral, agro-pastoral and peri-urban livelihood zones**Expected Results** 1. Improved adaptive capacity of individuals (disaggregated by AGD), HHs and communities through support to livelihood diversification and improved access to markets, financial services, and basic livelihood services2. Improved absorptive capacity of HHs and communities through collective action in support of effective disaster risk management, adoption of positive coping strategies and improved access to formal and informal safety nets3. Eco-system health improved through promotion of equitable and sustainable natural resource management.4. Transformative capacity improved through support to greater coordination of community based governance structures in livelihoods, DRR, conflict mitigation and natural resource management5**.**Program learning and research generated and shared among relevant stakeholders (including communities, NGOs, and government)

In each agency, SomRep staff under the grant is responsible for implementation in close collaboration with local administration, clan leaders and other stakeholders targeting most vulnerable households and communities affected by drought and other related shocks in agro-pastoral, pastoral and peri-urban communities. Each agency has frontline technical officers facilitating the program implementation under the leadership of program managers in respective agencies.

In Gedo region, the program is implemented by DRC and COOPI for Dollow district in addition to Belethawa district which is covered by COOPI.

2.1 Current Status

To date the consortium has received grants from DANIDA, SIDA, Ausaid, CHF, Food For Peace and USAID/OFDA with implementation done & on-going in 12 districts across Somalia covering interventions in the 3 target sectors of agro-pastoral, pastoral and peri-urban.

The consortium program interventions are now in third year of implementation. Implementation of each grant started with community entry process and/or Community Vulnerability Assessment (CVA) that involved creating awareness about the program and needs assessment. This was followed by development of community action plans (CAP) and program plans which helps communities to articulate the needs/gaps, potential activities to address these and what each stakeholder would contribute towards each activity. In addition, a country wide baseline survey was conducted by a consultant for the whole SomRep program. The findings from both exercises helped to refine the activities under the program to be in line with community expressed needs. It was clear from the CAP & CVA process and baseline that the recurrent drought and erratic rain in target areas impairs crop and livestock production across many parts of Somalia. Therefore, need for crop production under irrigation featured high in some of the community consultation and CVA meetings and baseline survey. The following factors were also highlighted as some of the factors limiting crop production: poor irrigation infrastructure, poor/erratic seasonal rainfall, drought, using unimproved crop seed varieties, lack of access to crop seed, unorganized farmers, poor agronomic practices and poor soil fertility, crop pests/disease, invasive weeds and lack of appropriate storage structures.

Therefore, improving crop production for food and income (market access) is one of the key interventions supported across the consortium. The major component of this is in South Central Somalia, which traditionally is an agriculture area. With funding from Danida, SomRep has supported 750 farmers (450 – Coopi and 300 – DRC) organized in 79 farmer groups with an average of 10 – 15 members per group to engage in crop production. Farmers were supported with bush clearing on cash for work to reclaim land to cultivation, crop seed and tools and rehabilitation of irrigation canals to improve water use efficiency and irrigation pumps. Training on crop specific good agricultural practices (seed rate, row spacing, plant spacing, weeding, timely harvest and proper storage) was provided to farmers. A total of 7 demonstrations plots were established where farmers had hands on training on the improved practices. This is also true for SIDA and DFAT grants by ADRA, ACF, OXFAM and WVI in Somaliland, Puntland and South central which have also elements of irrigated and rain-fed agriculture.

Infrastructural interventions supported in first year especially under Danida grant included rehabilitation or construction of irrigation earth canals for either full or supplemental irrigation. Irrigation is not an option but a must and dominates as a mitigation measure against shocks from drought especially for crop and fodder production. The use of motorized pumps for irrigation using river water is common in Dollow. Like other SomRep implementation areas in Somalia gravity-fed irrigation schemes have limited options because of the flat terrain. Individual farmers and/or groups own pumps from their own resources or with support from other NGOs used for irrigated farming. To date, there are over 90 farmers groups using irrigation pumps to grow crops and/or fodder under the consortium. The common crops grown include cereals (maize and sorghum), legumes cowpea), vegetables (tomato, watermelon and onion) and fruits (lemon, grapefruits and banana) for home consumption and marketing for cash crop and food excess production from food crops.

2.0The need for the Training

There are many of these small-scale pump irrigation schemes in use and many of these operate well below their potential.This is mainly because of the limited technical capacity in irrigation programming among farmers and other stakeholders including SomRep member organizations. Consequently, most of the irrigation schemes are characterized by:

· Lack of standard irrigation management skills by the frontline staff who even do not have requisite training background.

· Poor design, construction, organization, operation and maintenance/management services.

· Irrigation structures developed and constructed by farmers using traditional and local knowledge and labor.

· Poor utilization of irrigation water or inefficient non delivery of water that results in both excessive and inadequate water applications to field or crop land with negative effects which arise due to use of earth canals that collapse and heavy seepage from sandy soils among other factors.

· Inability to match plant water requirement and the amount of water applied to irrigate the crops by the farmers.

· Poor estimation on correct amount and timing of water application to the field by the farmers.

· High water losses starting from the intake and along the earth canals through seepage and splashing because of poor existing local community water management practices and unlined canals.

· Uneven water distribution in irrigation schemes

· High fuel consumption (dependent on the type of pump used) with low returns as use of fuel is expensive.

· Sedimentation in the canal which lead to spill over.

· Poor maintenance of earth canals and irrigation pumps.

· Some of the water pumps are old and not in good condition and its difficult to get spare parts for repair.

· Lack of proper documentation on cost and benefits from the irrigation schemes proceeds.

· Destruction of the earth canals by flooding.

· Poor design of Canals to ensure maximum utilization of the farms (canal oriented along the river and not perpendicular to the river).

· Low water levels during the time of drought, reducing the water availability and the coxt of pumping.

Clearly, there are some gaps in the way the small-scale pump irrigation activities are being managed. Unless these are addressed by using good Irrigation Husbandry practices, the irrigation activities may not yield the intended full results. Therefore, SomRep has to do pump irrigation programming with a difference for farmers to get maximum benefits out of these and build the needed resilience against shocks.

Objective

To train frontline staff on good practices for planning, installation, development and management of small-scale pump irrigation schemes in order to build resilience against shocks from drought among the target households and communities.

Train the frontline staff who in turn will train farmers after the training.

Specific Tasks expected to be done will include:

§ Visit two irrigation sites to assess/evaluate or appreciate the current performance of the existing irrigation schemes and establish the gaps/limitations in the irrigation schemes by looking at the design, construction, operation, pump selection, irrigation management and farmer organization practice in order to guide the training content for participants.

§ Train staff on good practices related to planning, implementation, operation and management of small-scale pump irrigation schemes.

§ What factors should farmers take into account when planning what crop to grow and when.

§ Train staff on the role beneficiaries in planning, implementation, operation and management in small-scale pump irrigation schemes (include pumping cost management).

§ Training staff on how to develop and install small scale pump irrigation infrastructure (canals, canal lining, earth canals etc)

§ Train staff on how to install, operate, maintain and manage irrigation pumps

§ Staff understand the principles of suction and delivery head

§ The role of Agricultural credit/grants and start-up funding for small-scale irrigation.

§ How to achieve efficient and equitable water allocation and control water losses from intake through canals to main fields in cases where there is no or limited canal lining (how to improve water use efficiency in water canals and ensure adequate water gets to the farms).

§ Organization and management of small scale pump irrigation schemes including expected roles of an irrigation committee and developing local agreements on how to manage small scale irrigation schemes.

§ How to minimize potential for salinization of irrigation fields.

§ How to minimize clogging and sedimentation along earth canals

§ Training staff on practical principles to guide irrigation frequency for target crops – maize, Sudan grass, onion, watermelon and cowpeas

§ Irrigation management practices – sequence, scheduling, depth

§ Maintaining buffer zone between water source and irrigation land

§ Show staff on how much land to irrigate with different size of pumps (estimating potential irrigable land with given pump sizes)

§ The role of irrigated agriculture in pastoral areas - complementarity

§ Show staff on possible constraints to small-scale pump irrigation and how to overcome these.

§ Training staff on how to monitor and evaluate performance of small scale pump irrigation activities

§ Train staff how to understand and ensure sustainability of small-scale pump-fed irrigation by the SSI scheme members and the challenges the limit the sustainability of these schemes

§ Train the staff on the comparative advantages and disadvantages of the solar pumps over the diesel engines pumps and recommend the better options.

§ Provide a Field Guide on Good Practices for Small Scale Pump Irrigation schemes establishment and management

§ Compile a training report for the whole exercise

Expected Outputs

§ Training conducted for staff on pump irrigation organization, management and operation practices to improve performance.

§ A post-evaluation training evaluation conducted after the training.

§ A hard and soft copy of the final report on the training including planning, methodology, delivery and observations made during the training in 1 week after the training

§ Hard and soft copies of the Field guidance on Good Practices for Small-Scale Pump Irrigation Schemes establishment and management in 2 weeks after the training.

§ Clear plan of action by the participants to guide them in training farmers after this TOT.

3.0Roles and Responsibilities

Coopi/DRC-SomReP will

§ Provide materials for desk review (listed below).

§ Schedule meetings with partners or SomReP staff upon request by the consultant.

§ Facilitate the consortium member participation in the training.

§ Pay the consultancy fee.

§ Facilitate the consultant’s travel from base to the field and back after the end of the contract (including airport tax), food and accommodation.

§ Facilitate transport and security escort to and fro the villages where field visit will be done.

§ Provide the venue, LCDs, flip charts, note pads, colored paper, felt pens, markers, colored markers, and stationery for the training of DRC/Coopi staff and handouts.

§ Make comments on draft training report to the consultant for incorporation in the final report

§ Make comments on Field Guide on Good Practices for Small-Scale Pump Irrigation Establishment in Somalia

The Consultant will;

§ Develop the work plan showing: introduction/objective, methodology of training, scoping of the work, schedule of training& financial plan.

§ Undertake desk study of Secondary data on the SomReP including: Project proposal, and reports strategies plus other work by other players on same sector done in Somalia.

§ Facilitate training of SomRep staff on Good Practices for Pump irrigation Schemes establishment and management (organization, management, operations, maintenance and sustainability pump irrigation systems etc).

§ Provide a final report of the SomRep Irrigation Training which includes comments from SomRep TU.

§ Provide a Field Guide on Good Practices for Small Scale Pump Irrigation schemes establishment and management

§ The consultant will be responsible for their income tax and/or insurance during the assignment. Also cater for their own visa and travel documents.

§ Provide training certificates

4.0Methodology

The consultant will start with review of secondary data on similar work done on SSI using motorized pumps in Somalia. In addition, field visit will made to Dollow/Hargeisa to 2 sampled or representative irrigation project sites to gather information and appreciate the context and nature of gaps in irrigated agriculture programming before starting the training.

5.0Proposed Time Frame for the Training Consultancy

The training consultancy will take approximately 16 days excluding travel days during which the following will be done:-writing inception report with revised training timetable, visiting 2 irrigation sites, conducting staff training, writing the training report and drafting the Field Guide on Establishing Small Scale Pump Irrigation Schemes at Dollow/Hargeisa.

Days# of Days Activity Location Responsible Day 1 1 Entry Meeting Nairobi/Dollow Daniel/Chachu/Suleiman/Richard Day 2 1 Develop training inception report Consultant Day 5 0 Travel to Dollow/Hargeisa - Flight Dollow/Hargeisa Sabina Day 6 1 Visit Irrigation sites Dollow/Hargeisa Day 6 - 13 8 Training staff on Good Practices for Small Scale Pump irrigation (including practical) DollowHargeisa Consultant Day 14 0 Return to Nairobi Dollow/Hargeisa Sabina, Day 15 - 20 4 Drafting Training report and Field Guide for Small-Scale Pump Irrigation Nairobi Consultant Day 21 - 23 3 Review the training report & Field Guide Coopi/DRC, SomRep, Daniel Day 24 - 25 1 Incorporate comments from SomRep Nairobi Consultants

6.0Qualification for the Consultancy

§ Masters’ or BSc Degree in Irrigation engineering and Agronomy sciences

§ Established Firms with individuals having or Individuals with similar qualification.

§ Have more than 3 years’ practical/demonstrated experience in irrigation agronomy or related programming or consultancy, preferably in arid/semi-arid areas

§ Proven or demonstrated field experience in training staff/farmers in irrigation agronomy where pmp irrigation was used.;

§ Proven experience in conducting Irrigation assessments using qualitative and quantitative techniques in irrigation agronomy.

§ Excellent command of spoken and written English.

§ Understands Somalia social dynamics.

COOPI – Cooperazione Internazionale and Danish Refugee Council (DRC) invites qualified vendors/contractors to provide quotation for provision of consultancy services as per the attached Terms of Reference (ToR).

Kindly send us your technical and financialoffers via email by 21st August 2015. Submitted bids should indicate the price per unit and should be valid for a period of 90 days from the date of the bid.

The bids should be delivered electronically to the following address:

COOPI Nairobi Regional Office

Email: coord.nairobi@coopi.org