RFP to conduct a baseline study for a project in Odisha titled Green College Odisha: Creating Green Value Webs for Tribal Women Farmers

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About the Organization

Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation (www.brlf.in) is an autonomous body established in 2013 under the Ministry of Rural Development through a Union Cabinet decision by the Government of India. With a vision to transform the lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable populations across India, BRLF plays a crucial role in fostering and facilitating civil society action in partnership with the government and people’s institutions.

About the Proposal

The proposed project aims to foster green livelihoods and entrepreneurship in remote tribal areas of Odisha, with a strong focus on empowering women. Its primary goal is to establish a comprehensive learning, knowledge management, and capacity-building framework for the Agriculture Production Cluster (APC) project 2.0 initiated by the BRLF and Odisha government.

The objectives of this capacity-building initiative are threefold:

• To create a knowledge infrastructure and a dedicated pool of master trainers in sustainable agriculture and green entrepreneurship.
• To enhance the knowledge and skills of multiple stakeholders of APC 2.0 in green entrepreneurship (small and marginal farmers, rural entrepreneurs, community institutions, and the grassroots functionaries who service them).
• To improve efficiency, transparency, and outreach of the CSOs, FPOs, and PGs through benchmarking and digitisation of the capacity-building elements.

Key Outcomes of the “Green College Odisha: Creating Green Value Webs for Tribal Women Farmers” Project

The project will establish a state-level 'Green College' as a central hub to provide key stakeholders with capacity building and technical support in developing sustainable production and marketing systems. Specifically, the Green College will:

• Develop course curriculum, modules, content, and teaching materials covering topics related to sustainable agriculture, green trades, and entrepreneurship development.
• Set up a digital platform for effective knowledge management, sharing and monitoring of training quality, fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration.
• Conduct Training of Trainer programs and maintain a pool of approx. 60 skilled master trainers and experts in various subject matters.
• Foster convergence and collaboration with various government departments to leverage synergies and achieve collective goals

Furthermore, the project will support the implementation of comprehensive capacity-building and learning programs for 2000 extension workers from relevant government departments and local NGOs, aiming to equip them as proficient service providers.

The capacity-building efforts will prioritize:

• Assisting farmers in accessing diverse agricultural inputs, technical support, and capacity-building programs.
• Empowering Resource Farmers to serve as multipliers by supporting them in developing sustainable Integrated Farming Systems through Farmer Field Schools and demonstration sites.

A mobile application will be designed for extension workers and resource farmers, providing accurate advisories on crop cultivation and animal husbandry. It will also enable the identification of crop health issues, access to management plans, and connection with ecopreneurs for recommended inputs and support.

At the block level, the project will facilitate the co-creation of local Green Value Webs, which are interconnected networks involving producer groups, Producer Companies, Ecopreneurs (including input providers, processors, traders), and consumers. These stakeholders will collaborate and share resources, knowledge, and expertise to develop value-added products and services within their communities. To promote effective collaboration, decision-making, entrepreneurship, and market outreach, the project will:

• Form 1000 producer groups focusing on one or multiple products and provide training on sustainable production practices, value addition, and market linkage strategies.
• Establish and support the management and marketing activities of 30 Producer Companies to enhance their market positioning and outreach.
• Train 4000 youth as ecopreneurs, with 400 high-potential individuals receiving a business acceleration program called Fast Track training to expedite their entrepreneurial journey.

Scope of Services

The proposed baseline is expected to map the current capacity of different stakeholder groups to effectively implement APC 2.0 and ensure the accomplishment of outcomes envisaged under the project.

Findings from the baseline study are expected to:

• Provide measurable insights on the existing capacities of key stakeholders involved in the implementation of the APC project. These stakeholders include Master trainers who currently hold capacity building trainings under APC project, Frontline functionaries and Community Resource Persons, farmers (men and women) engaged in APC activities, Civil society organisations actively holding the APC project implementation in blocks/ sub-districts, government officials, Board members and members of Farmer Producer Groups (FPGs) and Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs), agri-entrepreneurs and value chain suppliers engaged through APC project, service providers and technical agencies currently supporting the implementation of APC.
• Provide an assessment of existing training and capacity-building resources used in the APC project
• Identify existing trades pursued by FPGs, FPCs, and entrepreneurs and the challenges they face in accessing the markets, supply chain solutions, and technological interventions that enhance the value chain.
• Map the existing pool/ cadre of master trainers and their capacities in being able to offer training for key stakeholders of the APC project
• Map the landscape of digital/ technological solutions used in similar programs to build knowledge and skills and provide active hand-holding support to learners.

The scope of services of the study under this RFP includes end-to-end design, development and implementation of the baseline study. This shall include:

• Preparation of the Inception report of the study (Study design, comprehensive list of indicators for the study, Methodology, Data collection tools and plans, Pilot testing, Enumerators training kit and plan, Plan for secondary research, data analysis plan, report structure)
• The design of the study will be finalized in consultation with the BRLF Research Team.
• Pilot testing and enumerators training report along with final set of tools for data collection and secondary research findings
• Data monitoring, including bank checks, spot checks, and high-frequency checks. Submission of weekly data monitoring reports during the data collection phase.
• Presentation of Initial Findings of the study in a workshop with project partners and key stakeholders.
• Draft Baseline Report and presentation
• Final Baseline Report, synopsis of the report, and presentation along with all raw data (quantitative and qualitative), cross-tabulations and data sets.
• A succinct explanation of any difficulties or limitations encountered during the data collection procedure, such as problems with sampling or data dependability.

Deliverables

• Inception report (including research design, list of indicators, sampling plan and sample lists, data collection tools – quantitative and qualitative)
• Mid-term Report (This report consists of brief about Enumerators training, piloting, final tools of data collection, secondary analysis findings, detailed analysis plan of primary data, etc.)
• Draft Baseline report (First level insights presentation, Report structure, draft summary reports, summary of weekly monitoring reports etc.)
• Final Baseline report (Summary Report); Handing over all raw data files (dataset, pictures, videos, audios, transcriptions, etc) and tabulations
• Sign-off on the Final Baseline Report

How to Apply

Consultants can also email the proposals to procurement@brlf.in on or before March 25th, 2025 (5:00 PM) with the subject line of email communication being Proposal for Baseline Study of “Green College Odisha: Creating Green Value Webs for Tribal Women Farmers” project

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Tags Entrepreneurship Food, Agriculture and Nutrition Livelihood Others