Short Term Technical Assistance – Lesotho Poultry Market Assessment

Short Term Technical Assistance

Lesotho Poultry Market Assessment

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Progress-funded Sustainable Transformation of Enterprises in the Poultry Sector (STEPS)

Maseru, Lesotho

Background: Land O’Lakes International Development is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit helping communities around the world build economies by strengthening agriculture from farm to fork, helping businesses grow, and linking farmers to markets. Since our start in 1981, we have been leveraging nearly 100 years of expertise in dairy, animal nutrition, crop inputs and agricultural insights from our close affiliate, Land O’Lakes, Inc., a farmer-owned agribusiness committed to fulfilling its purpose of feeding human progress.

Our team is made up of nearly 350 employees who are committed to market-led approaches, and passionate about collaborating locally to create lasting inclusive economic growth. By unlocking the potential of agriculture for the last 36 years, the lives of more than 3 million people have been transformed through nearly 300 programs in more than 80 countries.

Project Description: Venture37 is implementing the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Progress-funded Sustainable Transformation of Enterprises in the Poultry Sector (STEPS) in 7 districts in Lesotho (Maseru, Berea, Leribe, Butha-Buthe, Mafeteng, Mohale’s Hoek, and Quthing. STEPS will reach its goal of improving productivity and the business enabling environment in the poultry sector of Lesotho by segmenting the complex poultry market and supporting actors to level up regardless of their current capacity, organizing producers in Buyer Hubs to unlock economies of scale, and spurring innovation across the poultry sector to provide inputs and markets to poultry producers.

Purpose and Objectives: Venture37 seeks to engage a firm or consultant to undertake an initial market assessment of the poultry sector and relevant sub-sectors in Lesotho to understand the current state of poultry production, processing, and marketing. The assessment will contribute to refining STEPS activities, verify priority constraints, identify synergies with potential key stakeholders, determine pathways for women and youth engagement, identify stakeholders with the capacity to take leading roles in the financing and development of the poultry sector, and make recommendations on strategies to address key identified bottlenecks.

Specifically, this assessment will:

1. Document and develop representative economic models to map the current state of the Poultry Value Chains. Identifying input suppliers, production systems (dual purpose, single purpose broiler and layers), aggregation, transportation, marketing, processing, and consumption in Lesotho.  This should include regional and global influencing factors and volumes and value of trade at each level. 

2. Define key actors engaged in farm-to-fork poultry activities, including production, processing, services, inputs, off-takers, and other critical ancillary support activities such as research, training and extension, representative bodies (farmer/processor/retail), civil society, donor/government funded poultry development initiatives, and policy makers in the poultry value chains.

3. Develop farmer and poultry value chain economic models with sensitivity analysis for the project to track viability of each sector. 

4. Identify key bottlenecks and opportunities, including but not limited to, access to parent stock, fertile eggs, day-old chicks, point of lay pullets, feed, cold storage, national quality and standards regulations, accredited laboratory and abattoir services, financing, markets, and retail. Review and analyze factors which have limited investment and expansion; include recommendations and key stakeholders for way forward.

5. Categorize, review, and analyze key input providers with a specific but not limited focus on hatcheries, day-old-chicks, point of lay pullets, feed, veterinary products, laboratories, equipment suppliers, and poultry infrastructure design and development. Identify limitations, easy wins, and strategies to strengthen local input suppliers.

6. Access to Financing, identify key potential financing opportunities and synergies, which may include loans, grants, blended, and venture capital financing, and other innovative financing tools.

7. Review research, training, extension, and livestock health/veterinary capacities, including knowledge of and integration of Climate Smart Approaches. Identify key entry points, especially opportunities for women, youth, and underserved groups, in line with STEPS goals and objectives.

8. Consumer preference, categorize existing markets, 5-year historical volumes and values including underserved and undervalued markets, providing an analysis of potential opportunities, and key issues to address to expand access to local markets and external trade.

9. Policy review, analyze, and advise on national, regional and world policy as pertaining to the poultry sector, formulating strategic approaches to boost local production, processing and retail of internally produced poultry produce, inputs and supplies with a view to improving quality and competitiveness in production, processing and marketing of the local poultry industry and reduce external dependance on the critical protein supply.

10. Gender Youth and Social Inclusion (GYSI) – Identify women, young people and other marginalized populations’ opportunities, resources, support mechanisms that enable or hinder the full participation and empowerment within the sector including but not limited to exploring women and young people’s capacities, challenges, and opportunities to access markets, training, extension services, inputs, and financing opportunities.

Consultant Tasks: The assessment will be carried out in phases as follows: 

Phase 1: Desk review of existing poultry value chains, macro trends and historical economic development in the poultry sector.  

• A broad desk review of macro trends of Lesotho’s poultry industry with a specific focus on the segmented approach being taken by the STEPS project. The desk review will provide context and understanding of the existing poultry trade (volumes and value) and the challenges and opportunities.

• Inception Report in preparation for field visit and primary data collection. A 15-page (maximum) narrative Excel economic models and graphic report should include, in the annex, list of key informants, meetings, draft schedule, and collection of relevant data and literature necessary before starting field work.

• Output will include:
  • Inception Report with annexes

Phase 2: Field visit, data collection/capture, and Key Informant Interviews. 

A field visit to collect detailed data to include but not limited to the following.

• Poultry producers: The contractor will conduct primary data collection through a survey with targeted poultry producers with a specific focus on the segmented approach being taken by the STEPS project. The survey will collect information on demographics, poultry husbandry practices, linkages with input providers, finance, markets, and sales of poultry and poultry products. To capture pathways for women, young people data will be collected and analyzed by sex, age, income/economic status and or disability. Import trends and dependencies will be analyzed.  The participants will be selected randomly at a statistically relevant level from the list of potential participants. Sample sizes will be distributed proportional to size across the target provinces.  

The contractor will also conduct primary qualitative data collection, including FGD (focus group discussions) and other relevant approaches. These qualitative data will explore poultry producers’ uptake of and views about poultry husbandry practices, technologies, and access to expertise. Additionally, qualitative data collection will explore differences in needs, practices, and priorities of men, women, and youth, including their access and control over poultry resources and services.  

• Input Providers: The contractor will conduct KIIs (key informant interviews) with hatcheries, fertile egg, day-old-chick and point of lay hen suppliers, feed suppliers, laboratories, abattoirs, and private sector involved in livestock health, and vet and vaccine provision.  
• Other Stakeholders: The contractor will conduct KIIs with other stakeholders, such as government officials, project staff, poultry organizations, research and training institutes, processors, retailers, and financing institutions and explore any gender and youth responsive financing opportunities. Detailing existing legalizations, policy, standards, and regulatory framework that affect the poultry industry from production to processing and sales including the informal sector and non-tariff barriers. 
• Output will include:
  • Primary field data.

Phase 3: Data analysis and report writing that includes recommendations. 

• The firm/consultant will aggregate and analyze all primary and secondary information collected, using such information to analyze challenges, identify market opportunities, and make prioritized recommendations to impact specific poultry value chains and economic segments, including regulatory frameworks.
• Present the distinct markets in graphic and narrative form with the specific constraints and opportunities which exist for each market segment.
• Output will include:
  • Draft Market Assessment Report (40 pages maximum), with relevant annexes and Excel economic models.
  • Draft 2-page summary of the Market Assessment Report.
  • Draft Presentation (15-slides maximum, PowerPoint, 1 hour).  

Phase 4: Stakeholder feedback, final report, final summary report, and presentation

• Upon approval by Land O’Lakes Venture37 of the Draft Market Assessment Report, the Draft 2-page summary of the Market Assessment Report, and Draft Presentation, the firm/consultant will host a one-day on-site feedback seminar with key stakeholders. The firm/consultant will concisely detail the study methodology, information sources, analyze findings and recommendations. The firm/consultant will provide the opportunity and facilitation to ensure detailed and relevant feedback is received from key stakeholders.
• Stakeholder feedback will be evaluated in consultation with Land O’Lakes Venture37. Based on final feedback the final report and recommendations will be updated and submitted to Land O’Lakes for wider distribution. 
• Output will include:
  • Stakeholder Seminar.
  • Final Market Assessment Report (40 pages maximum), with relevant annexes.
  • Final 2-page summary of the Market Assessment Report.
  • Final Presentation (15-slides maximum, PowerPoint, 1 hour).   

The study should ensure all data presented is up to date and provides an accurate presentation of the state of the poultry sector in Lesotho and the region. 

The study period of 01 April to 31 May 2024 is an estimated length of the assignment but will be revised as needed.  

Deliverables: 

Deliverable	Description	Payment	Estimated LOE
Phase 1:Inception Report  Maximum 15 pages; include annexes as necessary (Word, Excel, and pdf)	Desk review of existing poultry value chains, macro trends and historical economic development in the poultry sector Following the desk review, provide an Inception review. The Inception Report should describe the following: Project overview based on project documents and detailed literature review Finalized methodology including detailed sampling plan  Field work procedures Quality control measures Communication protocol Finalized timeline Draft Data collection tools	20%	10 Days
Phase 2: Field Visit and Data Collection Cleaned and Final Data	Field visit, data collection/capture, and Key Informant Interviews. Agree schedule and plan and coordinate necessary logistics to collect the data in accordance with the selected methodologyUnderstand and submit the necessary protocol to legally conduct data collection in-countryPre-test, translate as necessary, finalize, and reproduce the data collection tools, Train and orient enumerators as necessaryCarry out field work using own resources	30%	15 Days
Phase 3:Draft Reports and Presentation (Word, Excel, pdf, ppt)	Data analysis and report writing that includes recommendations and will finalize with submission and acceptance by Land O’Lakes Venture37 of a: Draft Market Assessment Report (40-pages maximum), with relevant annexesDraft 2-page summary of the Market Assessment ReportDraft Presentation (15-slides maximum, PowerPoint, 1 hour)	20%	14 Days
Phase 4:Seminar: Stakeholder Feedback, andFinal Reports and Presentation (Word, Excel, pdf, ppt)	On Land O’Lakes Venture37 acceptance of the draft outputs, the firm/consultant will host a feedback seminar and use such to conclude the final reports and presentation. Stakeholder SeminarFinal Market Assessment Report (40-pages maximum), with relevant annexesFinal 2-page summary of the Market Assessment ReportFinal Presentation (15-slides maximum, PowerPoint, 1 hour)	30%	5 Days
TOTAL		100%	34 Days

Required Skills and Qualifications:  Applicant can be either a firm or individual. The applicant must clearly demonstrate past performance and meet the minimum qualifications outlined below.

• Minimum 10 years’ work experience in economic development programs in livestock and preferably specifically in poultry.
• Expertise in livelihoods, livestock value chains, and gender and youth programming.
• Strong policy, legislation, and analysis experience, including evidence of success in completing similar evaluations in terms of size, design, and rigor.
• Previous experience in review of USDA/USAID programs preferred.
• Strong qualitative and quantitative research and analytical skills.
• High capacity for writing in English and preparing quality written products in respect of deadlines.
• Ability to work within international and multicultural environment.
• Knowledge of the region preferred

Criteria for Evaluation:

Selection Criteria	Weight of Importance(Total 100%)
Demonstration of relevant qualifications and past work and performance in Market Assessments/Value Chain Analysis. Specifically, experience leading and writing for teams working in the poultry value chain in Lesotho and/or the region.	30%
Technical demonstration of relevant past work and performance in Lesotho and/or the region.	25%
Proposal clearly outlines an effective approach for realistic and fact-based analysis and development of recommendations that can achieve the desired change.	25%
Overall value for price/cost.	20%

Reporting: The position reports to the Chief of Party. 

Period of Performance and Level of Effort: The period of performance for the consultancy is through May 31, 2024. The level of effort for the consultancy is not to exceed 34 working days. 

Submission of Proposal: Interested consultants should submit their proposal to the attention of Fidel O’Donovan by email to [email protected] no later than March 22, 2024. Please indicate your name and “Lesotho Poultry Market Assessment” in the e-mail subject line. 

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. No phone calls will be accepted.

Land O’Lakes Venture37 will never ask you for personable identifiable information, and we will never request money or payment during the recruitment or employment process. Please submit any questions or concerns to: [email protected].

Land O’Lakes Venture37 is an equal opportunity employer and an organization striving to help global communities thrive through agriculture. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status, among other factors. Our culture values a diversity of voices. So, bring us your unique experiences, your workstyle, and your dreams — they’ll only make us stronger.

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