International Consultant – Consultancy to support the potato value chain assessment in Rwanda at UNECA – United Nations Economic Commission for Africa: (Deadline 8 April 2024)

Result of Service

– Inception Report approved dataset with required indicators. – Methodology and kick off meeting with MINICOM and UNECA to agree on the approach and methodology and – Draft report in accordance with above tasks and summarizing key findings Final reports: – Presentation of the findings and recommendation to the ministry (MINICOM) – Review feedback on the draft report, revise and finalize the report to be approved by MINICOM

Work Location

Home based

Expected duration

3 months

Duties and Responsibilities

1. BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION Agriculture stands out as one of the most strategic

sectors in Rwanda’s development. Under its pillar “Agriculture for wealth creation”, Rwanda’s Vision 2050 sets the overarching objective to attain agriculture transformation equally led by both men and women professional farmers and commercialized value chains. The sector employed 54.67% of the total employed population in 2021 and contributed about 27% to the GDP in the first quarter of 2023 . In addition, it accounts for a significant part of the foreign exchange earnings. About 61% of Rwandan soil is suitable for agriculture. The country’s principal staple crops include coffee, pyrethrum, tea, flowers, beans, cassava, banana, rice, wheat, sugarcane, and Irish potatoes. Rwanda is the fifth biggest producer of potatoes in Africa, after Algeria, Egypt, Malawi, and South Africa, in 2022. Through the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS2) and Vision 2020, the Government of Rwanda’s goal is to transform subsistence farming into a modern agricultural sector. Irish potato is one of the six priority crops. So important is the plant that the government earmarked it under the Crop Intensification Program (CIP) of 2007 to ensure that it gets maximum production. In addition, over 800,000 small farmers are involved in the cultivation of Irish potatoes, mostly in the high-altitude regions of the northwest of the country. The crop contributes to about 10% of the agricultural GDP and it is commendable for food security and income generation. In Rwanda, potato is mostly grown in Musanze, Nyabihu, Rubavu, Burera, Gicumbi, and Nyamagabe districts where different potato varieties such as Gikungu, Kinigi, Kirundo, Cruza, and Kuruseke are cultivated. The dynamization of the potato value chain in Rwanda, cultivation of varieties of potatoes that are more resistant to climate change and less sensitive to degradation, as well as an industrial sector capable of transforming raw potatoes into manufactured products with high added value, would contribute significantly to improving the lives of these farmers. The potato value chain in Rwanda faces several challenges, including low productivity, lack of storage and processing facilities, post-harvest losses, weak market linkages, low transformation of raw potato into its derivative products, and limited extension services. These constraints limit the potential of the sector to meet the growing demand for potato products, both domestically and regionally, to improve the living standards of farmers and local producers and increase the contribution of the crop to the socio-economic development of the country. 2. OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE OF CONSULTANCY Based on a request of the Government of Rwanda, the main objective of this project is to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of the potato value chain in Rwanda, by addressing the key bottlenecks and opportunities along the production, post-harvest, industrial transformation, marketing stages, and supply chain. The project will adopt an inclusive and participatory approach, involving all the relevant stakeholders, such as farmers, cooperatives, processors, traders, consumers, government agencies, research institutions, NGOs, and development partners. 3. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES This consultancy is located in the sub-regional Office for Eastern Africa (SRO-EA) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and is under the direct supervision of the Program Manager. With the view to perform above duty, the international consultant will carry out the following tasks and activities: a) Incorporate in a synthetic and scientific method all the findings from the national consultants’ interviews and desktop research. b) A literature review on the potato value chains in the word and specifically in Africa and the state of potato production and international trade in Rwanda. c) An overview of the baseline situation of Rwanda’s potato value chain and a comparison of Rwanda potato value chain with other countries. d) Assess the overall potential to use new agricultural techniques (vertical growing, improved seeds, new potato varieties…), upgrade storage and processing facilities in major potato production zones, so as to mitigate post-harvest losses, enhance value addition, and diversify product offerings. Provide a cost analysis for those. e) A review of raw and processed potato products, with recommendations on which products should be promoted. f) The identification of the state of potato processing at the national and sub-national level and access to high quality inputs. g) The determination of the strengths and weaknesses of the different segments of the value chain, with a view to ensuring stable and equitable prices, adherence to quality standards, and the provision of market information. h) Draw policy propositions and recommendations to build a more robust and resilient potato value chain in Rwanda.

Qualifications/special skills

The Consultant should have the following qualifications: • PhD or master’s degree in agriculture economics (potato value chain), agronomy, economics, development economics, or similar. • Minimum 7 (seven) years of experience in agricultural value chain analysis. • Strong understanding of the local/regional and international context of the potato value chain as well as regulatory frameworks. • Knowledge of investment promotion in agricultural value chains. • Proven experience of providing advice to improve public policy design. • Good communication, facilitation skills and ability to use participatory approach to collect and make use of the most relevant inputs from stakeholders. • Excellent writing and reporting skills.

Languages

Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English is required (oral and written).

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.