REQUEST FOR CONCEPT NOTE
AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION IN NIGERIA TO INCREASE YIELDS, RESILIENCE AND IMPROVED FOOD SECURITY FOR SMALLHOLDER FARMERS
BACKGROUND
ABOUT AGRA:
The ALLIANCE FOR A GREEN REVOLUTION IN AFRICA (AGRA) is a not-for-profit organization working with African Governments, other donors, NGOs, private sector, and African Farmers to improve the productivity and incomes of resources poor smallholder farmers significantly and sustainably in Africa. AGRA has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya and country offices in Ghana, Nigeria, Mali and Burkina Faso in West Africa. AGRA and its partners aim to develop capacities of key actors (government, private sector, and others) at state and national level to integrate both sustainability and resiliency in staple food crops value chains. This is being done through selected staple crop value chains using consortia approach through which sustainable and resilient practices will be integrated using catalytic action and technical assistance. The program will catalyze resilient, sustainable, and responsive smallholder agriculture systems that provide for both people and planet.
The Grant Funding Opportunity
Through the funding of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) via KfW, the grants AGRA is calling for are meant to build on existing investments at country level that seek to build/strengthen agriculture value chains and integrate natural resources management principles in food systems. Specifically, these grants will seek to demonstrate, in practical terms, how agriculture value chains can integrate both business sustainability and resilience in food systems. In addition to demonstrations, the grants are required to document key lessons, success and/or failure factor and briefs for policy and decision-makers, project developers, funding agencies and private sector.
Grant Intervention Areas
This is a call for concept notes for projects addressing sustainable agricultural transformation in Nigeria to increase yields, resilience and improved food security for smallholder farmers focusing on resilience, sustainability, production, and marketing constraints of selected staple food crops. The call is open to implementing organizations in Nigeria focusing on Kaduna and Niger States.
(i) Grants may support any of the following issues (list not exhaustive) scaling up production of staples (Maize, Rice, Soybean, Cowpea & Vegetables) and their contribution to soil fertility, nutrition, income and carbon sequestration – this will require strengthening seed supply systems using seed companies and the promotion of integrated soil fertility management practices through provision of extension advisory services to the farmers.
(ii) Promote the adoption of water harvesting technologies and the efficient use of the water on farms – for enhancing productivity and conservation.
(iii) Wide-scale uptake of climate smart and environmental sustainability practices such as conservation agriculture, good agronomic practices, post harvest management, and processing practices. This will require providing technical guidance and identifying institutional and market incentives that help address challenges associated with adoption of climate smart and environmental management in smallholder agriculture.
(iv) Strengthen functional markets, finances, information and risk mitigation measures by farmers and other value chain actors.
(v) Strengthen MSME’s capacity (particularly women and youth owned) along the focus value chains.
(vi) Establishing and/or strengthening of private sector linkages between lead firms and/or offtakers engaging with small-scale farmers for more predictable markets.
(vii) Development and dissemination of knowledge products on project experiences including lessons and scaling up of practices with the policy makers and private sector actors.
Structure and Purpose of the Grants
Interested, experienced and competent organizations are invited to submit concept notes for a 36 months project implementation period. Responses to this call for expression of interest should clearly demonstrate how they will effectively integrate private sector and natural resources management in the staple crops value chains.
A key component of this initiative is to document key practices, success factors, (integrated) policy issues and their implications on investment opportunities for private sector in integrated approaches in sustainable production and processing.
The proposed interventions should solve for inclusiveness of gender and youth as key players/stakeholders in food systems generally, and the selected value chains specifically. Integration of innovations such as Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) or Public Private Partnerships is highly encouraged.
Applicants can select to implement/develop their proposed interventions in any one or both states.
This request for grant concepts applications will remain open till 26th February 2021 before 23:59 hours Western Africa Time (WAT). Interested organizations/institutions must submit before the final deadline; Grant concept applications made after the final deadline of 26th February 2021 will not be considered.
Organizations wishing to respond to this expression of interest are invited to use the attached AGRA grant concept- provided here: https://bit.ly/3b5ztfp
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