Consultancy (ToR) – Geospatial Assessment of Pasture and Water Resources for Pastoral Mobility in Dubuluk, Dirre and Moyale districts of Borena Zone – Ethiopia

Introduction:

Ayuda en Acción is a secular, non-partisan, and non-governmental organization founded in 1981, with a global commitment to combating poverty, inequality, and exclusion. Its headquarters are located in Madrid, Spain, and it operates in 18 countries across Africa, South and Central America, and Europe (Spain and Portugal).

In Ethiopia, Ayuda en Acción worked through local partners to deliver a range of humanitarian and development programs between 2002 and 2017. In 2018, the organization established an independent country program. Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia is committed to tackling the underlying causes of poverty, inequality, and exclusion, placing women, men, girls, and boys at the centre of its interventions. Its approach focuses on strengthening the capacities of both individuals and institutions to actively contribute to development and to promote a dignified life for all Ethiopians.

To fulfill its mission, Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia has worked in three regions: Afar, Oromia (Arsi and Borena), and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR) in close collaboration with local partners, international research institutions, public agencies, and private sector stakeholders. Thematically, AeA has been implementing long-term interventions on market system development, employment, access to quality education, sustainable food and adaptation to climate change, and mainstreaming gender equality and environmental protection.

Ayuda en Acción has been operational in Borena since 2017, working closely with local partners to deliver humanitarian response, recovery, and resilience-building interventions. Since 2020, the organization has been implementing an integrated program in Borena Zone, targeting pastoral communities significantly affected by poverty, recurrent climate shocks, and conflict.

Currently, AeA is implementing programmes focused on advancing market system development, promoting sustainable rangeland management, water development, fostering digital innovations for resilience, enhancing pastoral financial inclusion, scaling up Index-Based Livestock Insurance, and empowering women and youth. These interventions are anchored in a nexus programming approach, designed to strengthen local capacities while generating evidence to inform policy dialogue and advocacy.

2. Background of the study areas:

Borena Zone is located in the southeastern part of Ethiopia, within the arid and semi-arid lowland areas of the country. The zone has an estimated total population of over one million people, of which approximately 94 percent are rural pastoralists. Administratively, Borena Zone is divided into 13 districts. It shares boundaries with West Guji Zone to the north, the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region (SNNPR) to the west, the Somali Region to the southeast, and Kenya to the south.

Climate and Rainfall Patterns:

Borena Zone experiences a bimodal rainfall pattern with two distinct rainy seasons. The main rainy season, known locally as Ganna, occurs from mid-March to mid-May, while the short rainy season, Hagaya, extends from September to November. These rainfall patterns are critical for sustaining the pastoral and agropastoral livelihoods predominant in the area.

Scope of the work:

The scope of the assignment includes:

• The scope of the study will cover Dubuluk, Dirre and Moyale districts.
• Mapping the livestock migration destination within and outside the districts using traditional grazing/range land unit.
• The assessment will include migration route
• Mapping should consider local community unit and administrative boundaries.
• The cross-border mapping (destination) will be captured through secondary data and consultations of different groups in the study areas.

For detailed information please refer this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KkwVHoRyNjdI9O_2lEoFPOnGGQKF7FX-/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=112871499205828425147&rtpof=true&sd=true

Responsibilities of Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia:

AeAE will provide:

1. Clarification and all the necessary information and documents
2. Relevant project and context specific documents.
3. Logistical arrangement for all field travels and share the guidelines for visitors travel (e.g. code of conduct and security plan).
4. Workshop, trainees’ subsistence allowance, stationaries, accommodation, training hall rent, refreshment.
5. Facilitation with required key stakeholders.
6. A contact person(s) for the consultants responsible to facilitate communication and the undertaking of activities that support the achievement of this assignment in an effective and efficient manner
7. Comments and feedback when relevant, and approval of all key deliverables within agreed timeline.

Deliverables:

The successful candidate for this consultancy assignment will deliver the following:

1. A briefing meeting between the consultant(s) and the project team: Ayuda en Acción country office programme team and Consortium team members (as deemed necessary) to provide a detailed explanation of the assignment.
2. An inception report (before the field research starts, the methodology and specific tools for each method, including respondents targeted by each tool must be approved by the project team overseeing this assignment).
3. The consultant will produce maps (integrated maps of key local attributes with formal maps with scale) including the key grazing corridor /unit with its associated features (resources and social service). based on the mobility of the pastoralists, including all data as specified in the tasks and scope of the assignment.
4. The consultant will design GIS graphics fit with the features of the mobile app.
5. The consultant will submit draft and final assessment report-a comprehensive report presented in soft copy in English in line with this ToR, the contract, and the inception report. The report will be edited and proofread to be ready for dissemination.
6. The consultant will present the report during final workshop.

10. Duration:

The project will need to be completed within the below explicitly mentioned time frame. The consultancy period is 21 calendar days.

11. Minimum requirement of the consultancy firm and team members:

Minimum requirements of the consultancy firm include:

• The applicants should be an Ethiopian national firm with a proven experience with a minimum of five years of experience in conducting socio-economic studies, GIS, resilience building programmes, especially in pastoral contexts.
• The lead consultant has a master’s degree or above in geography, GIS, social science, anthropology and related disciplines.
• The consultancy firm should at least mobilize two additional `professionals. The team members should at least have an advanced university degree in international development, geography, social science, anthropology, social studies or other related studies and previous experience in similar assignments of at least 4 years.
• The consultancy firm must possess practical experience with designing and applying qualitative and quantitative research methods with focus on rangeland resource mapping, produce GIS mapping, resilience building, etc.
• The team includes at least two multi-disciplinary experts who have expertise and experience in carrying out similar assignment.
• The team members who have excellent command of English, both spoken and written, and are able to produce professional reports ready to be disseminated to high level audiences.
• The team includes members with fluency in Afan Oromo.
• The firm must present a renewed trade licence for 2017/18 E.C and VAT registration certificate.
• The firm should present practical experiences of at least two similar studies performed during the last three years substantiated with recommendation letters or certificates from legally operating organizations.

Criteria for Selecting the Best offer:

The selection of the proposal will be done by using the Combined Scoring method, where the qualifications and methodology will be weighted a maximum of 70% and combined with the price offer which will be weighted a maximum of 30%. The technical part of the application will be assessed based on previous experiences of the applicants. The following technical elements will be considered:

• Experience of the firm and team /profile.
• Client reference of at least two successful (Completed/Running).
• Adequacy and quality of the proposed methodology, and work plan in responding to the Terms of Reference.
• Work plan.
• Team composition / Key experts’ qualifications and competence for the assignment.
• Transfer of knowledge (training) programme (relevance of approach and methodology).