Consultancy Service – Quality management expert for organic soybean production and processing

sequa gGmbH is a globally operating non-profit development organisation. Since 1991 sequa has carried out programmes and projects of international cooperation in close collaboration with the German private sector. sequa offers know-how and long-term experience in capacity development for chambers and associations (BMOs), vocational education and training, private sector development and trade promotion. The organisation is based in Bonn, Germany. sequa employs more than 100 persons (2023) and reported a turnover of EUR 60 m in 2023.

We are offering a project-based assignment as: Consultancy Service – Quality management expert for organic soybean production and processing (m/f/d)

Location:         Addis Ababa, Gelan and Jimma

Assignment Period:  October 25, 2026 – January 30, 2027

Working time scope:    up to 30-expert days

Project:     Private Sector Support (PSS) Along the Horticulture and Oilseed Agriculture Value Chains in the GIZ Strengthening Rural Value Chain II Project (SRVC II)

Job Code:     ETH-1148 consultancy service – Quality management expert

The Project

The SRVC II project is a comprehensive agricultural value chain development (VCD) project, working along selected agricultural value chains in the horticulture and oilseeds sub-sectors. The project aims to strengthen private sector development, supply chain management and post-harvest management. It works with various public and private partners, including agricultural input and service providers, agricultural producers and processors as well as business associations to foster public-private collaboration and public private dialog (PPD). In addition to and beyond selected value chains, the project aims to support federal partners with agricultural policy development and inter-sectoral coordination for Ethiopia’s agricultural sector to fulfil its potential to provide food security, employment and supply high-quality food to local and international markets.

sequa has received the mandate from GIZ SRVC II to implement projects along the horticulture and oilseed agriculture value chains. The project aims to support SMEs and farmer organizations in achieving business growth and stronger market integration by improving service delivery of relevant business membership organizations (BMOs) and strengthening the capacity of targeted SMEs along the value chains in Ethiopia.

Soybean is an increasingly important strategic crop in Ethiopia due to its contribution to food security, nutrition, livestock feed, and agro-industrial development. The growing demand for quality soybeans processors and agricultural value chain actors has created a need for a reliable and sustainable soybean production system. However, the quality of availability of soybean remains limited in the country, constraining productivity and the expansion of soybean-based value addition and processing. Soybean producers, particularly smallholder farmers, face several challenges, including limited access to quality seed, inputs and appropriate production technologies, inadequate knowledge, weak post-harvest handling, limited access to finance, inconsistent market linkages, price volatility, and limited coordination between producers, cooperatives and soybean processors.

At the same time, soybean oil-processing companies require reliable supplies of sufficient quantities of quality raw soybeans. Recent contract-farming initiatives in Ethiopia have demonstrated the potential of linking smallholder farmers and cooperatives directly with processors through contract farming arrangement with technical assistance, improved seed and input, quality standards, and structured marketing. For this establishing quality management system and access to high end market strengthen the partnership between the producer and processers. Food safety, particularly organic soybean production provides an additional opportunity to access premium markets and improve environmental sustainability.

Kunifira agro-processing PLC process edible oil, concentrated defatted cake and animal feed inputes from soybeans. The company has been commercializing edible oil for local market and concentrated defatted cake/meal for regional and international markets. To open new market opportunities and access high end market, including European market, quality management and GAP are crucial. Accordingly, the company plans to establish and promote organic soybean production and processing by engaging producers in some selected areas. To successfully implement this activity and support Kunifira Agro-processing PLC, GIZ SRVC II/sequa requires a consultant with practical knowledge, relevant technical expertise, and proven experience in organic soybean production.

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide technical assistance for developing and strengthening an organic soybean production and market linkage scheme, establishing soybean organic farming and processing, standard organic SOP, organic weed control methods and IPM by involving smallholder farmers, farmer cooperatives/cooperative unions and soybean oil-processing companies, Kunifira agro-processing PLC. Preparing them to capacitate and making them ready for organic certification and sustainable organic production and processing system.

Your Tasks / Responsibilities

Work Package of Nutritionist Expert for Soybean Based Product Development

The consultant shall conduct and complete tasks that include but may not be limited to those specified as follows:

Work Package 1: Establishment of organic soybean production system

• Assess and select suitable farmers and cooperative unions (up to 2), production areas, and fields for organic soybean production.
• Assess cropping systems, production constraints, and existing farming practices (desk review).
• Develop organic soybean production protocols based on GAP and applicable organic standards.
• Develop and demonstrate sustainable input supply chain, farming and crop-management practices. Including organic Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices for major soybean pests and diseases.
• Establish demonstration plots and farmer field learning activities.

Work Package 2: Development and Implementation of soybean organic SOPs

• Map the soybean value chain from farm to processing for Kunifira Agro-processing PLC.
• Identify critical control points and organic-compliance risks along the value chain.
• Develop standardized SOPs for farm and farmer selection, organic input management, land preparation and planting, crop management, harvesting, post-harvest handling, aggregation, transportation, storage, raw-material reception, processing, internal quality control and food safety.
• Validate SOPs with farmers, cooperatives, and Kunifira Agro-Processing PLC.
• Train internal staff, cooperative, DAs and farmers on organic practice SOP implementation and monitoring.

Work package 3: Organic soybean value chain, processing and market linkage development

• Map and assess existing actors and relationships within the soybean value chain.
• Establish structured linkages among farmers, cooperatives/cooperative unions, and Kunifira Agro-Processing PLC.
• Develop production, aggregation, supply, and purchasing arrangements.
• Define minimum quality, quantity, food-safety, and traceability requirements for soybean supplied to Kunifira Agro-processing PLC.
• Pilot farmer-to-processor supply and marketing model within two cooperatives in Jimma.

Work Package 4: Traceability, documentation and organic certification readiness

• Design a farm-to-processing traceability system.
• Register participating farmers, fields, cooperatives, and production quantities. Consider soybean crop rotation systems in the practice.
• Develop farmer production, input use, harvest, aggregation, transport, and processing records.
• Establish lot/batch identification and segregation procedures.
• Develop traceability forms, registers, and reporting templates.
• Conduct a certification-readiness/gap assessment covering farmers, cooperatives, and Kunifira agro-processing PLC.
• Develop corrective and improvement actions for identified gaps.
• Prepare a practical organic certification-readiness roadmap.
• Conduct internal compliance check/simulated inspections and capacity building.

Work Package 5: Capacity building and technical support

• Conduct training-needs assessment for farmers, cooperatives, and processor personnel.
• Develop practical training materials and manuals.
• Train cooperative staff and DAs on aggregation, quality control, documentation, traceability, storage, and organic compliance (as ToT).
• Train Kunifira agro-processing personnel on organic raw-material reception, segregation, processing, sanitation, quality assurance, food safety, documentation, and traceability (as ToT).
• Conduct practical field demonstrations and coaching.

Work package 6: Institutionalization, sustainability and scale-up

• Define roles and responsibilities of farmers, cooperatives/cooperative unions, and Kunifira.
• Establish an institutional coordination and governance.
• Develop a sustainable system for farmer registration, production planning, aggregation, quality control, traceability, certification, and marketing.
• Establish mechanisms for continuous internal inspection and compliance monitoring.
• Identify resources, staffing, financing, and institutional arrangements required for sustainability.
• Develop a scale-up strategy for expanding organic soybean production in other parts of Ethiopia.
• Develop a final implementation and sustainability roadmap.

Deliverables

To prove the accomplishment of the detailed tasks, the consultant shall deliver the following:

Your Qualification / Skills

• BSc or MSc in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Food Processing, Natural Resource Management or other related fields.
• 10 years of professional experience in food quality management system including GAP, organic farming and organic processing.
• Have practical working experience as an organic farming and processing expert.
• Strong analytical and report-writing skills
• Excellent communication skills

Your Working Experience

• 10⁺ practical experience working as organic farming expert/GAP. Understand the local context and have experience working with small holder farmers and cooperatives/unions.