RECRUIT A CONSULTANT to Develop Training Material and Delivery of Training on Fruit Postharvest Handling and Pesticide Management

GAIN contributes to the fight against malnutrition in Ethiopia by implementing innovative and sustainable models that increase access to safe, affordable, and nutritious foods for communities vulnerable to malnutrition. One of GAIN’s ongoing projects in Ethiopia is called “Economic Growth Through Fruit Transformation.” This initiative focuses on developing safe and nutritious fruit products, with a particular emphasis on papaya processing especially drying.

The project has been implemented in collaboration with various private and public sector partners, including academic and research institutions. To ensure product safety and support future scaling efforts, GAIN prioritizes the quality and safety of both raw and processed fruit. As part of this approach, the project engages stakeholders across the papaya value chain, from farmers to processors, and provides capacity building support to improve product quality and safety.

Currently, there is a recognized need to improve postharvest handling and pesticide management practices, particularly among small to mid-scale papaya farmers who have the potential to supply quality and safe produce to processors. Proper postharvest handling and proper pesticide use are critical areas for enhancing product quality and safety, reducing postharvest losses, and increasing agricultural productivity by controlling pests and diseases appropriately. However, the excessive or improper use of pesticides can result in harmful residues in food products, posing significant risks to human health and the environment.

This assignment aims to raise awareness and provide practical skills on postharvest handling and pesticide management to fruit farmers particularly for papaya farmers in key papaya producing areas in the Oromia, Sidama, and Southern Ethiopia regions.

To ensure effective knowledge and skills transfer, the consultant will work closely with the Federal and Regional Agriculture Authorities, including the Oromia Agricultural Inputs and Products Regulatory Authority as well as with the Federal and Regional Agriculture office.

Objective

General objective:

To develop evidence-based training materials on fruit particularly papaya postharvest handling and pesticide management, and provide targeted training.

3.2. Specific objective

1. To gather concrete, literature-based evidence on current postharvest handling and pesticide management practices for fruit.
2. To develop skill-focused training materials on postharvest handling and pesticide management for expert-level participants .
3. To create a quick reference guide, which is used for training farmers on postharvest handling and pesticide management .
4. To provide practical training for both experts and farmers in the target areas, the plan is as follows: experts training will be conducted in one session, with an estimated 30 participants. farmers training will focus on 20 participants for 2-3 Session across three selected regions Oromia, Sidama, and South.

    

Scope of the assignment

The scope of this assignment focuses on fruit postharvest and pesticide management in general, with a particular emphasis on papaya. The techniques and approaches can also be adapted to vegetables in specific areas.

The training materials will be evidence based and more practical and tailored to different target groups experts and farmers with content, depth, and duration of the training adjusted accordingly for each group needs.

The target regions include Oromia, Sidama, and Southern Ethiopia, with estimated number of 20 farmers in each particular area around Zeway, Hawassa, and Arbaminch and 30 estimated number of Experts in one of the Selected area. The focus will be on addressing the needs (required knowledge and skill) of mid-level fruit farmers in these locations. Possible to extended into vegetable farmers while depend on the priority.

Tasks and Responsibilities of the Consultant

The consultant is responsible to:

• Develop an inception report, detail work plan, and rapid assessment tool to conduct a preliminary assessment based on secondary data.
• Prepare evidence-based training materials separately for experts and farmers.
• Validate the training materials with relevant government sectors.
• Conduct training sessions at different levels.
• Evaluate the training and prepare the final training report using the format agreed upon with GAIN.
• Should also have to established contacts for gathering preliminary information and preparation.

MAJOR DELIVERABLES

No	Deliverables	Date Deliverable Due
1	Submission of inception report, implementation plan, and rapid assessment tool	May 15
2	Submission of rapid assessment report based on secondary data on current pesticide use and postharvest handling practices of papaya in selected areas around Zeway, Hawassa, and Arbaminch	May 25
3	Submission of training material table of contents (separately for experts and farmers), along with training schedule and content outline	May 25
4	Submission of expert-level TOT (Training of Trainers) material on pesticide use and postharvest handling of fruit	June 10
5	Submission of farmer-level training materials (quick reference guides) on pesticide use and postharvest handling of fruit, both in English and local (training target area) official languages	June 10
6	Validation of training materials with government experts and finalization of materials	June 12
7	Conduct one expert-level TOT training session at a central location.	June 20
8	Conduct Total of 2–3 practical training sessions for farmers near farming sites in each selected areas around Zeway, Hawassa, and Arbaminch	June 30
9	Submission of final report, including pre- and post-test results from expert-level training.	July 5

Interested and eligible firms renewed Trade License, VAT Registration Certificate and TIN Certificate. The team should have at least an MSc degree in Horticulture, Agronomy, or other relevant fields.

• The firm and team must have a minimum of five years of proven experience in developing training materials and delivering similar training at both expert and community levels within the Ethiopian context.
• The team should consist of no more than three members, including the team lead.
• The firm must demonstrate excellent communication skills, strong project management expertise, and the ability to coordinate effectively with government stakeholders.
• Proven proficiency in both English and the relevant local language (specific to the training area) is required, with strong verbal and written communication skills.
• The firm and/or team lead should be familiar with the three regions, particularly the training areas.
• Assessment and selection criteria :- In addition to the qualifications of the firm and team mentioned in point 9, the understanding of the assignment /TOR and the quality of the technical proposal will also be key selection criteria in addition to the financial proposal.