Individual Consultant

  United Nations Development Programme -UNDP

Individual Consultant – Cluster Coordinator _Organic Farming- Uttar Kannada Karnataka (2 post),
Location :	Uttar Kannada, Karnataka,, INDIA
Application Deadline :	28-Jan-21 (Midnight New York, USA)
Time left :	15d 0h 47m
Type of Contract :	Individual Contract
Post Level :	National Consultant
Languages Required :	English
Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start)	01-Feb-2021
Duration of Initial Contract :	One Year
Background
Background: The DAY-NRLM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission) is the flagship program of the Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India relaunched in 2016 for promoting poverty reduction by building strong institutions of the poor, particularly women. The program creates and enables community-owned institutions of women to empower and make them economically self-reliant by improving their agency to access a range of livelihood and financial services and maximize their resources for creating sustainable livelihood opportunities.  The state governments are mandated to set up dedicated Mission Management Units at the state, district, and village/community level for the effective implementation of the NRLM scheme.  The mission provides regular hand-holding support to SHG/federations for a period of 5-7 years.  At the end of a full implementation cycle, the SHGs/federations are well prepared to become resource institutions at the community level for providing evidence and support to other social initiatives.  Karnataka State Rural Livelihood Promotion Society (KSRLPS) The State Government is implementing the DAY-NRLM scheme in phases through Karnataka State Rural Livelihood Promotion Society in the name of “Sanjeevini”. The mission statement of KSRLPS is: “To reduce rural poverty by providing gainful wage and self-employment opportunities through community institutions resulting in sustainable improvement in their livelihoods”. Sanjeevini is a community-driven and process-oriented program. The processes include different activities such as awareness building, social mobilization, development of Community Resource Persons (CRPs). Formation of CBOs, strengthening SHGs/ CBOs/federations/Livelihood Collectives, the establishment of linkages, and promotion of livelihoods. The conventional methods of monitoring focus on physical, financial, and logistic aspects of projects, but do not capture the processes of community perception, satisfaction with project services, inclusion, and institutional dynamics. As the community processes do not conform to pre-set rules, deadlines, targets, or blueprint approaches, a responsive and adaptive implementation is necessary. It is in this context that the State government of Karnataka has partnered with UNDP to implement The National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP) in Karnataka. NRETP proposes to implement higher-order economic activities which are cross-cutting in nature, for instance, the project design envisages that there will be an organic link between the model Cluster Level Federation (CFLs) and financial inclusion strategies, insurance and pension schemes, producer groups, and organizations, product marketing, and enterprise development. The financial inclusion strategy will also have a key role in the financing of farm and non-farm enterprises. UNDP will be uniquely positioned to quickly transfer the technical know-how gained at the national and state-level working across the country.  The state SMMU will be fully synchronized with the National level team working at the center, important for better alignment of state priorities with those of the national program while formulating the State-specific poverty reduction action plans. Under the scheme, UNDP is looking for a Cluster Coordinator _ Organic Farming, Consultant to undertake the activities as provided below. The incumbent will be based at KSRLPS and will perform duties under the direct supervision of Block coordinator – organic farming and will also perform duties under the direct supervision of an official designated by the Mission Director.
Duties and Responsibilities
·        The candidate should be willing to travel across the districts of the State of Karnataka ·        Cluster level planning and roll-out of organic village cluster development activities ·        Rolling out certification in the clusters and facilitate technical support agencies in the implementation ·        Maintain information regarding products of the SHG members, markets (prices and trends), commodity-wise details. ·        Executing capacity building plans for the project staff and community members on farm livelihoods and value chain development ·        Identify best practices and communicate the same to the block level ·        Ensuring data collection and entry into MIS for monitoring and evaluation. Any other tasks/responsibilities as assigned by the Mission Director
Competencies
·        Knowledge of organic certification standards – both third party and PGS certification systems would be preferred ·        Knowledge of organic farming methods, agro-ecological practices Ability to work effectively with community resource persons, community, and field staff to deliver results.
Required Skills and Experience
Qualifications: Undergraduate (4 years course) in Agri Science, Forestry and relevant field.   ·        1+ years in a livelihood development project responsible for the promotion of organic production systems and allied activities-based livelihoods. ·        Experience of the roll-out of PG’s or third-party certification would be preferred ·        Experience in working with community and community mobilization for livelihoods interventions ·        Experience in executing training and capacity building programs at the field level with community resource persons and community. Duration of The Work: The contract will be awarded for one year initially. Working days will be as per the State Government / KSRLPS policy. Languages Required: Fluency in English and Kannada– spoken, read, and write for all official communication is essential. Official Travel In case of an official journey within/outside the state, candidates will be entitled to reimbursement from KSRLPS. All official travel must be authorized and certified in advance by KSRLPS.  SCHEDULE OF PAYMENTS Consolidated annual consultancy fees (Remuneration) of INR 4,20,000/- payable in equal monthly instalments of INR 35,000/- upon submission of monthly progress report certified by the reporting officer. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT: ·        The contract will be administered by UNDP on behalf of the KSRLPS. Government of Karnataka. ·        The consultant should report to the Mission Director, Block coordinator – organic farming.  ·        The consultant should also report to any Official designated by the CEO. ·        All the logistic support related to official travel will be borne by the KSRLPS, Government of Karnataka. ·        The consultant will be entitled to 2 days of leave per month (non-cashable). The accumulated leaves will be forfeited on the termination/further extension of the contract period. Documentation Required Personal CV indicating all past experiences from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the candidate and at least 3 professional references. Evaluation Method and criteria Preliminary shortlisting would be done based on the following criteria: ·        Educational Qualification 30 marks. ·        Relevant Experience 40 marks. ·        Interview for 30 marks Those who obtain a minimum of 70% of the total of 70 marks (Educational Qualification & Relevant Experience) will be eligible to appear for the interview.  Interview for the shortlisted candidates would be either conducted face to face in Bangalore or by telephone/over skype. The contract shall be awarded on a merit basis. For more information and online application click here