UNDP Tanzania: Addressing Challenges faced by Youth/SMEs & Fostering Innovation in Agricultural Sector

Deadline: 5 September 2016

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Tanzania is seeking proposals from eligible entities for a program entitled “Institution Firm to Conduct a Gap Analysis on Information/Services Across Agriculture Sector for Youth and SMEs in Rural and Urban Areas, and Potential ICT Solutions”.

The objective of the study is to identify and determine the capacity needs of youth and enterprises, as well as the general e-agriculture community for e-agriculture. The ultimate aim is to enhance and promote efficiency in the critical business functions along and across various agricultural value chains.

This project will therefore aim to address some of the key challenges faced by youth, smallholders and SMEs and will ensure a specific focus on female youth. The project’s ultimate goal will aim to fostering innovation in the agricultural sector in order to contribute to the Government’s Vision 2025 through increased industrial growth.

Through this project, UNDP will seek to work with its partners towards affordable, basic, relevant ICT access for SMEs within the agricultural value chains, both as a tool and an enabler. Through support to youth innovation and entrepreneurship in e-agriculture, the project will work towards contributing to making the sector more attractive with increased access to peers through networks for exchange of information, strategies and success stories; access to private sector and markets, access to Government policies and regulations, etc.

Objectives

To identify critical entry points in the context of the envisaged project, and assess agricultural market opportunities, whereby an e-agriculture platform can improve agricultural operations.
To assess access of young farmers and SMEs to relevant data, networks and services to support.
To analyze capacity needs of specific agricultural market sectors from an e-agriculture platform, and provide recommendations on an inclusive market development approach.

Scope

Provide a marketing analysis on how farmers, youth and SMEs in Tanzania can be engaged in agriculture through the proposed ICT intervention, and pinpoint critical entry points for implementing an e-agriculture platform in Tanzania.
Assess market information required on different commodities and user groups, by a unified e-agriculture platform, and how accessible and sustainable this can be for the e-agricultural platform.

Eligibility Criteria

A reputable firm with skills and experience in agriculture value chain analysis and in analysis of ICT platform with at least 5 years’ experience in the development sector, preferably in Development Innovative approaches programme/ project design or value chain analysis, resource mobilization and /or partnership building.