Deadline: 13 February 2017
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) India is seeking expression of interest from eligible entities for the program entitled “Capacity Building Agency for Sustainable Integrated Agriculture and Livestock for Nutrition in India” with an aim to support Agriculture & livestock Nutrition component of the Swabhimaan multi-sector demonstration programme for a period of three years.
UNICEF India in collaboration with National Ministry of Rural development and Panchayati Raj (MoRD & PR), National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) has started Swabhimaan multi-sector demonstration programme in 2016across Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Odisha to test an“Integrated multi-sectoral strategy to improve girls’ and women’s nutrition before conception, during pregnancy and after birth in India”. Agriculture-sector (which includes livestock) can become nutrition-sensitive by:
- improving the quantity and quality of diets in households by boosting farmers’ agricultural incomes by providing them with loans to undertake agriculture-related and livestock-related investments thus reducing income poverty,
- empowering women as income-earners (and hence decision makers),
- ensuring investment in nutrition-sensitive policies, agriculture and livestock extension services by including nutrition objectives at the outset.
Swabhimaan Programme Activities
- Systems strengthening activities:
- training of district and block officers agriculture, horticulture and livestock for developing and implementing nutrition-sensitive plans,
- using KisanChaupal (farmers gatherings) for BCC messaging and
- strengthening capacity of training units of agriculture department/university called KrishiVidhyan Kendra to create community KVK (nutrition-sensitive farmer field schools).
- Community-based activities:
- quarterly training of village resource persons who engage with Aajeevika women farmer self-help groups on monthly basis to develop and implement integrated sustainable integrated farming and livestock systems plans, for three years at home and at farm (which joins food security, water security, water quality, agriculture, livestock and nutrition) and implement these plans as seed grants for agriculture and livestock activities through cash grants received by the State Rural Livelihood Missions via the Vulnerability Reduction Fund,
- integrate agriculture extension service messages in trained community cadres (Poshan Sakhis/Community Resource Persons of Aajeevika) facilitating meetings with women’s self-help groups every month using participatory learning and action cycle,
- creation of community resource centres (farmer field school) at cluster level for demonstration and learning local, low cost and innovative techniques for nutrition-sensitive integrated farming systems and replication of these as micronutrient-rich home-stead/backyard kitchen gardens and
- male sensitization meetings at farmer club events and via training institutes on supporting women’s access to nutrition, health and WASH public goods and entitlements and their roles as fathers and promoters of good health and nutrition for their family.
Eligibility Criteria
- The agency can bid independently as a CSO or academic institution or as a consortium with another CSO / academic institution, provided each has a proven track record in designing Agriculture & livestock Nutrition interventions in Indian schedule caste/schedule tribe dominated blocks.
- Global health/nutrition agency, which has acclaimed standing in the work around Agriculture-Water Security-Livestock-4-Nutrition.
- Proven record in developing Job-aids, supporting countries in South Asia (including Indian States) on working with farmer clubs and agriculture and horticulture officers.
- Proven record of writing working papers and peer review publications on the subject
- Associated tie-up with an Agriculture unit of a globally recognized nutrition university.
- Knowledge of UN, including UNICEF terminology, language and style an advantage.
- Willingness to travel to India and field sites and establish camp offices in the block study sites.
How to Apply
Interested applicants can download the application form via given website.
Eligible Country: India
For more information, please visit UNICEF India.