TERMS OF REFERENCE

FOR

SEND/RAINFOREST ALLIANCE COCOA ADVOCACY PROJECT

 Consultancy to conduct gender assessment in cocoa sector

Position: Consultant (Gender assessment of Ghana’s cocoa sector, to assist women cocoa farmers)

Project Title: Cocoa Advocacy

Organization: SEND – GHANA

Project Duration: September 14th – October 14th 2020

Project Background

Under a grant provided by the Rainforest Alliance, SEND-Ghana is implementing a three-year project that seeks to capacitate civil society actors including farmer groups, civil society organisations and the media to collectively influence Ghana’s cocoa sector policies and practices. The project employs a strategy that encourages active participation of civil society actors in national debates on sustainable cocoa through capacity building and evidence-based monitoring and dialogues with policy makers.

The project has currently facilitated the establishment of a civil society actors’ platform on cocoa which is championing collective advocacy in the sector. This mechanism would help move the advocacy agenda beyond the project but also for national and international level discussions.

Project Outcomes

The project seeks to achieve the following outcomes:

1. Strengthen the capacity of Cocoa Farmer-based organizations, CSOs and the media to monitor and advocate for improved policies and practices in the cocoa sector.
2. Promote the functionality of stakeholder (SDGs) platform for advocacy in the cocoa sector by including gender issues on the advocacy agenda.
3.  Facilitate constructive dialogue/advocacy between farmer groups, CSOs, government, and COCOBOD.

Objective and Scope of the Consultancy

Gender is core to the project considering its objectives. The project seeks to assess how gender is mainstreamed into Ghana’s cocoa sector and how responsive policies and programs are to gender issues. SEND GHANA seeks the expertise of a consultant to conduct a study focusing on the general gender outlook of Ghana’s cocoa sector. The study should critically assess the extent to which gender issues are effectively institutionalised in Ghana’s cocoa sector  policies, programmes and practices.  Additionally, the study should  determine the status of government’s responsiveness to gender issues and posit how gender imbalances affect both men and women farmers and the cocoa sector largely. Key focus is to clearly bring out gender disparities in cocoa farmers’ access to inputs and services, financial support, training and information; participation and involvement in cocoa pricing processes.

A component of the study will focus on the present organisational structures and proceedings of the sector regulator (COCOBOD) and how this supports or derail gender considerations in programming and service delivery.  This will inform to some extent the level of understanding and acceptance of gender prioritisation in the sector by the COCOBOD and how gender is mainstreamed in its interventions.

The main services to be undertaken by the consultant include, but not limited to the following:

1. Produce a detailed inception report

No later than a week after contract signing, the consultant will be expected to embark on an inception mission and produce an inception report detailing:

• Background/introduction
• Proposed methodology detailing the study area, type and number of respondents.
• A list of potential stakeholders to be consulted and interviewed, and an analysis plan.
• A detailed work/implementation plan
• Other key issues identified so far and relevant to the study, and relevant attachments: maps, data etc.
• An annotated outline of the final research report

2. Undertake a comprehensive review and analysis of the cocoa sector in Ghana focusing on gender (access to inputs, services and information and involvement in decision making processes)

The consultant is expected to undertake a desk review and present various gender standards and policies in the sector and highlight how these policies are responding to gender needs in the sector. This should be complemented with primary evidence based on a well-represented sample. Guided by field research/survey questionnaires prepared by the consultant and approved by SEND Ghana, the consultant will be expected to combine both qualitative and quantitative data in the fieldwork through broad-based consultation process including surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions with key stakeholders.

In undertaking this study, the researcher will interface extensively with (i) government institutions responsible for management and oversight of the cocoa sector at the national and local levels, (ii) private sector and industry players within the cocoa sector including administrative units of farmer cooperatives (iii) farmers including men, women and youth involved in cocoa farming, (iv) civil society organizations and community based organizations involved in cocoa advocacy, and (v) other stakeholders that may be relevant to the study.

3. Develop a draft and final report

The consultant will prepare a draft report based on a detailed desk research and the outcome of the field work. After a few iterative processes based on review of the draft report by SEND Ghana, the consultant would be expected to submit a final report. The report is expected to cover, but not limited to, the following areas:

•  A review of Ghana’s cocoa sector and how responsive policies and programs are to gender issues over time.
• Assess the general gender outlook in the cocoa sector and posit how gender imbalances affect both men and women farmers and the cocoa sector largely.
• A country brief and situational analysis of the cocoa sector taking into consideration the key institutions, regulators, programs and interventions, cocoa farmers, interventions, market, among other relevant situations of importance to the study
• The current state of gender mainstream in Ghana’s cocoa programs and the existing gap(s).
• The level of involvement of men and women farmers in decision making processes in cocoa at different levels.
• The extent to which gender mainstream in the cocoa sector is affecting livelihoods and addressing the unmet needs of farmers especially women and youth farmers.
• Recommendations needed to improve the sector’s gender responsiveness in a manner that would ensure improvement in the livelihoods of all cocoa farmers.

4. Develop a policy brief

Upon submission of the final report, the consultant will prepare and submit a 2-page policy brief detailing key advocacy messages based on the findings of the study.

Deliverables and Output

The deliverable schedule for services to be provided under this engagement is as follows:

Contract Duration

The anticipated duration of the contract is thirty (30) days, starting 14th September – 14^th October 2020.

During this period, the consultant is expected to deliver on the key outputs detailed above. 

Expression of interest documents should be sent via e-mail to career@sendwestafrica.org  before 5: 00 PM – Thursday, 3rd September 2020

 Office Location:

A28 Regimanuel Estates,

Nungua Barrier, Buade Road, Accra