Afghanistan is facing an increasingly complex humanitarian crisis. Worsening drought impacts on crops and livestock, the collapse of many public services and deepening economic crisis since the mid-August 2021 developments are having a deep impact on poverty, food security and agriculture livelihoods.
In response, with financial support from World Bank (WBK), FAO will undertake the following interventions in the Helmand Province through the OSRO/AFG/213/WBK project.
Output 1: 30 000 households received wheat cultivation packages and technical trainings in 2022 autumn cultivation season (please note that the proposed activities of 2022 autumn wheat cultivation package will target at least 3 percent female-headed households and/or women as direct
beneficiaries / recipients of the wheat cultivation package inputs.);
Output 4: A community –based drought EWS is established.
To properly proceed with the implementation of the identified interventions in the above-mentioned project (i.e OSRO/AFG/213/WBK) the letter of agreement (LoA) modality is chosen between the Service Provider and FAO. The LoA instrument is used in this instance because the activities are humanitarian operations that are not available on the commercial market. Afghanistan Rehabilitation and Education Program (AREP) is an eligible entity as defined under MS507.2.16 – non-government organization.
1. Terms of Reference
1.1 Definition of Output(s) and/or Outcome(s)
The target population and key activities and outputs for them will be as follows:
By 15 Feb 2024 , the Service Provider will complete a set of activities under this project funded by World Bank, specifically contributing to the following outputs:
Output 1: 30 000 households received wheat cultivation packages and technical trainings in 2022 autumn cultivation season (please note that the proposed activities of 2022 autumn wheat cultivation package will target at least 3 percent female-headed households and/or women as direct
beneficiaries / recipients of the wheat cultivation package inputs.);
Output 2: 30 000 households received wheat cultivation packages and technical trainings in 2023 autumn cultivation season (please note that the proposed activities of 2023 autumn wheat cultivation package will target at least 3 percent female-headed households and/or women as direct beneficiaries / recipients of the wheat cultivation package inputs.);
Output 3: 4 118 households received nutrition-sensitive home-gardening / vegetable cultivation kits and technical trainings (please note that the proposed activities of home gardening / vegetable cultivation inputs package will be targeting only female-headed households and/or women as direct beneficiaries / recipients of the home gardening inputs… in other words, 100 percent of selected beneficiary households for vegetable cultivation kits should be female headed households);
Output 4: A community –based drought EWS is established.
Output 1: (Wheat Cultivation Package for autumn 2022)
The objective of this intervention is to support vulnerable farming families with immediate agriculture protection assistance to resume the fall wheat cultivation. Certified winter wheat seed are the most critically needed livelihood package to promote a successful autumn cultivation of vulnerable HHs with access to cultivable land.
Beneficiary targeting
A beneficiary profile, selection and registration process will be undertaken based on the FAO selection procedures. The marginal smallholder farming households will be selected in collaboration with local stakeholders and will be carried out in strict adherence to the UN Joint Operation Principles (attached in Annex 16) and with emphasis on impartiality and other principles underpinning humanitarian assistance according to FAO vulnerability criteria and based on the scores received as per the vulnerability criteria developed by FAO. The selection of women headed households will be particularly prioritized for assistance under this output.
Provision of wheat cultivation package including related technical training.
After completing beneficiaries’ selection and quality control of procured inputs, Service Provider will distribute 50kg certified wheat seed, 50kg Urea and, , 50kg DAP fertilizer per household, complemented by technical training. The inputs will be procured nationally as per FAO standard procurement procedures from certified national seed companies and after being tested by certified laboratories. The Service Provider should not communicate the exact quantities of fertilizers which will be distributed, unless FAO provides a written communication on this issue.
This package is designed based on the requirement for 2 jerib of irrigated land. The seeding rate of wheat seed under irrigation condition is 25kg/jerib. Therefore, the beneficiaries will be eligible if they have 2 jerib irrigated land. The primary criteria for household selection for the wheat production package assistance is the need based on severity of the vulnerability of the affected household. FAO does not exclude the most vulnerable HH even if such a HHs have leased land with valid agreements.
Before the distribution of any inputs, the Service Provider will inspect the warehouse to establish the condition and report any issues to FAO’s Responsible Officer by email within 24 hours. Provisions must be made to ensure inputs remain dry prior to distribution to prevent spoilage, such as warehouse leak-proofing and plastic coverings whilst in storage.
Provision of wheat production packages for irrigated land comprising certified wheat seed, urea and, depending on the availability of the FAO funding, DAP fertilizers to vulnerable smallholder farmers households. If funding is available, each HH will receive a package of 50kg certified wheat seed, 50kg Urea and 50kg DAP fertilizer.
Technical Trainings to the beneficiaries:
Service Providers will organize technical trainings to all the direct beneficiaries on wheat cultivation in emergency contexts.
All trainings organized at community level adhere to Covid-19 safety measures. These trainings on improved wheat variety cultivation, integrated pest management, and climate resilient crop management will be organized at village level for all the direct beneficiaries using context-pertinent communication materials and sessions’ design in local language. Approximately, 30-35 farmers participate in each session with separately planned sessions for women beneficiaries in consultation with the priorities of women participants. These sessions will be undertaken over the course of various days prior to / along with the inputs assistance and are followed up with short refresher sessions in case of specific demand / need expressed by the beneficiaries. Training will cover the following modules (which are already developed by FAO for Afghanistan context):
a. Basics of proper storage of the distributed certified wheat seed and fertilizers as well as optimal usage of the same in terms of rainfed and irrigated wheat cultivation practices.
b. Fundamentals of improved / certified wheat seed cultivation irrigated cultivation areas.
c. Basics of handling treated seeds and safety measures in appropriate treating and handling of seeds locally.
d. Appropriate fertilizer usage including safety in handling and right dosage, timing, and method of use.
e. Integrated pest management using natural materials and techniques. FAO does not promote any chemical based pest management techniques in this project.
f. Basics of common diseases and/or insect infestations on wheat crop including early signs / symptoms thereof, preventive and curative measures for disease / infestations’ management and importance of timely communication of the same to extension workers.
g. Basics of sustainable and climate-resilient wheat crop cultivation in irrigated cultivation areas. This topic also includes technical pointers on effective weed management.
h. Fundamentals of seed storage for next cultivation season including ‘natural (non-chemical) treatment’ of the seeds and storage practices.
i. Sensitization on Covid-19 -safe practices to adopt during market participation and at farm gate.
Lastly, pertinent training materials in contextually relevant form are provided to all training participants along with contact details of the FAO and partners’ agriculture experts as well as the grievance and complaints redress mechanism; so that the farmers can directly contact the technical experts in case of any support needed following the trainings. Wherever practical and based on the need, follow-up refresher trainings are also organized for the farmers and women vegetable cultivators
Key messages on gender-based violation, protection will also be delivered to the beneficiaries to avoid any negative impact of the assistance. The trainings and sensitization sessions will be organized at village level using context-pertinent communication materials and messages in local language. On average 15 sensitization sessions will be organized in each of the districts. Approximately, 30-35 persons will participate in each session with separately planned sessions for women beneficiaries in consultation with the priorities of women participants. These sessions will be undertaken over the course of various days during the initial months of the project along with cash assistance; and followed up with short refresher sessions if requested by the beneficiaries.
Table 1. Geographical location, number of households to be support and quantities of wheat packages to be distributed under Output 1
| Target for autumn 2022 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No |
|
District | HHs for Wheat | Wheat seed (MT) | Urea (MT) | DAP (MT) | |
| 1 | Helmand | Provincial Capital (Lashkargah) | 4,000.00 | 200.00 | 200.00 | 200.00 | |
| 2 | Helmand | Nad Ali | 3,000.00 | 200.00 | 200.00 | 200.00 | |
| 3 | Helmand | Nawa-e- Barikzayi | 3,000.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 | |
| 4 | Helmand | Nahr-e- Saraj | 3,000.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 | |
| 5 | Helmand | Washer | 2,000.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | |
| 6 | Helmand | Garm Ser | 3,000.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 | |
| 7 | Helmand | Nawzad | 4,000.00 | 200.00 | 200.00 | 200.00 | |
| 8 | Helmand | Sangin | 2,000.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | |
| 9 | Helmand | Musa Qala | 3,000.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 | |
| 10 | Helmand | Kajaki | 3,000.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 | |
| Total | 30,000.00 | 1,500.00 | 1,500.00 | 1,500.00 | |||
Output 2: (Wheat Cultivation Package for autumn 2023)
After completing beneficiaries’ selection and quality control of procured inputs, Service Provider will distribute 50kg certified wheat seed, 50kg Urea and, 50kg DAP fertilizer per household, complemented by technical training. The inputs will be procured nationally as per FAO standard procurement procedures from certified national seed companies and after being tested by certified laboratories. The Service Provider should not communicate the exact quantities of fertilizers which will be distributed, unless FAO provides a written communication on this issue.
This package is designed based on the requirement for 2 jerib of irrigated land. The seeding rate of wheat seed under irrigation condition is 25kg/jerib. Therefore, the beneficiaries will be eligible if they have 2 jerib irrigated land. The primary criteria for household selection for the wheat production package assistance is the need based on severity of the vulnerability of the affected household. FAO does not exclude the most vulnerable HH even if such a HHs have leased land with valid agreements.
Before the distribution of any inputs, the Service Provider will inspect the warehouse to establish the condition and report any issues to FAO’s Responsible Officer by email within 24 hours. Provisions must be made to ensure inputs remain dry prior to distribution to prevent spoilage, such as warehouse leak-proofing and plastic coverings whilst in storage.
Provision of wheat production packages for irrigated land comprising certified wheat seed, urea and, depending on the availability of the FAO funding, DAP fertilizers to vulnerable smallholder farmers households. If funding is available, each HH will receive a package of 50kg certified wheat seed, 50kg Urea and 50kg DAP fertilizer.
The targeted area and number of beneficiaries allocated to each district in 2023 is subject to changes. The overall number of beneficiaries per province will not change but allocation of beneficiaries to the districts might be changes based on the actual needs and gap.
Service Provider should select new beneficiaries, not the same as selected for the 2022 autumn distribution.
After completing beneficiaries’ selection and quality control of procured inputs, Service Provider will distribute 50kg certified wheat seed, 50kg Urea and, depending on the availability of FAO funding, 50kg DAP fertilizer per household, complemented by technical training. The inputs will be procured nationally as per FAO standard procurement procedures from certified national seed companies and after being tested by certified laboratories.
Before the distribution of any inputs, the Service Provider will inspect the warehouse to establish the condition and report any issues to FAO’s Responsible Officer by email within 24 hours. Provisions must be made to ensure inputs remain dry prior to distribution to prevent spoilage, such as warehouse leak-proofing and plastic coverings whilst in storage.
Service Providers will organize technical trainings to all the direct beneficiaries on wheat cultivation in emergency contexts.
All trainings organized at community level adhere to Covid-19-19 safety measures. These trainings on improved wheat variety cultivation, integrated pest management, and climate resilient crop management will be organized at village level for all the direct beneficiaries using context-pertinent communication materials and sessions’ design in local language. Approximately, 30-35 farmers participate in each session with separately planned sessions for women beneficiaries in consultation with the priorities of women participants. These sessions will be undertaken over the course of various days prior to / along with the inputs assistance and are followed up with short refresher sessions in case of specific demand / need expressed by the beneficiaries. Training will cover the following modules (which are already developed by FAO for Afghanistan context):
Lastly, pertinent training materials in contextually relevant form are provided to all training participants along with contact details of the FAO and partners’ agriculture experts as well as the grievance and complaints redress mechanism; so that the farmers can directly contact the technical experts in case of any support needed following the trainings. Wherever practical and based on the need, follow-up refresher trainings are also organized for the farmers and women vegetable cultivators
Key messages on gender-based violation, protection will also be delivered to the beneficiaries to avoid any negative impact of the assistance. The trainings and sensitization sessions will be organized at village level using context-pertinent communication materials and messages in local language. On average 15 sensitization sessions will be organized in each of the districts. Approximately, 30-35 persons will participate in each session with separately planned sessions for women beneficiaries in consultation with the priorities of women participants. These sessions will be undertaken over the course of various days during the initial months of the project along with cash assistance; and followed up with short refresher sessions if requested by the beneficiaries.
Table 2. Geographical location, number of households to be support and quantities of wheat packages to be distributed under Output 2.
| No | Province | District | HHs for Wheat | Wheat seed (MT) | Urea (MT) | DAP (MT) |
| 1 | Helmand | Provincial Capital (Lashkargah) | 4,000.00 | 200.00 | 200.00 | 200.00 |
| 2 | Helmand | Nad Ali | 3,000.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 |
| 3 | Helmand | Nawa-e- Barikzayi | 3,000.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 |
| 4 | Helmand | Nahr-e- Saraj | 3,000.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 |
| 5 | Helmand | Washer | 2,000.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 |
| 6 | Helmand | Garm Ser | 3,000.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 |
| 7 | Helmand | Nawzad | 4,000.00 | 200.00 | 200.00 | 200.00 |
| 8 | Helmand | Sangin | 2,000.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 |
| 9 | Helmand | Musa Qala | 3,000.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 |
| 10 | Helmand | Kajaki | 3,000.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 |
| Total | 30,000.00 | 1,500.00 | 1,500.00 | 1,500.00 | ||
Output 3: (Home-gardening package)
A beneficiary profile, selection and registration process will be undertaken based on the FAO selection procedures. The most vulnerable households (Female headed, disable headed, IDPs, returnees or elderly headed households) will be selected in collaboration with local stakeholders and will be carried out in strict adherence to the UN Joint Operation Principles (attached in Annex 16) and with emphasis on impartiality and other principles underpinning humanitarian assistance according to FAO vulnerability criteria and based on the scores received as per the vulnerability criteria developed by FAO. The selection of women headed households will be particularly prioritized for assistance under this output.
After completing beneficiaries’ selection and quality control of procured inputs, FAO along with Service Provider will distribute eight types of vegetable seeds and home gardening tools per household, complemented by technical training. The inputs will be procured nationally as per FAO standard procurement procedures and after being tested by certified laboratories.
Before the distribution of any inputs, the Service Provider will inspect the warehouse to establish the condition and report any issues to FAO’s Responsible Officer by email within 24 hours. Provisions must be made to ensure inputs remain dry prior to distribution to prevent spoilage, such as warehouse leak-proofing and plastic coverings whilst in storage.
Service Providers will organize technical trainings to all the direct beneficiaries on home gardening.
All trainings organized at community level adhere to COVID-19 safety measures. These trainings on vegetable cultivation, integrated pest management, and climate resilient crop management will be organized at village level for all the direct beneficiaries using context-pertinent communication materials and sessions’ design in local language. Approximately, 30-35 farmers participate in each session with separately planned sessions for women beneficiaries in consultation with the priorities of women participants. These sessions will be undertaken over the course of various days prior to / along with the inputs assistance and are followed up with short refresher sessions in case of specific demand / need expressed by the beneficiaries. Training will cover the following modules (which are already developed by FAO for Afghanistan context):
Lastly, pertinent training materials in contextually relevant form are provided to all training participants along with contact details of the FAO and partners’ agriculture experts as well as the grievance and complaints redress mechanism; so that the farmers can directly contact the technical experts in case of any support needed following the trainings. Wherever practical and based on the need, follow-up refresher trainings are also organized for the farmers and women vegetable cultivators
Key messages on gender-based violation, protection will also be delivered to the beneficiaries to avoid any negative impact of the assistance. The trainings and sensitization sessions will be organized at village level using context-pertinent communication materials and messages in local language. On average 1 sensitization sessions will be organized in each of the districts. Approximately, 30-35 persons will participate in each session with separately planned sessions for women beneficiaries in consultation with the priorities of women participants. These sessions will be undertaken over the course of various days during the initial months of the project along with cash assistance; and followed up with short refresher sessions if requested by the beneficiaries.
