Jamii Opportunities
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- Feb 10, 2014
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Terms of reference for training program as part of Participatory Food Safety Systems (PFSS) pilots in Tanzania
Rikolto is an international non-governmental network organisation with over 40 years of experience in partnering with food system stakeholders in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. We work together with a variety of actors in the food system such as governments, research institutions, financial institutions, and farmers’ organisations around one central question: ‘What will we eat tomorrow?’By building bridges between these stakeholders, we aim to transform the food system together, unlocking access to healthy, safe, and nutritious (HSN) food for all while taking care of the environment and securing decent rural livelihoods. Working both in formal and informal sectors, our target beneficiaries include farmers, consumers, traders and other value chain actors, with a focus on youth and women.
Since 2016, Rikolto is implementing a global Food Smart Cities-programme to improve urban food environments and provide quality food to a growing urban population. Beside the fact that 80% of all food is expected to be consumed in cities by 2050 (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2019), we also believe that cities have the right scope of governance to bring about change in an action-orientated way to contribute to global sustainability. For this, we foster multi-stakeholder driven processes to develop and implement cooperative strategies that lead to a sustainable urban food system where the food security, safety and nutritional value of food is safeguarded for all citizens.
Arusha became Tanzania’s first Food Smart City in Tanzania in 2018 and is a signee of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact. Since 2020, Rikolto has established a second Food Smart City programme in Mbeya, the largest city in Southern Highlands and an important node in the fertile agricultural system of the Southern regions of Tanzania. Since Participatory Food Safety Systems (PFSS) are based on the active participation of stakeholders from within the food ecosystem, Rikolto is not working alone on this pilot. In Mbeya, Rikolto is closely cooperating with the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA) and the Mbeya City Health Department. In Arusha, the process is supported by TCCIA Arusha Chapter and the Arusha city council.
Problem statement
High levels of irrigation water contamination (feces, lead, E. Coli), the excessive presence of pesticide residues, and biological contamination (E. coli, feces) on produce being sold in the markets, were previously demonstrated in studies on behalf of Rikolto. To improve food safety and quality in the urban centre markets of Arusha and Mbeya, a verification mechanism is needed.
Rikolto has chosen to experiment with Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) to pilot a verification mechanism for local markets. PGS are different from third-party certification in four ways and therefore more adapted to smallholder agriculture: they are less costly, require less administrative burden and complexity, are participatory in their approach, and are focused on building capacities and trust. Whereas PGS is a term used and promoted by Organic Agriculture Movements, achieving agroecological horticulture production is not the main goal in this pilot (yet).
Fitting within Rikolto’s approach to make HSN food available for all, the verification mechanism pilot should reach mainstream consumers. The quality assurance is therefore centered on improving food safety throughout the value chain. Rikolto aspires to use a different term for this pilot that reflects the diverging base principles that are adopted in this Guarantee System: for now, the term Participatory Food Safety Systems (PFSS) is employed. Rikolto has so far implemented 2 cycles of PFSS targeting:
- Only fresh fruits and vegetables (FFV) that are locally produced.
- Work with farmers and market vendors on best food safety practices at their level first.
- Markets in Mbeya (Sokoine, Soweto) and Arusha (Kilombero, Samunge & Soko Kuu, with farmer groups from Muvikiho and Domikwa ).
For the next phase of the PFSS we aim to include the transporters, middlemen, and brokers in the system through the formation of a transporters nucleus and training on food safety practices. Transporters brokers and middlemen of fresh fruits and vegetables face a number of challenges that include,
- Handling challenges include limited knowledge of good handling practices and financial constraints for acquiring appropriate handling equipment.
- Distribution challenges include a lack of appropriate distribution and a central storage center that leads to high post- harvest losses.
- Connection and network challenges include a lack of reliable connection and communication with both producers and market vendors of fruits and vegetable
Therefore, for this Cycle, The PFSS model aims to enhance the capacity of the transporters, middlemen, and brokers around handling, distribution as well as connection and networking. Additionally, the phase of PFSS aims to facilitate market linkages among all the actors within the PFSS model (that is farmers, market vendors, and now the transporters.
Rikolto and their partners are currently looking for (a) consultant(s) to
- Develop guidelines on Best Food Safety Practices and a training curriculum for transporters, brokers, and middlemen as part of their PFSS third cycle in Arusha and Mbeya.
- Develop a database of transporters, middlemen, and brokers for fruits and vegetables in Arusha and Mbeya
- Strengthening market linkages between transporters/middlemen/brokers, farmers, and market vendors
- Conduct refresher training for the farmers and market vendors ToTs
- Update the Chakula Bora google map with new actors mobilized by the ToTs
- Develop a proposal for scaling out the PFSS model in other regions specifically, Iringa and Tanga
Objectives of the assignment
- The objectives of this assignment are to develop and conduct a foods safety training program as part of the third cycle of PFSS model in Arusha and Mbeya
- Development of a best food safety guidelines and checklist for Transporters, middlemen and brokers
- Participatory validation of the guidelines and checklists with transporters, middlemen and brokers and other support stakeholders
- Identification of trainers for the transporters PFSS nucleus and training of the members of the nuclei
- Monitoring/measuring of impact of the training program on Best Food Safety practices
- Facilitate market linkages between the transporter’s nuclei, farmers nucleus as well as the market vendors nucleus
- Support farmers and market vendors ToTs to recruit and train new members for the nuclei
- An inception report to establish the approach of the assignment and assessment of the current context (including possible challenges for the success of the assignment and the actions to address them).
- Validated Best food safety practices guideline and checklist
- A database of the transporters nuclei
- Training of the transporter’s nucleus and a training report
- A report on market linkage activities conducted that clearly indicate the impact of the market linkage activities
- Mapping of transporters/ middlemen and brokers in Arusha and Mbeya
- Database of Transporters/brokers and middlemen in Arusha and Mbeya
- Updated google map for Chakula Bora actors i.e. farmers, market vendors, and transporters/middlemen/brokers
- Training and a training report of the PFSS for transporters/middlemen /brokers
- Refresher training for phase 1& phase 2 ToTs
- Established a sustainable PFSS council for Arusha
- Internal and external Validation report linkages activities between PFSS farmers, market vendors, and transporter/middlemen or brokers.
Interested consultants or firms are requested to submit at eastafrica@rikolto.org:
- A summarized technical and financial proposal, a technical proposal not longer than 8 pages of how you intend to execute the assignment with a clear training plan/timetable.
- Copy of your Curriculum Vitae (CVs).
- Contact details for two references (including one from your last client/employer).
- Submission of the proposals should not be later than 29th February 2024
