The aim is to support up to 3 food companies in Mbale City, that are locally influential and have a significant impact on their communities in terms of food security, waste reduction, environmental sustainability and inclusive employment. The assignment should have both an inward; and outward look, taking into consideration circularity and inclusive baseline assessment of the company’s value chain and business processes, identifying barriers and starting points for inclusivity and circularity along their value chains or processing lines. The assignment should also identify the kind of support that businesses need from Mbale City or any other institution and map possible partnerships to enhance city-business collaboration.
Deadline:
Rikolto is an international network organization with more than 40 years of experience in partnering with farmer organisations and food chain stakeholders across Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. The question that guides our work, is: What will we eat tomorrow? How can we guarantee that future generations retain access to affordable quality food, knowing that climate change, low prices and poverty are forcing more and more farmers from the land? Rikolto firmly believes that small scale farmers, who produce 70% of our food worldwide, are a big part of the solution.
One of Rikolto’s global initiative is the Food Smart Cities where Rikolto regional programmes collaborate and work with cities to contribute to sustainable food systems. For Rikolto, food smart cities are cities that are actively addressing the challenge of ensuring sufficient, safe, healthy food for their citizens, while ensuring that the environment is safeguarded and that all actors involved in the food supply, from producers to vendors, make a decent living out of it. In a nutshell, a Food Smart City is a city that uses food as a lever to solve the problems of our time. But what does it look like in practice? How do cities translate these principles in their own reality?
As part of the Horizon Europe funded project AfriFOODLinks Rikolto is working with companies to improve food and nutrition security while delivering positive outcomes for climate and the environment, and building socio-ecological resilience in 65+ Cities (15 African and 5 European Hub & Sharing cities and 45+ Network Cities) cities
1. Coaching food companies on circularity and inclusive business practices. This task will see the incorporation of circular, inclusive and nutrition sensitive development principles into the business models of locally influential food companies. We will partner with 2-3 large companies in Mbale City and engage them in a co-creative process to develop a circular & inclusive business roadmap.
Specifically, the aim is to support up to 3 food companies in Mbale City, that are locally influential and have a significant impact on their communities in terms of food security, waste reduction, environmental sustainability and inclusive employment. The assignment should have both an inward; and outward look, taking into consideration circularity and inclusive baseline assessment of the company’s value chain and business processes, identifying barriers and starting points for inclusivity and circularity along their value chains or processing lines. The assignment should also identify the kind of support that businesses need from Mbale City or any other institution and map possible partnerships to enhance city-business collaboration.
2. Identifying and documenting business and investment cases along key food value chains that contribute to nutrition and circularity in Mbale City. This task aims at convincing potential “upscalers” (Mbale local authorities, businesses, financial institutions, investors) to contribute to the upscaling and replication of innovative business models in Mbale. This task will be tailored to any individual cases to be made but will likely entail an analysis of the social and economic return on investment (SROI) of the models and a lengthy engagement process with target “upscalers” to tailor the case to their information needs. This task involves developing a methodological guide on how to produce and leverage investment and business cases. These business cases could be related to the supply of nutritious food to schools or within the city, local food distribution platforms, or low-cost quality assurance & traceability systems.
A. To identify and coach 2-3 food companies on circularity and inclusive business practices and support these food companies, in Mbale city, that should be locally influential and have a significant impact on their communities in terms of food security, waste reduction, environmental sustainability and inclusive employment.
B. Identify and document 2-3 business and investment cases along key food value chains contributing to nutrition and circularity in hub cities that are worth upscaling in Mbale city.
The consultant is expected to undertake the following tasks:
I. Assess circular business environment in Mbale city
II. Identify large food companies for the circular and inclusive business coaching program in Mbale city
III. Work with the Afrifoodlinks coordinator to develop and/or adapt a coaching methodology on circularity and inclusivity for the companies
IV. Implement the coaching programme on circularity and inclusive business practices (Minimum of 4 hours a month for each company for a period of 12 months)
V. Develop tailored indicators to measure impact
VI. Document the circular and inclusive business coaching program results for all companies.
VII. Identify and document 2-3 business and investment cases along key food value chains contributing to nutrition and circularity in Mbale city
▪ Company selection criteria and process/Justification report for Task A and B
▪ Customized coaching methodology for circularity and inclusivity for 3 large companies’ methodologies
▪ Written input for the 2-3 circular business roadmaps (2-3 large companies in Mbale City)
▪ Document 2-3 circular and/or nutrition- enhancing business cases along key food value chains contributing to nutrition and circularity in Mbale city ▪
A methodological guide on how to produce and leverage investment and business cases
▪ Final results/Impact report consolidating task A and B (3.0)
This assignment will last at least six (6) months AND not exceeding one year from the time of signing the contract.
The service provider shall have the following expertise and qualifications:
▪ Degree/master’s in food science, social science, agriculture, economics or other relevant development field is required.
▪ Extensive expertise, knowledge and experience in the field of circular economy
▪ Extensive expertise, knowledge and experience in the field of inclusive businesses
▪ At least 5 years of experience in working with international organizations and donors
▪ Experience in training/coaching companies in circularity and inclusive business models
▪ Experience in business and value chain analysis and assessment or conduct organizational capacity assessments.
▪ Excellent analytical and report writing skills
▪ Excellent interpersonal and communication skills including ability to facilitate and work in a multi-disciplinary team.
▪ Experience in documenting business investment cases.
▪ Experience in facilitating adult business training sessions.
Interested consulting firms/ individuals are expected to submit a detailed expression of interest to Rikolto East Africa, eastafrica.recruitment@rikolto.org by 21st November 2024, 5pm. The proposal should contain the following:
▪ Interpretation of the ToR;
▪ Proposed methodology.
▪ Proposed work schedule and Budget
▪ Profile/ copies of CVs of individual members who will undertake the assignment.