Appel d’offres (Consultance) : ” Analyse de la situation de l’irrigation à Raqqa et définition d’une feuille de route stratégique pour le soutien futur de l’irrigation en intégrant l’approche de l’agriculture intelligente du climat “…Syrie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL (SI) is a humanitarian NGO which is committed to meeting the vital needs of populations faced with a major crisis of human or natural origin and to strengthening their resilience, particularly regarding Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, and food security.

After over ten years of conflict in Syria, the impact of present and past hostilities on civilians remains the principal driver of humanitarian needs. North East (NES) and North West Syria (NWS) contexts are both characterized by: (i) ongoing and protracted displacements with low return opportunities, into densely-populated areas where humanitarian assistance is overstretched, (ii) no availability of alternative durable solutions, such as eventual re-installation or re-integration within host community because of social and cultural related issues, as well as the will of authorities to protect local communities, (iii) the depletion of productive assets and savings, (iv) limited economic opportunities and (v) the widespread destruction and contamination of agriculture and water related infrastructure by past and recent air raids, shelling and explosive remnants as well as other infrastructures have had a profound impact on the population. The COVID-19 pandemic  further exacerbated a fragile situation with a potentially disastrous impact on vulnerability levels of communities across the region. Eventually, the area of intervention is facing a cholera outbreak since September 2022, which further demonstrate how public health is at stake.

ABOUT THE CONSULTANCY

Farmers and Cooperatives are essential components of the water irrigation management, together with the supervisor of the irrigation authorities. They coordinate water deliveries and collect taxes at field level for certain geographic areas. However, following decades of mismanagement by a centralized authority and policies that have not been implemented regarding the use of irrigated water, water losses and coping mechanisms that damage the environment remain problematic.

Among these coping mechanisms, the reliance of farmers on the use of drainage water (highly concentrated in salt due to gypsum soil in Raqqa area) for irrigation purposes, and in some extreme cases the direct (without prior treatment) use of Raqqa city sewage water for irrigation with all potential risk related to these practices. For example the use of drainage water increases drastically the soil  salinity thus affecting the soil quality and eventually the viability of the future cropping seasons.. Farmers in Raqqa rely on traditional irrigation techniques, mainly surface irrigation that can be appropriate due to the geological / pedological constraint. This aspect should be taken into account when alternative / water saving solution will be evaluated and studied.

This consultancy is considered as a key component in the quality implementation of SI’s intervention.

The consultancy will cover mainly Raqqa governorate, focusing on the agricultural lands covered by main irrigation canals and drainage systems. The consultancy should identify current existing governance systems of Raqqa including their performances and possible strengthening capacities.  One of the main outcomes should evaluate and see how strengthening the capacities of local authorities, especially in the aspects of engagement between public and private actors for establishing contingency modalities to address emergency situations (like canals damages, nonfunctional regulation, and equipment, …) through operation and management and establishment of contingency modalities.

The consultant, in collaboration with key stakeholders (farmers, farmers associations, DoAI…), will develop a training module tackling challenges faced by farmers and local authorities in water management and water use, and training key community figures on good water management practices. In addition, the consultancy aims at providing SI with a roadmap, based on the findings of the field analysis, on sustainable and effective interventions.

YOUR PROFILE

The elaboration and validation of final Terms of Reference for the external evaluation will be conducted by the FSL Coordinator and the Rehabilitation Coordination with the support of Deputy Country Director for Programs (DCD-P) and SI Middle East FSL advisor and Desk Program Manager.

 In general, the team should combine the following criteria:

  • A solid and diversified experience in agriculture, soil sciences and irrigation systems, if possible, in soil salinisation or salty water context.
  • Experience in the implementation of Humanitarian and development intervention in emergency and post emergency contexts,
  • Experience in evaluation of agriculture, irrigation rehabilitation and related interventions (preferably in similar context from reputed donor agencies and international organizations)
  • Experience on managing project/consultancy remotely
  • Full working knowledge of English and excellent report writing,
  • A proven record of experience in conducting similar evaluations.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested applicants should request the Terms of Reference at [email protected]

Interested applicants are required to submit their proposal, using the following guidelines:

  • Cover letter – one-page maximum
  • Technical proposal – 6 pages including the following but not limited to
    • Understanding of the assignment;
    • Proposed methodology, sampling, tools and techniques;
    • Propose clear timeline for survey;
    • Approach for data collection, cleaning, analysis, frequencies;
    • Propose outline of the survey report;
    • Composition of team, their resumes and assigned roles in the survey.

The deadline for submission is 9th March 2023.