Farmer to Farmer Program Sierra Leone

Farmer to Farmer Program – Sierra Leone

Volunteer Assignment Scope of Work

Summary Information Assignment Code: SL1 Country: Sierra Leone Country Project: Groundnut Value Chain Country Project Host organization: Dim Din Farmers Federation Assignment title: Agronomy of groundnut production

Type of Volunteer Technology Transfer (T) Assistance: Type of Value Chain On Farm Production (S) Activity: Preferred assignment dates: October-November, 2016 Objective: Provide framework for best agronomic practices to enhance production. Desirable Volunteer Qualifications in growing field crops Knowledge and Skills:  experience dealing with oil seed crop production  knowledge of sunflower, soybean and groundnuts value chains.  Good adult training skills

1 A. BACKGROUND

Dim Din Farmers Federation started in 2009 and is registered with both Tonkolili District Government and the Ministry of Agriculture. It has a membership of 53, composed of 28 women and 25 men. Federation members enjoy services such as the use of a seed loan facility, drying and storage services, bulking and collective marketing. Members pay either monthly (1000 Leones) or an annual subscription to qualify for member services. Federation members are involved in growing groundnuts, rice and vegetables. Groundnuts are consumed daily in the form of raw or roasted peanuts, or paste.

Groundnut production does not meet national consumption demand and imports of groundnuts and derivatives were valued at over a quarter million US dollars in 2014 (ComTrade). Reported groundnut imports in the past five years appear to be erratic: $61,000 in 2010; $1.14 million in 2011; $270,000 in 2012; and $448,000 in 2013. There is a clear excess demand for groundnut, and traders currently import groundnut into Sierra Leone from Guinea and Senegal. A wholesaler reported that she buys 3 tons of imported groundnuts every two weeks to cover 25 percent of her market demand.

Imports consist primarily of shelled and unshelled nuts, with some derivatives (oil and fractions). This indicates that domestic market demands can be met without increased processing capacity, though the latter would also help capture additional value. Domestic production has actually increased in recent years, 82% from 2005 to 2013, with annual increases ranging from 2 to 18%, indicating that producers enjoy market demand.

A vital step toward increasing the use of legumes for human consumption, animal feed and industrial processing is increasing on-farm productivity and market competitiveness. This must be done in ways that create more income for smallholders by fostering self-sustaining functions across the value chain.

Groundnuts contain about 23% protein and 40-45% edible oils by weight (Nutrition Data 2015), they are a good source of income and they help maintain soil fertility by fixing nitrogen. Groundnut and rice farmers in the Northern provincial districts practice mixed cropping with pigeon pea.

2 In 2009, global groundnut production covered about 24 million hectares with an average yield of 1.5 MT/ha (ICRISAT undated). Developing countries in Asia account for 50% of global area and 64% of global production, while Africa accounts for 46% of the global area and only 28% of production. This indicates much lower yields in Africa than Asia. Sierra Leone ranks 33rd in groundnut production.

The legume value chain is characterized largely by a linear transfer of seeds through successive sets of hands, representing “value adding” stages of the chain: from farmers to trader-hired aggregators to wholesalers and retailers who supply the bulk of what is consumed. Two industrial processors, Project Peanut Butter (for groundnuts), and Bennimix in Bo District (for pigeon pea), are the main purchasers of legumes for processing. Youth, particularly young men, operate a groundnut paste cottage industry at daily and period markets.

ISSUE DESCRIPTION.

Low crop production levels are attributed to a number of factors including poor quality seed and a lack of improved agronomic practices. Dim Din farmers lack knowledge of best practices in soil/land preparation, planting times, planting depths and fertility and soil management, characteristics of particular cultivars and plant population density. Best management practices such as weed control, pest and disease control, optimal use of inputs, best harvesting practices and appropriate levels of mechanization are all lacking among federation members.

To help farmers increase yields, Dim Din requests technical assistance on basic agronomic practices to enable them to produce groundnuts on a commercial scale. It is anticipated that crop efficiency and production volumes will increase significantly as a result of this assignment. Increased productivity will also lead to improved food security at household and community levels.

3 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The specific objectives for the assignment will be to provide technical assistance and training in the following areas:

1. Basic agronomic practices such as seed bed preparation, timely planting, row cropping, intercropping, optimum plant population, fertilizer application and soil management, pest and disease identification and control. 2. Recommendations that highlight appropriate agronomic and harvesting practices.

The Farmer to Farmer Volunteer expert will work towards attaining these objectives at two levels: training targeted for the entire Dim Din membership and the federation’s management team who will use these new skills to in-turn train new farmer members. As part of his or her assignment, the volunteer will be expected to develop a training guide to be used by management and farmers for future reference during farmer trainings.

In training management staff, the volunteer will spend 2-3 days at the federation’s office covering technical issues listed above. In training farmers, the volunteer will train at least four groups of 10-12 farmers each. The volunteer will spend two days with each group for hands-on training and evaluation in the villages.

Nature of training participants: The majority of federation members are adults with no or low literacy, so it is imperative that the volunteer makes adjustments to accommodate different levels of formal education. Some approaches that might be helpful are to use illustrations as much as possible, less emphasis on lecturing and more practical/hands on exercises. However, the management staff are educated with some experience working with rural farmers. Training for this group can be more intense using written materials (in English) so they can be well equipped to serve as trainers for other farmer members.

Host contribution: Dim Din Farmers Federation has committed to provide interpreters and mobilize members for all training sessions. Dim Din management personnel will work closely with the volunteer during preparations and actual trainings to ensure that they will be able to continue training other farmers after the assignment is completed.

4 C. ANTICIPATED RESULTS FROM THE ASSIGNMENT

By providing this assistance, farmers will acquire skills in land preparation, seed selection, pest and disease identification and control, timing of planting, proper spacing, and weed management. As a result of the training it is anticipated that groundnut production volumes will increase and this will translate into increased incomes for households.

In addition, the Volunteer will develop a groundnut training manual for both the farmer level- and federation management level.

The anticipated deliverables include:

 Trainings conducted and people trained  Training manuals developed  Debriefing with USAID and in country group presentations after assignment  Final report and expense report

D. SCHEDULE OF VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES IN SIERRA LEONE Upon arrival at Lungi International Airport, you will be met by an expeditor named Bai Bai (cell phone +232 76 412 456) at the airport to help arrange your transfer by water taxi from Lungi to Freetown. You will take a 10-minute bus ride from the airport to the Lungi water taxi landing dock where there is a bar/waiting area. You can and should keep your carry-on with you. Your other luggage may or may not go over with you on the same boat, but you are given tickets for your bags and these are checked on the other side. Locking straps are a good idea in the event your luggage goes ahead of you. Be prepared to tip luggage handlers (about 10,000 Leones or $2.50 USD is appropriate). The boat trip from Lungi to Freetown takes about 35 minutes. The fare is currently $40 USD one-way and CRS will handle this. A CRS driver will meet you at the Freetown water taxi landing dock for transfer to accommodations or the CRS Office.

5 Day Activity Day 1 At 9.00 am, the volunteer is greeted at the hotel by CRS staff and thereafter go to CRS office for introductions and briefings including host brief, logistics and expectations and anticipated outcomes. Hand-outs will be prepared at CRS offices. Day 2 In the morning CRS introduces the volunteer to the Dim Din management team. Together with CRS and the management, the volunteer will review and finalize the work-plan. The action plan should include group presentations to be done after the assignment. In the afternoon, visit some of the Dim Din farmer homes/fields. Days 3-5 Group 1: Training management staff members on objectives 1-2; and make appropriate recommendations Day 6-8 Group 1: Training farmer members of group 1 on objectives 1-2; and make appropriate recommendations Days 9-11 Group 2: Training farmer members of group 2 on objectives 1-2; and make appropriate recommendations Days 12-14 Group 3: Training farmer members of group 3 on objectives 1-2; and make appropriate recommendations Days 15-17 Group 4:Training farmer members of group 4 on objectives 1-2; and make appropriate recommendations Day 18-19 Wrap up trainings and emphasize key concepts of assignment to the entire Dim Din membership. Participants evaluate the training and together with the volunteer discuss final report recommendations. Day 20-21 Develop a training guide on best agronomic practices Day 22 Volunteer will finalize his/her reporting at CRS office and fill out all necessary M&E forms as well as finalize advances and expenditures with finance. End of assignment presentation and Volunteer travels back to Freetown. Day 23 Debriefing with USAID Mission and CRS staff at head office.

Day 24 Depart for USA TBD Outreach event in the US

E. ACCOMODATION AND OTHER IN-COUNTRY LOGISTICS

In Freetown, the volunteer will stay at Lacs Villa Guest House http://lacsvilla.com and while working in Makeni district, the volunteer will be accommodated at Hotel Conteh U, website: www.hotelcontehu.com. CRS will pay for hotel accommodation, and provide the volunteer with per diems to cater for meals and other incidentals. The volunteer may get an advance, which will have to be cleared before departing from Sierra Leone. For more information, please refer to the country information that will be provided.

6 F. RECOMMENDED ASSIGNMENT PREPARATION

 The volunteer should prepare materials for hand-outs, which can be printed at CRS office in Makeni before commencement of the assignment. Flip charts, markers, masking tapes can be obtained at CRS offices in case the volunteer wishes to make some illustrations. Depending on the training venue the volunteer may use a laptop and projector for power point presentations. However if the training venue is in the community, it will be difficult to use PowerPoint. In this case the volunteer will be expected to prepare training materials and have hand-outs printed at CRS offices for distribution to the participants.  CRS strongly recommends that the volunteer becomes familiar with the country information that will be provided.

G. KEY CONTACTS

CRS Baltimore Maria Figueroa Bruce White Head of Recruitment Project Director Farmer to Farmer Farmer to Farmer Program Program 228 W. Lexington 228 W. Lexington Street Street Baltimore, MD 21201 Baltimore, MD 21201 410-951-7366 410-951-7366 Email: Email: [email protected] [email protected] g CRS Sierra Leone Heather Dolphin Kwame Akangah Head of Programs, Country Catholic Relief Representative Services Catholic Relief 41 Riverside Drive Services Brook Fields, P.O. 41 Riverside Drive Box 1392 Brook Fields, P.O. Freetown, Sierra Box 1392 Leone Freetown, Sierra No landline phone Leone No landline phone

7 Cell: +232 (0)99.901.303