Background

At HarvestPlus, we believe that hidden hunger should not be inevitable for the people most at risk. We break down silos between agriculture and nutrition to develop creative solutions to combat hidden hunger. Our food-based approach targets some of the most vulnerable populations around the world. HarvestPlus, and its CGIAR partners, breed crops with naturally higher levels of key micronutrients, using a process called biofortification, as well as other beneficial agricultural traits, such as climate resilience, higher yields, disease resistance, and pest tolerance. This approach complements other nutrition interventions, and is evidence-based, cost-effective, and sustainable. We work across the entire value chain to develop and deliver nutrient-enriched seeds, grains, and foods to the people who need it most, via a large collection of innovative and traditional supply chain activities. HarvestPlus is a program of the International Food Policy Research Institute, a research center of the CGIAR, a global agricultural research partnership for a food secure future. Its science is carried out by its fifteen research centers in collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations. To learn more about HarvestPlus, visit our home page here.

ENFS Project

The Expanding Nutrients in the Food System (ENFS) project responds to the need for improvements in nutrition security and increases women’s economic empowerment in vulnerable populations in Africa and Asia. Funded by the Government of Canada and led by HarvestPlus, the project equips smallholder farming families in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, to grow, consume, and market nutrient-enriched biofortified staple food crops, and facilitates improvements in women’s agronomic and entrepreneurial skills for improved livelihoods. Over four years, the project aims to benefit eleven million men, women, girls, and children under five years old across five countries.

Biofortification in India

India is home to some 1.3 billion people. In India, 30% of adult males, 45% of adult females, 80% of pregnant females, and 60% of children are iron deficient. Meanwhile, some three hundred million Indians (22% of the population) are deficient in zinc, including 44% of all Indian children under the age of five.

Nationally, pearl millet is consumed by 6-7% of households in India but reaches a much higher percentage in six states, i.e. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. Gujarat, Haryana, and Rajasthan account for 90% of pearl millet production and consumption. Other states where the crop is often consumed include Maharshtra and Karnataka. Consumption of pearl millet is highest in the state in Rajasthan, at 60 grams per day on average. Wheat is widely consumed across all states in India with an average consumption of 138 grams per day, accounting for 20% of daily caloric intake. outside of southern India, average consumption is even higher. Major wheat cultivation and production hubs are found in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Punjab.

Objective of the RFP

The main objective of the RFP is to identify an organization that will primarily work to achieve the following:

1. Increased adoption and production of biofortified crop varieties by smallholder farmers, especially women. With support from HarvestPlus, the agency or organization will increase adoption and production of biofortified crop varieties (IPM and ZW) through women-based self-help groups (SHGs), Farmers’ Producer Companies (FPCs) and community institutions. This will be achieved through generating awareness, building capacity of SHGs, FPCs, community institutions, creating training modules and delivering end-to-end training programs.
2. Partnership and Linkages. The agency will identify and facilitate partnerships with public and private organizations/research organizations/women-based groups such as NRLM, MANAGE, ICAR, which will be instrumental in conducting trainings, awareness sessions, and capacity building programs for SHGs and FPCs to enhance nutrition, health, and advocacy efforts.
3. Reporting, Monitoring, and Evaluation. The agency or organization will also be responsible for collecting data, sharing progress reports and the analysis of the training prgrams, capacity building sessions, showcasing the progress and outcomes achieved. This also includes capturing parameters focusing on production, procurement, post-harvest management, income enhancement, and ensuring data traceability required as part of reporting.

Outputs

• Increased access to afforable biofortified seed across gender and vulnerable populations, with a focus on women farmers
• Strengthened capacity of community-based seed busiensses (especially, women-owned community seed producer groups) to produce seed and smallholder farmers (especially women farmers) to grow biofortified varieties
• Increased consumption of biofortified foods by vulnerable women, girls, and children under-five
• Improved knowledge and awareness regarding nutrition and health benefits of biofortified crop varieties and foods, by smallholder farmers, especially women and women-led SMEs across the value chain
• Increased income for vulnerable smallholder farmers and SMEs, especially women small-holder farmers and women-owned SMEs, and gender equitable control of income along the value chains of biofortified varieties and foods
• Increased gender-equitable access to markets and knowledge of biofortified varieties and foods by value chain actors, especially women small-holder farmers and women-led SMEs along the value chains

Scope of Work

Stage 1:

The selected partner will promote the production and awareness of biofortified crops and seed through the women SHG model. This will involve working closely with the HarvestPlus team. The partner will also focus on enhancing consumption of biofortified varieties among vulnerable women, girls, and children under five years of age in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Jharkhand through awareness generation, training, and capacity building sessions.

Stage 2:

The selected partner will reach out and identify partners from the public and private sector organizations/women’s and adolescent girls’ groups, women-based SHGs, and FPCs, to enhance outreach regarding the value chain of biofortified crops, health, and nutrition. The selected partner will conduct workshops, seminars, advocacy efforts, roundtables, certificate courses, and training programs at the state and national level.

All the activities mentioned above will be carried out in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. The partner will ensure implementaion of these activities in close coordination with HarvestPlus and other stakeholders.

Timeline

Deliverable	Deadline
Deadline to submit any questions	March 25, 2024
Technical and financial proposal submission	April 5, 2024
Presentation by shortlisted organization	April 14, 2024
Contracting and onboarding	April 24, 2024

Kindly submit technical and financial proposals on the IFPRI website. In the event of any questions, kindly reach out to k.foley@cgiar.org by March 25, 2024.