1. Background
Oxfam Great Britain (OGB) is committed to achieving gender equality through the transformation of the power relation between men and women. Realizing the principle of ‘putting women at the heart of everything we do’, all Oxfam’s projects implemented in Ninh Thuan province are having explicit gender objectives or outcomes. Aiming at increasing women’s market skills and access to market information, and developing economic leadership of Raglai women, a new gendered market research has been financed by OGB East Asia Regional office. The main objective of this study is to identify potential products and market opportunities for Raglai ethnic minority women in Ninh Thuan province to provide a basis for the design of a new project on developing Poor Women’s Economic Leadership (PWEL) and informing a new Programme Implementation Plan of OGB during the period 2011 – 2015.
2. Overall objective
To identify opportunities in agricultural product markets in Ninh Thuan province to develop community enterprises that are viable where women can participate and benefit from.
3. Specific objectives
To identify possible sub-sectors through process of gendered market selection;
To analyse potentials for business and for women’s economic leadership through process of gendered market mapping, including participatory value chain analysis;
To identify barriers those prevent women from accessing and controlling economic resources within value chains and possible strategies to overcome such barriers;
To identify resources which are critical to women especially those are at household level;
To develop a PWEL-focused project Implementation Plan (namely: intervention components, key activities under each component, way of working or approaches, potential partners, timeframe, tentative budget for each activities...);
4. Methodologies
The research will be conducted in two phases. The first phase is market selection where the consultants are requested to identify a list of all potential sub-sectors and then scoring based on criterion to identify the most potential sub-sectors. In the second phase, consultants will conduct in-depth mapping exercises and research for the most potential identified sub-sector. The market map apart from specifying the value chain of the sub-sector should also analysing the enabling/disenabling environments and market services surrounding this sub-sectors. Other sections of the in-depth report should answer all issues asked in specific objectives.
Underlying research principles applied in this assignment is OGB gendered market selection and mapping framework. The framework helps clarifying the potential (or not) for women smallholders to gain power and benefit from certain products or markets for those products. We can make better choices on interventions to help women ‘upgrade’ in value chains and into new markets and market services. They expand gender analysis to how market institutions and services may replicate and reinforce gendered beliefs and economic roles - whether market chain actors like traders, processors, exporters and producer organisations, or market services providing finance, enterprise development, certification or agricultural extension. We aim to identify the most significant opportunities and leverage points to change/shift women’s positions in the market systems.
5. Outputs
The report includes, but not limited to, those aspects:
Market situation and market trends of the products;
Constraints in production and market access of potential products;
Current status of women’s access to market (in selected commodity chains), comparison in term of women’s access among studied commodities/subsectors, barriers prevent them from accessing market;
Social, economic and environmental impact analyses upon interventions;
Potential risks in production and market access;
Intervention plans covering production, marketing, learning and advocacy;
Potential partners involved in implementation of project.
Recommendations of evaluation indicators to measure successes and impacts of interventions.
The report should be presented in both English and Vietnamese following OGB’s format.
6. Timeframe
The selection of consultant team to be conducted in early Aug 2010. The consultancy is expected to happen during the period between Aug – mid-Sep 2010.
7. Desired consultants
Sound knowledge and experiences in market study, value chain analysis and private sector development;
Strong gender analytical skills, especially women economic leadership and gender equity;
In-depth knowledge of research methods with particular focus on participatory methods, including in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and product or behaviour trials;
At least 5 years of experience with demonstrated monitoring and evaluation knowledge, skills and experiences of rural development programme;
High level written and verbal English and Vietnamese communication skills;
At least a Bachelor’s degree in economics, development studies or social sciences.
8. Deadline for application
Applying consultant teams are requested to submit an application to OGB via email (preferred) or post no later than 31st July 2010. The application should include method, process, time-frame, detailed planning of activities, detailed budget projection (including PIT/VAT), responsibility and working days of each team member, full CVs of each team member and proposed structure of final report. Consultant team might be invited to discuss their application with OGB staff during the selection process.
9. Contact person
Nguyen Ngoc Hung
Programme Officer
Oxfam Great Britain
22 Le Dai Hanh St., Hanoi
T: +84 4 3945 4362 (Ext: 134)
F: +84 4 3945 4365
E: [email protected] [1]