CONSULTANT at Zanzibar Maisha Bora Foundation
Seaweed farming is increasingly becoming an important alternative source of nutrition and income for most people in Zanzibar, where it ranked the third contributor of foreign exchange after tourism and cloves.
Seaweed farming is a major industry employing over 25,000 farmers, 80% of whom are women in Zanzibar. However, seaweed farming faces challenges such as
· The use of traditional technologies; low quality and productivity; a high post-harvest loss and limited post-harvest technology and infrastructure.
· Inadequate entrepreneurial skills among women seaweed farmers and processors;
· Limited adoption capacity of new technologies, processes, creativity, and innovations that could increase seaweed production;
Recommended:
· inadequate bargaining and negotiation skills among local farmers, which is a major challenge within the seaweed business.
· Limited access to credits because most women do not meet the required collateral conditions and high costs of transporting seaweed from farms to drying areas, outdated/indigenous drying methods that affect the quality of raw products.
Despite of fact that seaweed is cultivated in Zanzibar, still women and children are suffering from anemia and malnutrition.
As indicated in the background specifically for Zanzibar, low purchasing power among women remains one of the key contributory factors to the low nutrition status of both children and mothers. Seaweed is one of the great opportunities to raise the purchasing power of women as one of the unexploited key sources of food nutrients. Moreover, seaweed farming has proved to economically empower the marginalized women on the island thus investing in strengthening the production, packaging, and marketing of seaweed will have multiple benefits to women, children’s health, and well-being.
A desk review and consultation with seaweed local market stakeholders with a focus on establishing evidence to inform working mechanisms and strategies to promote and increase local markets for seaweeds is important to consider.
2.0 Objectives and Scope of Work
The objective of this assignment is to develop and propose strategies for l effective local marketing and nutritional–related strategies for seaweed and its products.
3. Methodology
The mixed method includes a comprehensive literature review, consultations, mapping, and analysis of available information and assessments on the status of the seaweed and its products, and the local market to establish concrete evidence that will inform working mechanisms and strategies to promote and increase local markets for seaweeds in two regions. The consultant is required to come – up with strategies for the production of seaweed products and marketing strategies for seaweed products rich in nutrients, vitamins and minerals, calcium, potassium, vitamin C, folate, beta carotene, and vitamin K, iodine, vitamin D and B12. These strategies are directed at reaching 4 District councils covering 67 Shehias in Zanzibar. The contractor will engage in three key areas for ensuring the identification and utilization of locally owned sustainable approaches to strengthen the economic status, nutrition, and well-being of seaweed farmers and products including but not limited to conducting a detailed review of
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3.1.1 Conducting a detailed review of the Zanzibar Maisha Bora Foundation (ZMBF) strategic plan and coming up with strategies for the production and use of seaweed products rich in nutrients including vitamins and minerals, calcium, potassium, vitamin C, folate, beta carotene, vitamin K, iodine, vitamin D and B12.
3.1.2 Review different documents and conduct data collection and consultations to come up with strategies that accommodate the whole value chain of the seaweed local market, which will include among others, reviewing the existing information from various sources, strategies, plans, and synthesizing and developing new missing/complementing information on seaweed local market status and opportunities.
3.1.3 Conduct stakeholder meetings, where the first will focus on introducing the scope of work of this activity to the stakeholders for local ownership, information generation, and approval of the methodology and work of this activity. The second meeting will focus on data/information validation post-desk review.
3.1.4 Make a presentation of the report to the respective government and formal representative structures of development partners for endorsement and establishment of the next steps.
3.1.5 The Contractor will work under the technical supervision of the ZMBF with oversight from BMF. He/she will work closely and in collaboration with the WFP and other strategic partners and the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar directly to the Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries (MoBEF), the Ministry of Health, food security officers and nutritionists, Fisheries Extension Officers and Village Leadership (Shehas).
4.0 Specific Tasks
Specifically, the Contractor will complete the following services:
4.1 Review existing information from various sources, strategies, plans, synthesize and develop new missing/complementing information on seaweed local market status, seaweed, and nutrition, as well as and the prevailing economic, environmental, and nutritional opportunities.
4.2 Conduct two stakeholder meetings,
4.2.1 First will focus on introducing the scope of work of this activity to the stakeholders for local ownership, information generation, and approval of the methodology and work of this activity.
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4.2.2 the second meeting will focus on data/information validation post-desk review.
4.3 Make a presentation of the report to the respective government and formal representative structures of development partners for endorsement and establishment of the next steps.
4.4 Submit the approved report to the CEO at the ZMBF and BMF.
Non-profit, Non-governmental Organization| Empowering Women, Youth, & Children | Pursuing Quality Life for All Zanzibaris | Socio-economic Empowerment
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