TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR CONSULTANTS

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR CONSULTANTS

1. The proposed works under Outputs 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the technical assistance (TA) will require hiring of a total of 93.5-person months of international experts and 220 person-months of national experts. Asian Development Bank (ADB) will engage consulting firms based on the consultants’ qualifications selection method and individual consultants in accordance with ADB Procurement Policy (2017, as amended from time to time).¹

I. CONSULTANT REQUIREMENTS FOR OUTPUT 1

2. Output 1: Given that similar work on impact assessment and risk/vulnerability evaluation would be carried out across least 5 developing member countries (DMCs), a consulting firm with proven expertise and demonstrated track record will be engaged. This would also be operationally more efficient and enable consistent output. The consultant team would comprise experienced agricultural economists. ADB will provide sufficient guidance and support and make efforts to ensure that the outputs of the consulting firm meet the requirements and be delivered on schedule.

3. The unpredicted coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis has fundamentally shocked agri- food value-chains and aggravated food, nutrition and income insecurity in Asia and the Pacific.

Its short-, medium- and long-term disruptive impacts in many DMCs are profound but still not crystal clear, and thus need to be further analyzed, to update and refine strategies and actions for more effective recovery responses. Furthermore, detailed risk and vulnerability assessments need to be carried out to reinforce resilience towards possible future pandemics, from food, nutrition, rural livelihood, and income security perspectives, focusing on socioecologically vulnerable smallholders, women farmers, landless farm laborers and the urban poor. Careful identification and analyses on the information, knowledge, and technologies conducive to COVID- 19 relief and recovery, as well as on associated investment gaps and needs, will be instrumental to guide and assist ADB’s ongoing efforts in helping its DMCs to attain quick recovery from the COVID-19 and to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth, especially in the agriculture, natural resources, and rural development (ANRRD) sector.

Agricultural Economists/Value-chain/Environment and Natural resources specialists (International, 10-person months; National, 21 person-months)

4. Tasks: Collaborating closely with ADB’s operational and knowledge departments, the Agricultural Economists will:

(i) conduct comprehensive literature reviews on and drawing lessons from existing knowledge products and reports related to evaluating and analyzing the impact and implication of COVID-19 and summarize useful methodologies and conclusions relevant for ADB’s DMCs.

(ii) collect and collate necessary data, information, case studies and other materials from official sources and through on-field surveys and consultation meetings, to establish, update and verify a database that can be used for in-depth scrutiny and cross-country comparison on the COVID-19 impacts.

1 The proposed selection method is justified as CSA, agribusiness value chain development investments and digital agriculture services involve the applications of highly specialized areas of expertise, such as cutting-edge biotechnology, sensor technology and digital platforms, bigdata and machine learning, food logistics engineering, and agribusiness value chain financing. Pursuant to PAI 2.02 para. 32, individual consultants will be recruited when:

collective responsibility is not a requirement; additional outside professional support is not required; and individual experience and qualifications are the main requirements.

(iii) identify and examine critical agri-food value chains at the local, national, and regional level, from the food, nutrition, livelihood, and income security perspectives, in selected DMCs and/or agroecological zones/landscapes suffering from high, medium, low and no COVID- 19 impacts.

(iv) prepare and refresh “Reviews of the Adverse COVID-19 Impacts on ANRRD” for at least five partnering DMCs and/or prioritized agroecological landscapes.

(v) highlight “the COVID-19 impact on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment” and develop practical gender mainstreaming guidelines.

(vi) identify COVID-19 impact intensifying and/or mitigating policy, technological, and market factors with special focus on socioecologically vulnerable smallholders, women farmers, and landless farm laborers.

(vii) prepare “Risk and Vulnerability Assessments of COVID-19 Impacts on Agri-food Value Chains” for at least four partnering DMCs and/or prioritized agroecological landscapes.

(viii) build a qualitatively directional simulation model and use it to conduct systematic stress tests, scenario comparison and sensitivity analyses on key risk factors and threats and optimize shock-response strategies and refine risk mitigation measures.

(ix) estimate financing needs and gaps for robust relief and recovery from the COVID-19 impacts and for long-term resilience enhancement in the ANRRD sector.

(x) describe innovative technologies and/or business approaches that can facilitate recovery from COVID-19 and strengthen resilience of the ANRRD sector.

(xi) identify 10 investment opportunities in the ANRRD sector for ADB’s sovereign and nonsovereign operations in DMCs.

(xii) analyze the potential for strengthening regional cooperation

(xiii) make evidence-based recommendations to ADB and its partners on the policy, institutional, programmatic, and financial aspects for improving their strategies and actions.

(xiv) deliver a knowledge product summarizing all analyses, findings, and recommendation.

(xv) participate in knowledge dissemination and capacity building exercises.

(xvi) Any other element of the study as required to accomplish the output

5. Qualifications: The qualified consulting firm shall have (i) experts on economics, finance, risk management, socioeconomic development with doctoral degrees or equivalent research experience in agriculture, natural resource, rural development and/or other related areas; (ii) more than 10 years of working experience in agriculture, natural resources, food and nutrition security or rural development projects, and (iii) capacity to mobilize human resources and coordinate field work in the selected DMCs in which the planned activities will be implemented. Demonstrated track records of working in Asia and the Pacific is highly desirable.

Food Security and Nutrition Specialist (International Consultant, 3 person-months)

6. In addition to the firm to perform the impact assessment and risk/vulnerability assessment across least five DMCs, one individual international consultant will be engaged to provide the regional and subregional level work, which will be a basis for country level assessment, supervised by ADB staff members. The assignment foresees to adopt food system approach to cover the interconnected economic, social, and environmental dimension of food systems. It will use mixed methods with qualitative and quantitative analyses, combining literature review, data collection and case study analysis. Data and information will be collected and gathered through ADB’s regional departments, government and line ministries, business sector, academic

representatives and advisers involved in the issues; development partners (i.e., FAO, WFP, IFPRI, WBG) working in food and nutrition security.²

7. The Specialist will undertake the following tasks under the supervision of ADB project officer:

(i) Prepare analytical framework to assess the vulnerability of food systems, which could be applied at regional, subregional, and country levels

(ii) Perform an assessment of food and nutritional security status using a diversity of food system indicators both at regional and subregional levels

(iii) Summarize a short and medium-long term lessons of COVID-19 on food system resilience both at the regional and subregional levels, which contains recommendations to prepare systemic policy interventions by DMC government and ADB

(iv) Prepare (i) a report on Food Systems Resilience in Asia and the Pacific: Learnings from the COVID-19 Pandemic, which includes the analytical framework and regional level assessment and summary of lessons, and (ii) policy briefs on Food Systems Resilience: Learnings from the COVID-19 Pandemic in selected subregion.

(v) Present the study results in internal and external workshops and conferences organized by ADB, including 2021 Rural Development Food Security Forum.

(vi) Provide guidance to international agricultural economists performing the country level the impact assessment and risk/vulnerability assessment and prepare recommendations to build more resilient food systems.

(vii) Provide inputs in relation to the report and policy briefs as required, such as in response to team seeking clarification about the data, methods, and findings, or to address the comments of peer reviewers and ADB editors.

8. Qualification: The international specialist should have the following qualifications and skills:

(i) Advanced university degree or PhD degree from a recognized university in agricultural economics, development studies, or related disciplines.

(ii) At least 15 years of relevant global professional experience with extensive working knowledge of food and nutrition security, food systems, rural development, and related fields. Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.

(ii) Proven effective client management with the ability to work productively with ADB staff and wider project stakeholders. Working experience with a remote team and participate in virtual meetings is an advantage.

II. CONSULTANT REQUIREMENTS FOR OUTPUT 2

9. To deliver Output 2, 15 focused activities will be carried out by 6 groups of consultants with sectoral expertise and hands-on experience, for a total of 110 person-months, of which 43 person-months by international specialists and 67 person-months by national specialists, as summarized in the following table. The engagement of one or more consulting firms with proven expertise/track record is being considered given the similar work to be carried out across identified DMCs.

2 FAO=Food and Agriculture Organization; WFP=World Food Program; IFPRI=International Food Policy Research Institute; WBG=World Bank Group

Expert Category

Consultants’ Input

(person-months) Activity Focus International National

A Natural Capital Specialists 6 12 2.1, 2.4

B Natural Capital Investment Specialists 12 14 2.1, 2.8, 2.9

C Agribusiness Specialists 4 8 2.2

D Specialists in Agribusiness Value Chains 15 21 2.6, 2.7

E Specialists in Digital Agriculture 3 6 2.3, 2.10,

F Specialists in Knowledge Dissemination and Capacity Building

3 6 2.5, 2.11

Total 43 67

Natural Capital/Environment Specialists: International Consultant will function as the Team Leader (International, 6 person-months; and National, 12 person-months)

10. Nearly all ADB’s DMCs depend on natural capital (e.g., land, water, forest, renewable energy, and marine resources) for their socioeconomic growth, especially in their rural areas.

However, natural capital in many DMCs has been underdeveloped, over-exploited or polluted in recent decades. The associated ecosystems have become increasingly more fragile and susceptible to climate change and have thus posed direct threats to food and nutrition security and has trapped millions of rural households in prolonged poverty. To cope with these persistent challenges, ADB is reinforcing its efforts, through establishing a “Natural Capital Lab (NCL)”, to assist its DMCs in monitoring and valuing dynamic changes in natural capital and to design and improve strategies, policies, incentive programs and implementable projects to promote conservation of and investment in natural capital. These efforts will generate and strengthen transformational community-oriented solutions and ecosystem-based measures for climate change adaptation.

11. Tasks: Collaborating closely with ADB’s operational and knowledge departments, relevant project teams, and especially the TG NCL working group (which includes external partners in academia and civil society), the specialists will:

(i) communicate and coordinate with ADB, local partners and the consultant team on all issues related to implementing the assigned tasks, to ensure high-quality and on-time accomplishment of all planned activities;

(ii) team leader would provide necessary guidance and assistance to other international and national consultants to avoid possible mismatching or overlapping, to control quality, consistency and cohesion of activity outputs, and to satisfy all ADB requirements;

(iii) facilitate relevant issues in the process of establishing the NCL concept, and make constructive suggestions on the NCL’s mandates, structure, service modalities, operational procedures, monitoring and reporting functionalities, funding requirements, and other relevant issues;

(iv) collect relevant data and information on stocks and changes of natural capital in selected DMCs over the last 30 years, and analyze socioeconomic dependence on natural capital, especially for rural communities and low-income groups;

(v) analyze interlinkages between natural capital investments with key development goals, including inter-relationships between natural capital investments vis-à-vis food and nutrition security, poverty reduction and livelihood improvement in rural communities, climate change, biodiversity, environmental protection, resource management, gender equality and development inclusiveness/sustainability;

(vi) examine impacts of climate change on natural capital, such as water scarcity, land degradation, deforestation, desertification and intensification of frequency and severity of natural disasters (e.g., drought, flood, pest etc.);

(vii) propose a framework for adopting the principles and methodologies of the UN

“System of Environmental-Economic Accounting--Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA)” (adopted recently in March 2021) in DMCs, supplementing conventional statistics for economic outcomes (GDP system; also demonstrate the calculation of parameters such as Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP)also recommend improvements at regional and project levels;

(viii) develop a framework for designing eco-compensation schemes and payment for ecosystem services (PES) at project level;

(ix) summarize international best practices, at policy, program, and project levels, in preserving, improving, and investing in natural capital, especially in the areas of better conserving and utilizing land, forest, water, marine and renewable energy resources, as well as coping with climate, weather and other natural disasters;

(x) undertake AgTech utilization capability assessment of selected ANRRD project executing and/or implementing agencies;

(xi) identify 5 practical technologies that can be adapted in Asia to regenerate and accumulate natural capital and to upgrade resilience against natural and socioeconomic shocks;

(xii) outline small-scale natural capital projects to demonstrate innovative technologies (to be implemented together with international partners), with broad cost-benefit analyses, to test and validate their applicability and scalability in DMCs;

(xiii) propose actionable measures to improve regulatory and policy regimes and accelerate technological innovation for natural capital enhancement in the short-, medium- and long- term;

(xiv) deliver a knowledge product on “Preserving and Enhancing Natural Capital to Secure Food and Nutrition Security, Reduce Climate Risks and Sustain Inclusive Rural Development” (about 30 pages), and make operationalizable recommendations for selected DMCs;

(xv) present findings and recommendations on “Reviving Asia’s Natural Capital for Sustainable Development” with at least 36 high-quality PowerPoint slides.

12. Qualification: Qualified Natural Capital Specialists shall have (i) doctoral degree or equivalent research experience in natural capital, resource management, rural development and/or other related areas; and (ii) more than 12 years of working experience in agriculture, natural resources, food and nutrition security or rural development projects. Demonstrated track records of working in Asia and the Pacific is highly desirable.

Natural Capital/Environment Investment Specialists (International, 12 person-months and National, 14 person-months)

13. Lack of sufficient financing to protect, restore and improve ecosystems is one of the root causes for accelerated natural capital deterioration and depletion in most DMCs. The perceived longer cycles, lower returns, and higher risks, together with difficulties to monetize positive externalities, have exacerbated the hesitation for directly investing in natural capital, especially from the profit-driven private sector. The concept of an Innovative Natural Capital Financing Facility (INCFF) shall be developed to catalytically fill the ever-increasing gap via debt, equity, guarantee and other financing and risk management instruments. The INCFF will focus on sustainable food value chains, climate resilient agriculture and natural resource management, through co-financing and supporting projects with significant natural capital components and

incentivizing public-private partnerships, to enhance more efficient utilization of natural resources and more effective protection of natural environment.

14. Tasks: Collaborating closely with ADB’s operational and knowledge departments, relevant project teams and external partners, the specialists will:

(i) further update and refine the design of the INCFF, including, but not limited to, its statutory status, governance structure, operational processes, financing mechanisms, risk tolerance profiles, exit strategies, partnership patterns with financiers and finances, and necessary supports from DMC governments;

(ii) prepare and dynamically revise road-show materials to communicate with co-investors and assist in the roadshow presentations;

(iii) conduct 5 case studies to distill useful lessons from the past and existing ANRRD investment projects to inform future project design and implementation;

(iv) perform demand consultation and assessments in DMCs to build up a long list of at least 10 potential smart ANRRD investment projects as the illustrative candidate pipeline for the INCFF;

(v) develop checklists, procedures and documentation structures for deal sourcing, due diligence, project appraisal, and ADB internal approval;

(vi) construct cash-flow financial simulation models, incorporating natural capital accounting principles and methodologies, for at least 5 selected candidate projects to demonstrate their bankability, in terms of net present values, financial, economic and environment internal rates of returns, investment payback periods, carbon asset accumulation, contribution to natural capital improvement, and linkage to relevant SDGs;

(vii) identify and analyze risk factors for the simulated ANRRD investment projects, scrutinize their associated likelihoods and impact, propose implementable mitigation measures, and formulate credit enhancement approaches, based on SWOT analyses, break-even analyses, sensitivity analyses, and shock-resistance stress tests;

(viii) examine practical ways to synergize the INCFF’s smart ANRRD investments with ADB’s COVID-19 recovery responses and other ongoing operations;

(ix) explore possibilities to develop co-financing opportunities with external partners, including multilateral and bilateral development agencies, local banks and non-bank financial institutions, private investment funds, microfinancing institutions, and civil society organizations;

(x) make policy recommendations to DMC governments on improving the overall regulatory environment and development strategies to enable and accelerate investments in natural capital; and

(xi) organize seminars/webinars with more than 200 participants to demonstrate the innovation and value addition generated by the INCFF.

15. Qualification: Qualified Natural Capital Investment Specialists shall have (i) doctorate or equivalent research experience in financial engineering, fund management, risk mitigation and/or other related areas; and (ii) more than 12 years of working experience in finance, agriculture, or rural development projects. Demonstrated track records of working in Asia and the Pacific is highly desirable.

Agribusiness/rural development Specialists (International, 4 person-months and National, 8 person-months)

16. Smallholders (including female farmers), low-income families and the urban poor along agribusiness value chains are usually at a disadvantage in the market, largely because some

basic services are either simply unavailable or unaffordable to them. Technology can be used to improve access to affordable products and services for the above-mentioned stakeholders.

Advanced information and communication technologies (ICT) can be a basis to develop a digital agribusiness service platform (ASP) to enhance economic productivity, climate resilience and environmental sustainability of the whole agriculture and food sector in Asia and the Pacific.

Benefiting from the economy of scale, this digital platform will provide stakeholders with easier and better access, at marginal costs, to information, market opportunities, technologies, financing, training, logistic arrangements, as well as other necessary services, to increase revenues, abate perishability losses, enable efficient input usage (e.g. labor, arable land, irrigation water, fertilizer, pesticides, energy, etc.), control pollution emissions, reduce overall carbon footprints, and thus contribute to the recovery from the COVID pandemic and alleviation of the food, nutrition and income insecurity.

17. Tasks: Collaborating closely with ADB’s operational and knowledge departments, relevant project teams and external partners, the specialists will:

(i) delineate and analyze critical services needed by different categories of stakeholders (especially female farmers and low-income families) in agribusiness and rural communities;

(ii) examine agribusiness services currently provided in developed countries, and summarize international best practices and their relevance for DMCs; also distill learnings from similar initiatives being attempted in other departments of ADB, if any.

(iii) conduct case studies on top 5 platforms providing agribusiness services in the world, and distill lessons from their operations and outcomes;

(iv) carry out comprehensive demand, availability, cost, and connectivity assessments and hold consultation meetings with stakeholders in selected DMCs to define the scope, depth, channels, and priorities for providing necessary agribusiness services;

(v) identify potential partners on the supply side of the necessary agribusiness services and develop a mutually beneficial partnership approach;

(vi) design and refine the digital platform structure, to ensure all informational and transactional services can be provided remotely by using smart phones;

(vii) standardize procedures and documentation for providing online agribusiness services;

(viii) propose pragmatic approaches to combine digital service with traditional face-to-face assistance (e.g., through agricultural extension stations, microfinancing institutions, and/or community-based Science and Technology Backyard);

(ix) formulate outreach and promotion programs to facilitate more effective utilization of the newly established digital agribusiness service platform;

(x) make policy recommendations to DMC governments on initiating, upgrading, and expanding agribusiness services and to reduce the existing digital divide;

(xi) deliver a knowledge product on “Empowering Smallholders in Agri-food Markets by Providing Effective Agribusiness Services through digital platforms”; and

(xii) participate in knowledge dissemination and capacity building exercises.

18. Qualification: Qualified Agribusiness Specialists shall have (i) master’s degree or equivalent research experience in agricultural economics, business management and/or other related areas; and (ii) more than 10 years of working experience in trade, agriculture, or rural development projects. Demonstrated track record of working in Asia and the Pacific is highly desirable.

Specialists on Agribusiness Value Chains/ Agricultural Economists (International, 15 person-months and National, 21 person-months)

19. Agribusiness value chains (AVC) in many DMCs are often fragmented, inefficient non- transparent, untraceable, and vulnerable to external and natural hazards. Significant wastes occur in the middle links, due to high perishability, resulting in low income for farmers but high prices for consumers. The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally shocked most AVCs on both supply and demand sides, across local, regional, and global markets. Such disruptions have led to massive job and income losses, and intensified food, nutritional and livelihood insecurity, especially in countries with extensive lockdowns. Low-income families in rural and urban areas, and women, have been suffering more from these adverse impacts, the medium-to-long term impacts of which are yet to be understood.

20. Tasks: Collaborating closely with ADB’s operational and knowledge departments, relevant project teams and external partners, the specialists will:

(i) map out and analyze six major AVCs (in selected DMCs), including their respective supporting services (e.g., technological, logistical, and financial services), mainly in the crop, livestock, vegetable, fishery, forestry, and ecotourism subsectors;

(ii) summarize international best practices in improving and upgrading AVCs;

(iii) conduct consultations with stakeholders of relevant AVCs to gain firsthand data and reality verification;

(iv) identify bottlenecks in each AVC for potential improvement and efficiency gains, in comparison with international norms and best practices;

(v) detect weak links and vulnerability of each AVC against climate risks, natural disasters, external shocks and unpredictable events;

(vi) undertake resilience stress test of selected socioecologically high-value local, national, and regional ANRRD value chains;

(vii) discuss possibilities and procedures to digitalize AVCs, emphasizing on broadening and deepening the access of smallholders and local communities toward information, market, technology, training, financing, and risk abatement;

(viii) propose practical measures to strengthen AVCs in the short-, medium- and long-term;

(ix) illustrate 5 potential areas for investment in AVCs, and estimating the associated size and gain in each area;

(x) identify ANRRD value chain policy, technological, and investment bundles, and outline proposals for stimulating public and private investment in AVCs with broad input-output analyses;

(xi) for each value chain, deliver a knowledge product on “Streamlining and Strengthening Agribusiness Value Chains to Increase Job and Income Opportunities” (about 30 pages);

(xii) participate in training sessions and present findings and recommendations on “Enhancing AVCs” with at least 36 high-quality PPT slides.

21. Qualification: Qualified Specialists on Agribusiness Value Chains shall have (i) master’s degree or equivalent research experience in agricultural economics, agribusiness, food trade and marketing and/or other related areas; and (ii) more than 8 years of working experience in food, agriculture, or rural development projects. Demonstrated track records of working in Asia and the Pacific is highly desirable.

Specialists on Digital Agriculture (International, 3 person-months and National, 6 person-months)

22. In the post-COVID pandemic era, challenges and opportunities co-exist in the areas of applying digital technologies in the ANRRD sector. The focus will be on improving connectivity, enlarging opportunities in marketing and financing, reducing transaction costs, controlling risks, strengthening remote training and capacity building, delivering basic social services (e.g., healthcare and vocational education), abating wastes and pollution, and monitoring and conserving natural capital in rural areas. Adoption of mature modern digital technologies and solutions, such as remote sensing, Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, machine learning and paperless payments, will surely assist farmer and food consumers to mobilize more resources, make smarter decisions and take quicker actions to improve their actions, leading to reinforced food and nutrition security and safety.

23. Tasks: Collaborating closely with ADB’s operational and knowledge departments, relevant project teams and external partners, especially the Digital Agriculture Working Group of the Rural Development and Food Security (Agriculture) Thematic Group, the specialists will:

(i) summarize the status and future trends in agribusiness digitalization in the world and their relevance for ADB’s DMCs;

(ii) conduct in-depth ssurveys on promising digital technologies, identify their potential uses for providing digital rural services, and assess the readiness and barriers for agribusiness digitization in selected DMCs;

(iii) explore test and demonstration opportunities, select a few for testing that best suit DMCs’

needs and ADB’s operational demand;

(iv) undertake digital infrastructure (both hard and soft) capability assessment for ANRRD investment planning agencies and private sector stakeholders in selected DMCs and/or agroecological landscapes;

(v) monitor digital technology uptake and use by partner agencies/DMCs;

(vi) design a searchable forum for continuous information sharing, in collaboration with youth volunteer groups. The Forum shall be alive dynamically, accessible by smart phones, to enable participants to receive news on recent development, be alerted on upcoming potential weather risks, be updated on market volatilities and forecasting, raise questions, provide cohort answers, listen to expert opinions, take part in debates, and/or offer firsthand experiences;

(vii) formulate a virtual platform for natural capital technologies, which enables sharing of information, knowhow, methodologies for accounting/valuation, articles on different ways and tools to better utilize and protect natural capital;

(viii) design the technical structure of the digital platform for AVCs, including the components for marketing outputs, procuring inputs, and obtaining services;

(ix) cooperate with microfinancing agencies or other rural financial institutions on digitalizing cash flows, to accompany information and commodity flows;

(x) test the digital platform with 3 selected rural cooperatives/farmer groups to ensure its easy accessibility, utility and user-friendliness;

(xi) assess the findings considering the extent of outreach scale of digital services, last-mile connection issues and any required measures to avoid generating potential digital divide;

(xii) contribute to knowledge dissemination and capacity building activities (including training sessions and webinars).

24. Qualification: Qualified Specialists on Digital Agriculture shall have (i) master’s degree or equivalent research experience in e-commerce, information and communication technologies, agribusiness and/or other related areas; and (ii) more than 6 years of working experience in digital projects. Demonstrated track records of working in Asia and the Pacific is highly desirable.

Specialists on Knowledge Dissemination and Capacity Building (International, 3 person-months and National, 6 person-months)

25. Effective and timely knowledge sharing, and capacity building activities will directly and significantly contribute to building a more resilient, green, gender-responsive, inclusive, and equitable food system and support structural transformation of emerging rural economies and promote regional cooperation in Asia and the Pacific. Replication and scaling up success stories can be facilitated at marginal costs, and innovations can be accelerated through cross-fertilization of ideas.

26. Tasks: Collaborating closely with ADB’s operational and knowledge departments, relevant project teams and external partners, the specialists will:

(i) design and implement country-specific knowledge solutions, learning programs and outreach activities, including those in partnership with the private sector, under the guidance of the ADB’s resident missions in selected DMCs;

(ii) conducting 6 case studies, based on direct interviews and field investigation, to illustrate how vulnerable the rural communities are, in terms of food, nutrition and livelihood security, in coping with natural capital deterioration, climate change and pandemics;

(iii) prepare “Executive Summary” of 6 knowledge products in the national language and easy- to-understand style (about 3-5 pages each) for publishing in both ADB’s websites and national mass media to reach a large audience. A digital pamphlet including such Summaries and other relevant materials shall be sent by email to at least 200 recipients among rural cooperatives, processing factories of agricultural and food products, academic and research institutions, microfinancing networks, NGOs, and relevant government agencies, in each selected DMC.

(iv) network with relevant stakeholders for consultation meetings to better comprehend local conditions and situations and to interact and exchange information and ideas with partners of investment and operation;

(v) organize 6 webinars (each lasting for about 1.5 hours) with a total of 600 participants to disseminate information/knowledge and to stimulate idea exchanges on how to improve natural capital and ecosystems to achieve goals for sustainable and inclusive growth. This includes sending out invitations to targeted participants, coordinating with presenters, translating presentation materials, on-spot interpretation, collecting feedback, and reporting event highlights in local newspapers and TV stations;

(vi) organize training sessions, including drafting the training agenda, finalizing training materials, managing logistics, coordinating with trainers, inviting trainees, collecting questions and suggestions, and summarizing post-training evaluation; and

(vii) organize special workshops for women and young entrepreneurs to empower them to play more proactive roles in attaining food, nutrition, and income security.

27. Qualification: Qualified Specialists on Knowledge Dissemination and Capacity Building shall have (i) master’s degree or equivalent research experience in agricultural economics, agribusiness, food trade and marketing and/or other related areas; and (ii) more than 5 years of working experience in food, agriculture, or rural development projects. Demonstrated track record of working in Asia and the Pacific is highly desirable.

III. CONSULTANT REQUIREMENTS FOR OUTPUT 3

Sri Lanka Country CSA Assessment and Climate Investment Planning and Adaptation Project Concept Development (International, 4 person-months and National, 4 person-months)

28. The experts will work with ADB country and relevant project teams, analyze key climate change risks in the country, advice on a suite of important and feasible climate change adaptation measures for 1.7 million farmers in the country and climate investment opportunities during stakeholder consultations, propose a way to disseminate adaptation measures at scale, and contribute to the preparation of sector analysis and project concept papers for the country programing. Specifically, the experts will (i) based on the climate risk country profile, the climate smart agriculture (CSA) country profile and other relevant climate change risk estimations applicable to Sri Lanka and specific landscapes within the country, identify a set of important and feasible adaptation investments to address critical climate change risks (including rainwater harvest and micro irrigation, crop diversification, adoption of climate-resilient varieties, improved agroclimatic information projection, precision farming advisory, cover cropping and regenerative agriculture for addressing soil degradation and increasing heat): (ii) guided by the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) framework develop dialogue with key stakeholders to prioritize adaptation investments and key policy, regulatory and institutional reform agenda; (iii) share relevant global CSA best practices, and propose promising and suitable technologies and practices to effectively upscale CSA investments under pipeline projects, including watershed management, agro-forestry, coastal and land use management and agricultural value chain development; (iv) propose the essential adaptation measures at scale in the country and/or specific landscapes; (v) propose monitoring and evaluation indicators for tracking CSA investments and outcomes; (vi) assess financial requirement and explore various investment mechanism with potential partners to realize critical climate investments; and (vii) help develop investment project concepts to augment climate adaptation actions and upscale CSA investments in the country.

Viet Nam Upscaling Climate-based Adaptation Investment in Rural Communities and Gender sensitive adaptation (International, 2 person-months and National, 8 person- months)

29. Based on the country climate risk profile, the country CSA profile and other relevant climate change risk estimation applicable to the Northern Mountains Area and the Mekong region in Viet Nam, a feasibility study will be carried out to identify the most suitable set of adaptation investments to best manage the localized climate risks by ethnic minority communities, particularly women groups, and rural communities. The localized adaptation investment framework for ethnic minority groups, particularly women groups, and rural population in specific landscapes to be developed by the study will inform the design and alignment of proposed green infrastructure development project. Together with ADB’s project team, the experts will : (i) review localized climate change risks in the project landscapes and analyze the profiles, capacity and needs of various social groups and rural communities in the project area including intensified floods and cold spells in the North and salt water intrusion in the Mekong River Delta ; (ii) identify priority adaptation actions for the project communities to address the binding climate change risks and carry out consultations with multiple stakeholder groups to discuss proposed actions and discuss their relevance and feasibility; (iii) help design critical climate resilient building actions in due consideration for local knowledges and varying social profiles; (iv) explore financing modalities and potential co-investment partners to support the adoption of the critical adaptation measures at scale; and (v) draft a report to summarize the study findings and recommend specific

investment activities for financing by an ensuring project to maximize the climate resilience of rural communities, while improving rural livelihood of women and ethnic minority groups in the two major project landscapes.

Maldives transformational reforms for resilience of national food security system and green recovery (International, 12 person-months and National, 66 person-months)

30. To support the government of Maldives in identifying transformational changes required for strengthening resilience of national food security system and pursuing green recovery, an in- depth study that recommends priority actions over the short- and medium-term will be carried out.

Recognizing that the effects of climate change on food security are accelerating and thus incremental actions to existing systems may not be sufficient in protecting food security of Maldivians, the resilience-building study will consider transformational changes in policies, institutions, financing, investments and behavior and practices to reduce potential damages or to benefit from opportunities associated with the COVID-19 recovery and recommend a set of investments to steer growth in a resilient direction.

31. Based on the country risk profile and the CIF Technical Assistance Facility for the government of Maldives, a group of experts will be hired to (i) assess the risks for the agriculture sector and food security in the context of changing climate, economic recovery and vulnerabilities demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic; (ii) consult with a wide range of stakeholders, including national government, local governments, private sector and communities, especially women, to identify the issues and priorities for strengthening resilience of the sector, including agricultural production, in the context of COVID-19 recovery stimulus packages; (iii) recommend pathways for resilient food security system and how COVID-19 recovery-related priorities can fit within such pathways; (iv) based on the assessment findings, identify priority policy reforms and public and private investments to promote implementation of the study recommendations; (v) identify suitable innovative financing instruments to mobilize private sector finance for implementation of priority resilience investments, including the potential of accessing climate finance for such instruments; (vi) initiate and improve coordination mechanism among different national stakeholders to increase appreciation of the importance of strengthening resilience of food systems and to foster ownership in supporting the implantation of recommended reforms and investments; and (vii) summarize report findings and share knowledge at a regional event.

32. Qualification: Qualified climate change risk, adaptation, finance, and agriculture and food security experts will have (i) doctorate or equivalent research experience in climate science, agronomy, food security, climate finance, agriculture and climate change policy and other related areas; and (ii) 8–10 years of work experience in CSA, climate resilience, and climate adaptation and mitigation with assignments in agriculture and natural resources, food security or rural development projects. Working experience in Asia and the Pacific region, particularly Maldives, is highly desirable.

Upscaling Adaptation and Climate-Smart Agriculture Experts (International, 6 person-months)

33. To increase adaptation investments and CSA interventions among ADB’s agriculture and natural resources sector projects, specific technical advisory on the right mix of activities to effectively build climate reliance of rural communities and local food system may help enhance rural livelihood and food and nutrition security in the project area, while maximizing climate change investment. Together with TG CSA working group and relevant project teams the experts

will (i) review the sector pipeline projects and consult with relevant project teams and their clients;

(ii) survey relevant CSA best practices and identify promising activities that project teams may consider replicating and upscaling (including crop and income source diversification, adoption of climate-resilient and nutritious varieties, climate-smart aquaculture and livestock practices, biotechnology inputs, regenerative agriculture and agroforestry to address soil degradation risks) ; (iii) provide technical inputs for relevant project processing teams to build essential climate resilience and maximize mitigation opportunities; (iv) carry out scoping studies to leverage co- financing for ADB projects to encourage the adoption of key adaptation actions and conservation practices at scale; (v) organize capacity building workshops for ADB project teams, their clients and stakeholders to replicate and upscale CSA best practices and to learn the best practices of greenhouse gas emission estimation based on the EX-Ante Carbon balance Tool (EX-ACT); (vi) identify CSA technologies and activities (such as weather smart, water-smart, nutrient-smart, seed/breed-smart, energy-smart, and knowledge-smart technologies) relevant for the pipeline projects; and (vii) advice on scaling up/out strategies for the selected CSA technologies.

34. Qualification: Qualified CSA experts will have (i) doctorate degree or equivalent research experience in climate science, agronomy, and other related areas; and (ii) 8–10 years of working experience in CSA, climate resilience, and climate adaptation and mitigation with assignments in agriculture and natural resources, food security or rural development projects. Working experience in Asia and the Pacific region is highly desirable.

Experts on Digital Agriculture Service for Climate Resilience (International 2 person- months, National 12 person-months)

35. Climate-smart advisory with precise predictions of changing precipitation timing, soil moisture and nutrients, day-time temperature and cropping season duration before an extreme weather event hits would help farmers make the best decision on which crop to plant and precisely when in next season to minimize climate change risks and ensure adequate crop yields. For instance, a simple yet precise estimate of the changing start of monsoon season due to climate change can help rain-fed farmers avoid crop damage risks and improve crop yields. Proven extreme weather warning system via SNS and efficient monitoring of pest and disease attacks based on remote sensing technologies can also support early detection and minimizing the crop damage. Together with ADB project teams and their clients, the experts will (i) identify, plan and implement the application of promising digital agriculture services with project beneficiaries for demonstration or testing purpose; (ii) evaluate their development outcomes, the extent of digital divide issue and any last mile information sharing constraints; (iii) discuss the outcome with multiple stakeholders and develop upscaling proposals of promising technology use cases, if any.

36. Qualification: Qualified experts will have (i) a graduate degree or equivalent research and industry experience in data science, agriculture, climate change science and other relevant subject; and (ii) proven working experience in applying digital technologies and big data analytics to agriculture in developing countries. Working experience in Asia and the Pacific region is highly desirable.

Adaptation Finance Specialists (International, 2 person-month)

37. Apart from technical knowledge and essential inputs, it is well known that an incentive mechanism is essential to convince millions on farmers to invest in climate change adaptation practices. ADB projects have opportunities to generate additional financial incentive mechanism through partnering with multiple private green funds, such as carbon farming schemes and pre- financing of carbon credit for rural livelihood in DMCs. Developing such co-investment

partnerships for ADB projects can help enhance sustainability of new technology solutions and business practices introduced under ADB projects and enable potential replication and upscaling for participating DMCs and stakeholders over the long term. To identify the potential for partnering and leveraging long-term private investments for ongoing and pipeline ADB’s agriculture and natural resources conservation and rural development projects, the specialists will (i) discuss with relevant ADB project teams to understand the needs for long-term private finances for conservation activities and sustainable agribusiness enterprise financing; (ii) survey various private investors that seek environmental sustainability performance together with investment returns, funding mechanisms for green business development and conservation finance vehicles to identify a list of investors that are interested in cofinancing ADB’s projects; (iii) identify potential financial incentive mechanisms including the required monitoring and verification system and critical key performance indicators; (iv) promising explore and propose partnerships and cofinancing modalities that may be of mutual interest for private investors, ADB’s projects and their clients; and (v) prepare a report that records analysis, consultations, and findings of the assignment, and assist the further co-investment partnership negotiations as required.

Qualification: Qualified experts will have (i) master’s degree or equivalent research experience in finance, agribusiness, business administration or other relevant subject; (ii) 5 years or more of working experience in conservation finance and green investment industry; and (iii) a good network with green private investors, biodiversity, and conservation investment funds. Working experience in relevant transactions within developing countries in Asia and the Pacific region is highly desirable.

Protected Agriculture Expert (International, 3 person-month, National 10 person- months)

38. Protected farming, a farming practice under tunnels and greenhouses, can be a good adaptation tool for horticulture crops as it minimizes crop damage risks from extreme weather events and pest attacks and the excessive use of chemical inputs, and insulates crops from seasonal fluctuations in the external environment to achieve more consistent crop yields.

Protected farming can be practiced both in urban and rural environment and can also play a significant role in supplying nutritious food for local communities under supply chain disruptions due to COVID-19 pandemic as exemplified in some island nations in the Pacific region. In consultation with ADB project teams and their clients, the specialist will (i) carry out a feasibility study to identify suitable protected farming systems based on the analysis of available land, water, soil type and input and service providers in selective communities; (ii) assess relevant markets and value chain players and identify potential collaborations among farming communities, input and food retailers and relevant research institutes; and (iii) propose feasible intervention options for ADB projects to upscale protected farming system as a part of the adaptation strategy and help farmers diversify crop varieties and income sources and sustainably supply nutritious food in local communities.

39. Qualification: Qualified experts will have (i) a graduate degree or equivalent research experience in agriculture, agribusiness, or other relevant subject; (ii) 5 years or more of farming and food industry experience in developing countries with a focus on smallholder agriculture; and (iii) established commercial links to urban farming companies, farming communities and biotechnology research institutions. Working experience in hydroponics industry and other urban farming systems as well as in developing countries in Asia and the Pacific region is highly desirable.

Climate-Smart Agriculture Policy Expert (International, 2 person-month, and National 7 person-month)

40. To effectively support many farmers to take up adaptation measures, policy reforms are critical in some DMCs. Excessive agricultural subsidies for water and energy hampers the water saving incentives for farmers and result in water shortages during drought and excessive use of aquafer. For instance, intensifying water scarcity in Viet Nam due to climate change, coupled with rising competition on water sources across industry, municipal water supply, and hydropower, irrigation, and aquaculture, necessitates the irrigation water tariff reform to encourage farmers to conserve water and switch to higher value and water-efficient cropping and to ensure enough revenue collection to cover the costs of irrigation asset management. Research and development for climate resilient crop varieties and the administrative reform to expedite the national release of new varieties are essential for supporting farmers’ adaptation measures in many DMCs. In close consultation with relevant project teams the experts will (i) review and analyze the relevant strategies, policies and regulatory reform agenda to help upscale adaptation and support inclusive, sustainable and low carbon food system; (ii) based on the findings develop a set of sound recommendations for policy dialogue with the government and other stakeholders; (iii) organize a policy dialogue workshop with various stakeholders; (iv) draft a report to summarize the assessment, stakeholder discussions and recommended policy reforms.

41. Working experience in developing countries in Asia and the Pacific region is highly desirable.

IV. CONSULTANT REQUIREMENTS FOR OUTPUT 4

Digital Agriculture Technology Specialists (International, 2 person-months; National, 8 person-months)

42. The use of a wide range of digital agriculture services, including weather and demand prediction and market intelligence, precision agriculture advisory, detection of best harvest timing, e-platform trading of outputs and quality input purchase, logistics and machinery services, credit scoring, food traceability and agribusiness value chain transparency, have great potential in improving productivity of smallholder agriculture and efficiently connecting millions of smallholder farmers with viable markets. In consultation with the RDFS TG’s agribusiness value chain working group and ADB project teams, the specialists will (i) identify suitable digital agriculture services that are likely to improve the delivery scale and efficiency of project activities among beneficiary farmers; (ii) consult with the project beneficiaries, service providers and other stakeholders and propose capacity building and demonstration programs where beneficiaries farmers can experience the technology services; (iii) evaluate the use cases of selective digital agriculture service in terms of cost effectiveness in delivering the services, the scale of development outcomes, narrowing or expanding inequality within the project communities; and (iv) discuss the findings and propose the next set of actions for ADB projects.

43. Qualification: Qualified experts will have (i) a graduate degree or equivalent industry experience in data science, farming and agribusiness, block chain traceability, food logistics and other relevant subject; and (ii) proven working experience in applying digital technologies and big data analytics to agriculture and agribusiness supply chain management in developing countries.

Working experience in Asia and the Pacific region is highly desirable.

Rural Digital Payment and Logistics Specialists (International 0.5 person-month, National, 8 person-months)

44. Rural digitization has an exciting potential for improving transaction efficiency and enabling drastic dissemination of information and services in Rural Asia. For example, rapidly expanding digital payment services in Nepal, where remittance and agricultural income remain substantial for rural population and the economy, the applications of digital services appear promising in enhancing livelihood and development impacts of ADB’s investments in rural areas.

Various experiences in utilizing digital services in DMCs also highlight the difficulty in adopting digital technologies at the last miles of connecting rural population and the need for combining technology solutions with face-to-face interactions to ensure outreach to women groups and vulnerable social groups. Together with relevant pipeline projects that plan to roll out digital payment, financial and logistics services for widely availing quality inputs and crop advisory, or efficiently distribute subsidies for targeted population and monitoring their use, the experts will (i) plan and deliver training programs for rural communities, women groups and farmers on the use of digital services for cropping advisory, inputs, payments, logistics and accessing subsidies; (ii) consult with relevant digital and logistics service providers, government institutions and beneficiaries and propose ideal forms of service delivery system under the ensuing projects; and (iii) summarize the experience and learning in a report and discuss them with stakeholders at a workshop.

45. Qualification: Qualified experts will have (i) a graduate degree or equivalent commercial experience in data science, agriculture, digital payments, and other relevant subject; and (ii) proven working experience in applying digital technologies and big data analytics to agriculture, natural resources management and rural development in developing countries. Working experience in Nepal and other countries in Asia and the Pacific region is highly desirable.

Women Empowerment and Agribusiness Specialist (National, 6 person-months)

46. Facilitating commercialization of women’s farming, agribusiness marketing and postharvest groups to empower women and make them higher-wage earners by supporting their technical skill development is an essential element of developing inclusive agribusiness value chains. In consultation with ADB’s project teams and gender specialists, the experts will (i) consult with successful women farming and agricultural marketing and postharvest management groups and analyze their business and growth potential; (ii) organize and facilitate consultative meetings with women groups; (iii)present the key findings on the key elements of successful women’s groups, and recommend replicable business model for women’s groups covering marketing analysis methodology, distribution logistics arrangements, institutional and financial management; (iii) analyze the existing status and potential of women farmers, including women in ethnic minority communities, to be engaged in crop value chains and work as professional harvesters and processors, and recommend key gender-sensitive skill training programs; (iv) together with the project teams, research and digital service providers carry out training on various agribusiness aspects and technical research skills, including the use of drone, helium balloon, sensor devices and digital services for soil analysis, precision agriculture and efficient agribusiness transactions, for interested women agribusiness groups; and (v) prepare a report to summarize the experiences and lessons learned and recommend a set of promising women- focused farming and agricultural marketing activities to be replicated under the ADB projects.

47. Qualification: Qualified experts will have (i) a graduate degree or equivalent research experience in women empowerment, agribusiness, or other related subject and (ii) 5 years or

more of working experience in gender empowerment activities in agriculture, postharvest management and agricultural marketing in India or Nepal. Working experiences on MDB projects are highly desired.

Fishery and Aquaculture Value Chain Specialists (International, 2 person-months, National, 6 person-months)

48. To support the efforts of the governments and private companies to build inclusive and sustainable aquaculture and fishery value chains in Cambodia and Maldives, a feasibility study will be carried out to understand the key value chain players and stakeholders in the industry and outline promising areas of business collaborations and private sector participation opportunities in sustainable coastal and marine fisheries value chain in Cambodia and Maldives. Together with ADB project teams the experts will (i) assess the industry, markets and marketing channels that are accessible for fishermen and rural fishing communities; (ii) carry out stakeholder consultations to understand their current business models, potential and constraints; (iii) identify business opportunities for private sector investments and a list of potential public-private coinvestment partnerships in a way that benefits small-scale fishing and aquaculture communities via generation of market access and value addition as well as the entire value chain players through reducing food losses, transaction costs, and resource use efficiency in the chains.

49. Qualification: Qualified experts will have (i) a master’s degree or equivalent working experience in agribusiness, perishable food retailing and distribution, aquaculture, business administration or other relevant subject; (ii) 5 years or more of working experience in agribusiness and food industry in developing countries. Working experience in fishery and aquaculture, particularly in Asia and the Pacific region, is highly desirable.

One Health Approach to Food Safety: Animal Disease Control and Food Safety Specialists (International, 2 person-months)

50. The COVID-19 and other pandemic in the past underscore the importance of zoonotic disease control under One Health approach as a key element of green recovery and food safety agenda for the food system in Asia. The experts will work with ADB’s regional programs and project teams to (i) technically analyze pertaining disease control measures in place and present the findings in a workshop to enhance scientific understanding of stakeholders on emerging issues related to animal disease control, food safety and new industry to address them; (ii) outline alternative measures to improve animal health and control animal disease that can drastically reduce the use of antibiotics and avoid antimicrobial resistance in selective livestock value chains;

and (iii) recommend any critical areas that require further improvement and the public sector interventions to support equitable and low carbon transformation and prevent future pandemics through regional animal disease control.

51. Qualification: Qualified experts will have (i) a doctorate degree or equivalent research experience in agriculture, livestock, biotechnology, food safety and regulations and related subject; and (ii) 5 years or more of research experience in animal health, disease control and public health. Working experience in Asia and the Pacific region is highly desirable.

Urban Agriculture Specialist (International, 1 person-month)

52. Urban agriculture, particularly in the forms of protected farming and greenhouses, can minimize crop damage risks from extreme weather events and pest attacks, and can play a significant role in supplying nutritious food under supply chain disruptions as exemplified in many

food systems under the COVID-19 pandemic. In consultation with ADB project teams and their clients, the specialist will (i) carry out a feasibility study to identify suitable urban farming systems and service provider options in selective municipalities; (ii) assess relevant markets and value chain players and identify potential collaborations among urban farming communities, input and food retailers and relevant research institutes; and (iii) propose feasible intervention options for ADB projects to develop urban farming system that can sustainably supply nutritious food and generate new earning opportunities in local municipalities.

53. Qualification: Qualified experts will have (i) a graduate degree or equivalent research experience in agribusiness or other relevant subject; (ii) 5 years or more of farming and food industry experience in developing countries with a focus on smallholder agriculture; and (iii) established commercial links to urban farming companies, farming communities and biotechnology research institutions. Working experience in hydroponics industry and other urban farming systems as well as in developing countries in Asia and the Pacific region is highly desirable.

Biofertilizer and biopesticide experts (International, 2 person-month and National 4 person-months)

54. Innovative bio fertilizers, bio plant protection products, and other alternative inputs are increasingly applied in Asia and the Pacific to enhance crop yields while minimizing environmental impacts. However, scientific studies on their environmental impacts, cost effectiveness for farmers and implications for public health (food safety, safety of workers and quality compliance for export) remain limited. Industrial landscape of rapidly expanding bio input industry is not well understood, either. In consultation with Private Sector Operations Department and TG Agribusiness Value Chain Working Group the experts will (i) analyse the environmental sustainability, cost effectiveness and impacts on public health of various bio input products (e.g., microbe-based fertilizers, biopesticides, pheromone-based pesticides, mineral-based plant protection products, potassium polyacrylate solutions for water retention); (ii) consult with relevant public institutions (e.g. universities, government agricultural research institutions) and private research teams (e.g., Bayer CropScience, Syngenta, DuPont) active in the field and estimate the current scale of product use and its growth prospects (including amounts produced and sold, locations and crop types); (iii) identify key active companies in DMCs including well-established agricultural input companies and start-ups, and analyse and evaluate their products and performance; (iv) analyse the government standards and product approval process, government support for relevant bioresearch and organic agriculture, and process for organic certification and (v) summarize the findings and draft a report.

55. Qualification: Qualified experts will have (i) a doctorate or equivalent research experience in biotechnology, agricultural, natural science, agribusiness or other relevant subject; and (ii) 5 years or more of working experience in analyzing biotechnology, biotech, and AgTech industry in Asia. Relevant working experience developing countries in Asia and the Pacific region is highly desirable.

Natural Resource and Environment Economists (International, 2 person-months)

56. To encourage investments in environmentally sustainable growth as a part of green and resilient recovery agenda in Asia and the Pacific, formulating a refined guideline on economic analysis of investment proposals based on improved natural asset valuation is essential. In consultation with the RDFS TG’s agribusiness value chain working group and ADB project teams, the experts will (i) survey relevant literature and examples of natural asset valuation and nature-

based investment proposals; (ii) outline a refined methodology on natural asset valuation and economic analysis of project proposals; (iii) carry out economic analysis of projects based on the refined methodology for demonstration; and (iv) discuss findings and recommend way forward in a workshop.

57. Qualification: Qualified experts will have (i) a doctorate or equivalent research experience in economics, environmental study, and other related areas; and (ii) 5 years or more of research experience on valuation of natural resources, nature-based solutions, and natural resources management. Working experience on economic analysis of multilateral development bank projects and in Asia and the Pacific region is highly desirable.

Food Procurement, Logistics and Postharvest Experts (International 2 person-months and National, 4 person-months)

58. Scoping and feasibility studies to adopt modern postharvest technology applications in agribusiness value chains in the region to realize enhanced quality and crop shelf lives, generate access for farmers to new marketing opportunities in high value markets, and reduce food waste and price risks for farmers are essential tasks required for building inclusive and sustainable agribusiness value chains in many DMCs. Based on the findings of various agribusiness markets and value chain analysis, critical technical, infrastructure and institutional capacity gaps along the agribusiness value chains, and specific interventions required for the public sector to address them need to be developed in order to successfully engage large number of farmers and small and medium agribusiness enterprises in commercial agribusiness value chain and support the government’s initiative to liberalize agriculture markets in various DMCs. In close consultation with ADB’s project teams, the experts will (i) consult with stakeholders in relevant value chains and farming communities on the market and value chain study findings, discuss potential interventions and their needs and interest in participation; (ii) propose a set of interventions to narrow the technical, institutional and infrastructure gaps that can be closed considering the current state of food procurement practices and routes, postharvest handling facilities and food logistics infrastructures, the level of distribution traffic, logistics transaction costs and inefficiency in the food distribution (including waste); (iii) identify key logistic infrastructure and technical capacity building investments for the public sector that can reduce agribusiness transaction costs in terms of distance, cost and time (iv) explore and suggest potential business partnerships among farmers’ groups and key agribusiness value chain players for shortening and modernize the food supply and distribution logistics; and (v) develop project concepts and specific investment opportunities to improve critical infrastructure and capacity gaps along the agribusiness value chains that enable producers and distributer to effectively respond to rapidly growing demand for quality food.

59. Qualification: Qualified experts will have (i) a graduate degree or equivalent research experience in food supply chain engineering, cold chain management or other relevant subject;

and (ii) 5 years or more of working experience in postharvest management, food logistics and cold chain management in developing countries. Working experience in Asia and the Pacific region is highly desirable.