Background information

The Pro Agro Project, funded by the Special Initiative on Training and Job Creation of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), aims to support job creation, labor formalization and enterprise development in the agricultural and agro-processing sectors of Ethiopia. One of the first activities of the project has consisted in three market system analysis (MSA) reports, which investigate the main barriers that prevent decent work and enterprise development in the three sub-sectors of “fruits and vegetables”, “edible oil” and “poultry”. 

One of the main findings of the MSA reports was that Ethiopia’s agricultural extension services system is currently underperforming. The Government of Ethiopia operates a relatively widespread network of development agents in rural Ethiopia, but these officers have general specialisations in one of the following three areas: crop, livestock or natural resources with limited technical knowledge on specific crops or commodities. This means that the services of development agents are not always of the required quality to improve agricultural production and that, at times of high demand, Ethiopian development agents struggle to reach all rural households in need of support. Furthermore, while large-scale farmers have their own technical specialists, mid-sized farms are too big to be covered by the government-backed agricultural extension service system but too small to be able to afford their own technical staff. 

While these barriers make the national agricultural extension service system less effective than it could be, it should also be clear that the role of extension officers is not that of giving continued support to farmers on a daily basis, which would be too expensive, but rather of helping farmers become self-reliant through ad-hoc advice, either in person or remotely. In this respect, the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) should be better explored to enhance both the quality and the outreach of Ethiopian agricultural extension services. 

Objective of the assignment 

The objective of the assignment is to provide the Government of Ethiopia, notably the Ministry of Agriculture (Agricultural Extension Directorate) with evidence-based proposals and solutions to improve the performance of the national agricultural extension services system, including through the use of ICT and the transfer of crop- and commodity-specific extension and advisory services from development agents to farmers and other producers.

The study would focus on three sectors of fruits and vegetables, poultry and edible oils. It will draw on the findings of the three MSA reports, additional desk research on the contents and delivery arrangements of Ethiopia’s agricultural extension services nationally, and field research involving interviews and consultations with policy makers and government officers in charge of the design and implementation of agricultural extension services. The field research will mostly take place in the regions of Amhara and Sidama, those where the Pro Agro project is focusing its activities. 

The international consultant will be supported by a national consultant who will help with the organisation of the required meetings. Interpretation services will also be provided during the meetings.

Should travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic continue in the last quarter of 2021, the field mission will take place through online meetings during which simultaneous interpretation services will still be provided. 

The recommendation from the assignment should contribute to current reform of agricultural extension services in Ethiopia, also drawing on the experience of alternative extension models from other countries with similar governance structure. The final report will, therefore, discuss some good practices of agricultural extension services from other countries with the aim to draw policy lessons for Ethiopia.

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Job Requirements

Required qualifications include:

• University degree and above in Rural Development, Agricultural Extension, other relevant subjects with more than 10 years of working experience
• Proven experience in rural development and extension advisory system in developing countries
• Knowledge of agricultural extension advisory services in Ethiopia
• Specific knowledge on conducting feasibility studies in agriculture sector
• Good facilitation, presentation and analytical skills, as well as ability to elaborate high quality research documents
• Language skills: fluency in English, and knowledge of Ethiopian languages is an asset
• Prior experience of working with the ILO and other UN agencies

How to Apply

Interested and qualified consultants should submit a technical and financial proposal via: by email to addis_procurement@ilo.org by clearly indicating cost per day for both international and national consultants for the number of days indicated above. The applications should be sent by 30th September 2021