Consultant Job Opportunity at Rikolto

Consultant Job Opportunity at Rikolto

Conservation of Biodiversity in Wetlands through Integrated Water Resources Management (IKI KATUMA)

Terms of Reference for Training of water users (irrigation farmers, livestock keepers) on water management, water use efficiency and environmentally friendly farming practices 

• General Information

•  Background

Rikolto works with diverse food system actors to address complex challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and access to healthy food for every. Conserving biodiversity on which food systems depend and protecting the natural ecosystems that harbour biodiversity is a high priority for Rikolto. To achieve this, we work with farmers’ organisations to enhance their professionalism and governance through continuous improvement around potential value chains. We also provide advice and training on the application, adaptation and adoption of regenerative farming practices, building capacity of water users associations to manage water resources sustainably and train their members on water use efficiency farming techniques. Our holistic approach ensures that these practices benefit people, communities, and the planet by building farmers’ resilience.  

Rikolto in Tanzania has secured funding from GIZ to implement the Conservation of Biodiversity in Wetlands through Integrated Water Resources project in collaboration with other partners. The project aims to strengthen institutions involved in water and natural resources management and improve water user capacities to effectively manage water resources for wetlands ecosystem protection and biodiversity conservation.  It is in this context, and given Rikolto’s track record in professionalising WUAs and training farmers on sustainable cultivation practices, that GIZ has assigned to build capacity of water users’ Associations along the upper katuma river catchment to strengthen their capacity on water management to ensuring compliance with their water withdrawal permits.  

To properly strengthen the WUAs, Rikolto is looking for a consultant to conduct skills and knowledge strengthening to WUAs leaders and lead farmers (ToTs) on the efficient water use (irrigation farmers, livestock keepers) and environmentally friendly farming practices, policy governing water management by applying a training of trainer’s model. The training will be conducted to 96 trainers (TOT) from all wards around the Katuma catchment through proper development of the capacity training plans and guideline to enable TOTS to leach to 10,000 water users on the management of the water resources along the upper katuma catchment.

Target Group

The IKI Katuma project is implemented alongside the Katavi river basin looking at the eco system of katuma catchment, and for this assignment the concentration will be in three WUAs which are Katuma, Msaginya and Mpanda, where by communities around the Katuma catchment need to understand and support conservation of the biodiversity (including the wetlands, wildlife) around alongside their livelihood activities including farming, livestock keeping and normal domestic water use

Scope of the assignment 

The assignment will involve  

1. Conduct the Training of Trainers (ToT) to local trainers. Local trainers are key farmers in the community that will be capacitated to coach other farmers on sustainable agriculture (farming and livestock) production practices. The aim is to transform small scale farming on husbandry practices, including the water use, from the conventional (overuse) way to more sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture methods.
2. Conduct ToTs training on environmentally friendly techniques such as regenerative agriculture which includes but not limited to: Integrated Pest Management (IPM), composite making, disposal and management of Agro-chemicals, Integrated Soil fertility Management (ISFM), conservation tillage, indigenous tree planting after consultation with the local communities, Katuma platforms and CBOs on the appropriate indigenous trees species to be planted for the conservation of water sources. 
3. Facilitate establishment of a pool of 96 local trainers, including 6 extension officers of the Local Government Authorities (LGA), Village Based Agents (VBA) and Lead Farmers. These will come from 18 wards 5 from @ ward 
4. Facilitate and conduct technical training to strengthen WUA management on operational, financial, technical issues) with focus on verification of compliance on water abstraction permits.
5. Develop tailored training manuals which will be used by TOTs for training the large community in the katuma catchment and within the 3 WUA. 
6. Provide capacity building to ToTs on water use efficiency techniques such as Alternative Wetting and Drying (AWD), drip irrigation, land levelling, direct-seeded rice (DSR), alternate wetting and drying (AWD), drip-irrigated, a system of rice intensification (SRI), land levelling drainage establishment and maintenance etc.  
7. Through participatory approach; develop simplified phrases/ catching phrases which will be used while designing brochures or on public meetings, phone messages for awareness raising and creating a sense of ownership on important water use efficiency techniques for biodiversity conservation along the katuma catchment. 
8. Support and encourage the community on proper management of community resources such as maintenance of water distribution canal, cattle water trough construction, compliance to water abstraction permit and proper management and organisation of farmers groups.
9. Provide technical support to establish demonstration plots for water use efficiency techniques and facilitate farmers field days to train TORs practically but also extending learning to other farmers. This will be don in collaboration with LGA
10. Equipe WUA leaders with technical understanding on water management in terms of governing policies as well as its efficiency use to members. The facilitator will conduct assessments to measure how much knowledge, and skills have been acquired by ToTs before and after training,

Expected Deliverables

• The consultant(s) will be expected to ensure the following deliverables are in place as a proof completion of the tasks:
• Inception Presentation with brief explanation on how the activity will be conducted including the general execution plan. 
• An inception Report to be presented to explain the detailed means of accomplishing the assignment Including the methodology to be used, work plan for TOTs, training scope, tools, and indicators for tracking the progress of TOTs. The inception report shall be approved by Rikolto East Africa before proceeding to the next step. 
• Develop Tailor-made and practical training guideline for ToTs, incorporate findings from the needs assessment and baseline survey. The materials will be used in training 96 lead farmers as well as cascading to10000 farmers across the three WUA in the project.
• A comprehensive capacity training plan to build ToTs’ skills in water use efficiency and environmentally sustainable practices.
• List of 96 trained local facilitators equipped with skills and knowledge water use efficiency techniques and friendly farming practices and provided with necessary training materials for cascading the knowledge across the communities that will contribute to conservation of biodiversity.

Qualifications and Experience

• A bachelor’s degree in Management of natural resources with specialization in water management, Agronomy, environmental science, environmental economics. Management and irrigation engineer 
• A strong understanding and over 5 years of implementing the Tanzania integrated water management framework.
• A strong understanding of Tanzania comprehensive guideline for irrigation schemes development, formulation and management. 
• Demonstrated ability to implement human-centred approaches on conservation and facilitate dialogs in multi-cultural community. project.
• Demonstrating capacity to facilitating Diagnostic with different stakeholder and design proper tailored training for capacity development workshops.
• Must have a minimum of 10 years of overall experience on training community on water use efficiency, conducting agroecological conservation training and analysis, management frame works. 
• Good understanding and demonstrated experience to facilitate communities to practice regenerative agriculture, ecosystem restoration, water use efficiency techniques, environmentally friendly farming practices, etc.
• Experience in working with relevant water authorities and how water permits are granted to WUAs and its operation to influence efficiency use of water.
• Understanding the strength of cultural issues on supporting community change toward conservation.
• Experience on working with community to influence change on conservation practices in the catchments and rivers.
• Ability to engage conservation community, private sector and policy makers both at national and local level to influence better practises on land use, conservation and regenerative agriculture.
• Capable on building and organising Training materials on conservation and water use efficiency as well as conducting TOTs to local farmers  

Consultant Job Opportunity at Rikolto

Procedure to apply

Qualified candidates (either Individual Consultant or Consultancy Firm) are invited to submit their Technical and Financial proposal together with the following documents: 

• Cover letter;
• CVs of proposed consultant teams including reference details of previous clients.
• References with detailed contact address of at least 3 organizations in which the consulting firm provided similar services recently, and;
• Samples of 2-3 similar previous work pieces Send your proposal via email to: [email protected] by  20th June 2025 and indicate the source of advertisement and the title of the survey in the subject line.