Funding Agency: Asian Development Bank
Client: Department of Agriculture, National Centre of Fruits Development, Nuts and Fruits in Hilly Areas Project(NAFHA), CPMU
Date: Dec 2025 – Jun 2029
The Nuts and Fruits in Hilly Areas (NAFHA) project aims to boost agricultural income for 40,000 rural households in Nepal’s hilly provinces (Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali, Sudurpaschim). It focuses on developing 10,000 hectares of climate-resilient fruit/nut orchards and supporting 1,000 hectares of vegetable production for smallholders. Key components include improving nursery management, enhancing farmer productivity through training and drip irrigation, and promoting value addition via cooperatives and processing infrastructure. The project also provides financial mechanisms like subsidies, grants, and credit guarantees.
Objectives of the project:
The main objective of this assignment is to support Project Implementation Unit (PIU) at provincial and local level in effective implementation of project activities and achieving the targets of project.roject also aims to support smallholder farmers in growing irrigated off-season vegetables and nutritious crops, thereby improving livelihoods and enhancing resilience to climate change.
Overall Services provided:
The consulting firm (Farmers Group and Cooperative Facilitation, FGCF) must provide the following services to support the NAFHA project:
· Recruit and manage personnel:
o Key Experts: Farmer Facilitation Coordinator (FFC) and Cooperative Development & Rural Finance Coordinator (CDRFC).
o Non-Key Experts: 16 Farmer Group Facilitators (FGFs) and 16 Social Mobilizers (SMs) stationed across 16 local levels.
· Ensure staff orientation, field mobility, and performance evaluation.
· Form and train farmer groups/cooperatives: Assist in registration, business planning, and adoption of climate-resilient practices (e.g., orchard development, vegetable farming).
· Disseminate project information: Manage calls for proposals (EOIs) for orchard/vegetable farming and support proposal preparation.
· Conduct trainings:
o Technical skills (Good Agricultural Practices, drip irrigation, pest management).
o Leadership, marketing, financial literacy, and gender equality/social inclusion (GESI).
o Safeguard compliance (environmental, social, grievance redress mechanisms).
· Implement Farmers Nutrition Schools (FNS): Collaborate with the World Food Programme (WFP) for dietary diversity training.
· Facilitate access to financing: Link farmers to loans, grants, insurance, and credit guarantees (via Scheme 1 and 2).
· Promote agribusiness partnerships: Support cooperatives in value addition (processing, packaging, certification) and market linkages.
· Field verification: Validate applications/grantees and monitor orchard/vegetable plot progress.
· Data collection: Track sapling survival, land use, and project outcomes for the Management Information System (MIS).
· Monitor environmental/social safeguards: Ensure adherence to Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and GESI Action Plan.
· Resolve grievances: Apply the project’s Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) to address conflicts.
· Liaise with stakeholders: Coordinate with Provincial Implementation Units (PIUs), Local Level Coordination Committees (LLCCs), and Agriculture Knowledge Centers (AKCs).
· Submit detailed reports:
o Monthly, quarterly, annual, mid-term, and completion reports.
o Documentation of activities, disbursements, risks, and corrective actions.
· Procure office equipment, furniture, and training materials (approved by PIU).
Manage travel/logistics for field activities.
