Climate Vulnerability, Adaptation and Risk Assessment Study on Agriculture Consultant

Background & context:

• Climate change is among the emerging development issues in Yemen & the project titled “fourth national communication & second biennial update report” responds by contributing towards such priorities while at the same time enables the country to fulfill its commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change (UNFCCC). This project will enable Yemen to prepare its second Biennial Update Report (BUR) & the Fourth National Communication (FNC) report in accordance with article 12 of the UNFCCC without which it will be difficult to do so. Furthermore, it will assist in building further national capacities to fulfill Yemen’s commitments to the convention on a continuing basis. The second BUR will synergize & complement some components outlined in the FNC. The preparation of the second BUR will follow the guidelines provided by the Conference of Parties (CoP). The process of including the second BUR together with the FNC is technically, economically & timely feasible by ensuring effective use of resources & consistency of the methodologies & information exchange.

• Without this enabling activity project, Yemen will not be able to meet its commitments under the UNFCCC, prepare & submit the second BUR & FNC to the CoP of the UNFCCC. This project under the Global Environment Facility (GEF) enabling activities will enable Yemen to prepare its second BUR after the successful completion & submission of its Third National Communication (TNC) report and the First Biennial Update Report (1BUR) in 2018. It will assist in building further national capacities to fulfill Yemen’s commitments to the convention on a continuing basis, besides increasing the awareness on climate change issues, particularly among policymakers to take into consideration while setting out national & sectoral polices, strategies & programs.

• The project will contribute to strengthening national & institutional capacities to coordinate BUR / NC reporting process through designation of a technical group under the proposed National Climate Change Coordination Committee (NCCCC) to be established. An inter agency technical focal points representing the relevant line agencies will be designated & their capacities will be strengthened particularly for the collection of Green House Gases (GHG) inventory data from their respective agencies. Such capacity building & institutional arrangements which are to be undertaken by the project will support Yemen to coordinate BUR / NC reporting processes in a sustainable manner. The project will also increase levels of awareness on climate change issues particularly among policymakers. Similarly, the introduction of BUR will strengthen national capacities & enable Yemen to fulfil its future reporting requirements. Specifically, the BUR, for instance, will assess existing arrangements for domestic Monitoring, Reporting, Verification (MRV) & make suggestions for enhancement. The project draws on the experiences & results of the previous NCs, in particular, activities are focused on areas & sectors that have been identified as most relevant for the GHG balance in Yemen. A central element of the project strategy is to enhance the cost effectiveness of its planned interventions by capitalizing on its proven track record & experience in addressing environmental & climate change challenges in the country, besides its professional working relationships that have been established & maintained with partners & stakeholders, including national institutions, donor agencies & local communities as well as civil society organizations.

Purpose of assignment:

• Under previous exercises including the Initial National Communication (INC), the Second National Communication (SNC) & the Third National Communication (TNC), climate vulnerability & risk assessment on agriculture have been conducted for selected pilot areas including Dhamar, Sayoon, Marib, Hadhramout, Bajil, Almahweet & Wadi Bana. Also, a Vulnerability & Adaptation (V&A) study under the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR) project was conducted for Wadi Anna in Ibb.

• Under the FNC, within this assignment, a new pilot area will be identified, selected based on specific criteria in consultation with the PM. The assessment will be conducted to study & identify the potential climate impacts on agriculture in the selected area, analyze direct & combined climate change impacts on socio economic changes, demographic trends & to develop appropriate adaptation measures. The work to be undertaken under this assignment should be based on the best available scientific methods tools & models.

Objectives:

• The key objective of this assignment is to conduct a climate vulnerability & risk assessment on agriculture for a pilot area which will be identified & selected based on consultation with the PM & relevant key stakeholders.

• The work to be undertaken under this assignment should be based on the best available scientific methods tools, approaches & should be in line & in consistency with other climate change related activities.

The assignment will take five (5) months distributed over a period of eight months, during this period the consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Project Manager & the overall guidance of the Climate Change, Energy, & Environment Team Leader (CCEE - TL). An outline of the methodology & scope of work is summarized as follows:

• Conduct a literature desk review of related reports & studies.

• Develop an inception report explaining the approach, methodology, scope of the assignment & detailed workplan with timelines of tasks.

• Participate in the training on the tools & models used for conducting the assessment.

• Carry out data collection for the target area from different sources of data & information.

• Conduct field visits to the relevant agencies & institutions as well as target areas for data collection & consultation.

• Carry out a quantitative & qualitative analysis for the collected data & information.

• Work in close collaboration with other consultants working under the FNC - BUR2 project on other sectors to ensure data & information sharing as well as lessons learned.

• Ensure gender engagement & inclusion in the identification of vulnerabilities, impacts & adaptation measures.

The National Climate Vulnerability & Risk Assessment Consultant should work in consultation with & under the guidance & supervision of the Project Manager (PM). Specifically, her / his responsibilities are but not limited to the following:

• Prepare a detailed work plan for this assignment on the basis of the overall project work plan.

• In consultation with the Project Manager (PM), establish, lead & oversees the team of experts for performing the study.

• Select & implement, in consultation with the PM, the methodologies for conducting the study.

• Produce a list & collate existing studies of climate change impact on agriculture in Yemen as well as best practices on climate resilient agriculture in arid regions.

• In consultation with PM, select the pilot area(s) for this project. The justification & rationale of the chosen pilot area should be confirmed by the PM.

• Identify the main livelihoods, land & water use patterns in the selected area.

• Identify & assess the quality of the available climate data, crop, water & land management information for the pilot area. This should include reviewing the availability of high resolution topographic, land cover & land management information.

• Assess the exposure & sensitivity of each livelihood to the range of conditions projected by climate change scenarios taking into account historic climate data & non climatic factors (such as changes in technology, crop management, new cultivars, etc.) where feasible. The assessment should be based on quantitative & qualitative analysis of the above data.

• Assess the potential impacts of climate change on agriculture using the recommended scenarios for climate variability & change.

• Assess the potential impacts of climate change on vulnerable groups within the community in the pilot area with specific focus on women.

• Assess the options & scope for more sustainable land & agriculture management practices within the communities in the selected districts pilot area.

• Propose cost effective climate resilient diversification options & portfolios for the addressed local community drawing on traditional knowledge, past experiences & good practices.

• Ensure to include specific sections on the impacts of climate change & the proposed adaptation measures related to gender issues.

• Propose potential methods for the uptake of the adaptation options beyond the pilot area.

• Engage with local government agencies, the governorates & local communities in the process of monitoring climate change impacts on agriculture & sustainable agriculture management practices by promoting climate change risk assessment & analysis.

• Ensure balanced representation of women & men throughout the consultation processes.

• Ensures the timely & effective management of the activities as scheduled.

• Provides periodic progress report "in English language" to the PM.

• Incorporate & consolidate all findings, results, products & outputs of the assignment into a working document to be presented for consultation, comments & discussion at a national workshop for all relevant stakeholders. The consultant is also expected to prepare the necessary presentations for the workshop & summarize the workshop findings into the assignment final report.

• Prepares & submit the study report for review, comments & finalize the report accordingly.

• Draft the respective chapter of Agriculture V&A for the FNC along with the respective parts of executive summaries, all in English language.

The consultancy shall be carried out within an allocated time of five months distributed over the period of eight months. The key deliverables, timeframe & requirements are presented in the table below.  

This role works under the direct supervision of the Project Manager & the overall guidance of the Climate Change, Energy, & Environment Team Leader (CCEE - TL).

• MSc in agriculture, environment, natural resources or another field relevant to the project with a minimum of 7 years of working experience in the area relevant to climate change & agriculture.

• Substantial involvement in preparing similar studies on climate change V&A assessment.

• Enough understanding of V&A models & tools.

• Demonstrable knowledge of MCA, GIS & SWAT.

• Demonstrated ability of analytical & drafting work.

• Familiarity with computers & Microsoft Office processing (Word, Excel; Power Point).

• Fluency in both written & oral English & Arabic languages.

This role has no team management responsibility.

• The PM is responsible for validating deliverables prior to the issuance of payments.

• Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for this role.