DAI seeks a short-term consultant to
serve as a Cold Storage and Vegetable Packing Expert for the USAID Liberia Food
and Enterprise Development (FED) project. FED is a USAID-funded project that
aims to increase productivity, profitability, and access within the rice,
cassava, vegetable, and goat value chains; improve nutrition; and strengthen
food security. FED is focused on four priority
serve as a Cold Storage and Vegetable Packing Expert for the USAID Liberia Food
and Enterprise Development (FED) project. FED is a USAID-funded project that
aims to increase productivity, profitability, and access within the rice,
cassava, vegetable, and goat value chains; improve nutrition; and strengthen
food security. FED is focused on four priority
counties (Grand Bassa, Bong,
Nimba and Lofa) and two secondary counties, (Magribi and Montserrado). FED works
with partners throughout the value chain, improving productivity, strengthening
access to inputs and services, and creating market linkages, with a particular
focus on women and youth.
The FED project is implemented across
the following component objectives:
the following component objectives:
Component 1: Increase agricultural
productivity and profitability and improve human nutrition;
productivity and profitability and improve human nutrition;
Component 2: Stimulate private
enterprise growth and investment; and
enterprise growth and investment; and
Component 3: Build local technical and
managerial human resources to sustain and expand accomplishments achieved under
objectives one and two.
managerial human resources to sustain and expand accomplishments achieved under
objectives one and two.
Objective:
With the recovery of the Liberian
economy, the influx of concessioners’ business, and the increasing return of
the diaspora from the United States, demand for fresh vegetables, especially exotic
vegetables (those typically consumed by the expat community) have increased
over the last couple of years. Vegetables most in demand by hotels,
restaurants, supermarkets, and UNMIL include lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, and
tomatoes. Local Liberians and concessioners that employ Liberians continue to
demand local vegetables such as pepper, eggplant, butterball, kale, and okra.
With the exception of tomatoes, all of these vegetables grow well in Liberia,
but supply is inconsistent and quality often very poor when compared to
imports. There are two types of cold stores currently operating for profit in
Liberia: frozen storage for fish, chicken, and meat and cooling boxes for
packaged water. There is virtually no cold chain or storage for fresh
vegetables sourced from the counties and traders do not have access to
appropriate packaging solutions. First-buyer traders who engage with farmers to
buy produce at the farm gate, are utilizing small service transport (taxis or
small trucks) that are ill-equipped to transport large quantities of produce
properly. There is also no storage whatsoever at major market outlets
throughout the city. The only exceptions to this are major supermarkets that
have their own cold stores and vehicles, but these are not made available for
use by the farmers or the system of traders. All of this leads to high losses,
poor quality of produce, and ultimately low sales. Major constraints to
developing a cold chain for vegetables include high cost and limited access to
land for cold storage facilities in urban areas, lack of low cost energy
sources, and lack of proper packaging options sourced within Liberia.
Therefore, there is an immediate need for low cost, low tech, semi-mobile and
transport cold chain systems to be introduced into the system. In Year 3, FED
will begin to build the cold chain for delivery of fresh produce in Liberia on
a small scale. Towards that end, FED will begin to work with up to 7
entrepreneurs and 2 transport companies to establish cold stores at strategic
collection and market locations and to establish vehicles with cold store
capability. FED will work with local entrepreneurs on a cost-sharing basis to
construct and operate the cold store systems, which could be made available on
a fee-for-service basis for local traders. FED will support the entrepreneurs
in seeking credit for the investment in the new technology, if needed. The
average total investment not expected to exceed more than $10-$15K per cold
store solution. The use of alternative sources of energy such as solar and
bio-energy generators should be explored. In addition, FED will be facilitating
the establishment of simple community collection centers in the counties that
will utilize low cost cooling storage, sorting and grading, packing, packaging.
economy, the influx of concessioners’ business, and the increasing return of
the diaspora from the United States, demand for fresh vegetables, especially exotic
vegetables (those typically consumed by the expat community) have increased
over the last couple of years. Vegetables most in demand by hotels,
restaurants, supermarkets, and UNMIL include lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, and
tomatoes. Local Liberians and concessioners that employ Liberians continue to
demand local vegetables such as pepper, eggplant, butterball, kale, and okra.
With the exception of tomatoes, all of these vegetables grow well in Liberia,
but supply is inconsistent and quality often very poor when compared to
imports. There are two types of cold stores currently operating for profit in
Liberia: frozen storage for fish, chicken, and meat and cooling boxes for
packaged water. There is virtually no cold chain or storage for fresh
vegetables sourced from the counties and traders do not have access to
appropriate packaging solutions. First-buyer traders who engage with farmers to
buy produce at the farm gate, are utilizing small service transport (taxis or
small trucks) that are ill-equipped to transport large quantities of produce
properly. There is also no storage whatsoever at major market outlets
throughout the city. The only exceptions to this are major supermarkets that
have their own cold stores and vehicles, but these are not made available for
use by the farmers or the system of traders. All of this leads to high losses,
poor quality of produce, and ultimately low sales. Major constraints to
developing a cold chain for vegetables include high cost and limited access to
land for cold storage facilities in urban areas, lack of low cost energy
sources, and lack of proper packaging options sourced within Liberia.
Therefore, there is an immediate need for low cost, low tech, semi-mobile and
transport cold chain systems to be introduced into the system. In Year 3, FED
will begin to build the cold chain for delivery of fresh produce in Liberia on
a small scale. Towards that end, FED will begin to work with up to 7
entrepreneurs and 2 transport companies to establish cold stores at strategic
collection and market locations and to establish vehicles with cold store
capability. FED will work with local entrepreneurs on a cost-sharing basis to
construct and operate the cold store systems, which could be made available on
a fee-for-service basis for local traders. FED will support the entrepreneurs
in seeking credit for the investment in the new technology, if needed. The
average total investment not expected to exceed more than $10-$15K per cold
store solution. The use of alternative sources of energy such as solar and
bio-energy generators should be explored. In addition, FED will be facilitating
the establishment of simple community collection centers in the counties that
will utilize low cost cooling storage, sorting and grading, packing, packaging.
Tasks:
- Advise
on proper low cost, low tech cold store technology for storage units and
vehicles that are appropriate for given locations, local infrastructure
and market demand for certain fresh vegetables and advise on low cost, low
tech packaging solutions for fresh vegetables; - Advise
on proper fresh vegetable cooling, packing and packaging techniques for
community collection centers in rural areas; - Design
business models for up to 2 cold storage facilities to be placed at major
market areas in Monrovia (Red Light Market and Duala Market areas) and up
to 5 cold storage facilities to be placed in the counties; - Suggest
sources of all equipment and packaging solutions, storage and vehicle
units; - Collaborate
with FED to identify ideal location in the counties for the construction
of the cold storage units; - Provide
recommendation for training modules; and - Provide
recommendations on next steps as appropriate.
Deliverables:
- A
design and bill of quantities for each cold store and cooling system
solution (storage and vehicles); - Recommendations
for packaging solutions with potential sources for procurement; and - Produce
one interim update and one final report and presentation according to FED
specifications.
Reporting : Cold Storage and Packaging
Expert for the Vegetable Value Chain will report to the FED Chief of Party and
work closely with Vegetable Value Chain team .
Expert for the Vegetable Value Chain will report to the FED Chief of Party and
work closely with Vegetable Value Chain team .
Requirements:
- Minimum
of 15 years of relevant professional experience in cold storage and
packaging for vegetable value chains, including experience with cooling
systems, packing, and packaging techniques; - Experience
providing technical assistance and solutions for low cost, low tech cold
storage and packaging systems in rural areas; - Experience
in West Africa is highly desired; - Master’s
degree in relevant technical area is preferred; Bachelor’s degree is
required; and - Excellent
spoken and written abilities in English is required. This assignment is
expected to begin in December 2013/January 2014. Interested applicants are
encouraged to apply immediately for consideration for this opportunity.
How to Apply
Interested candidates are required to follow the
link below to apply
link below to apply