REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL – TERMS OF REFERENCE (B)EAT THE LOCUST PROJECT: BASELINE REPORT PROOFREADING AND EDITING

PROJECT FUNDING PROVIDED BY NATIONAL POSTCODE LOTTERY (NETHERLANDS) AND CORDAID

ASSIGNMENT BRIEF:

ASSIGNMENT: PROOFREADING AND EDITING OF BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

OPEN TO: INDIVIDUALS

LOCATION: REMOTE WORK

DURATION: 2 WORKING DAYS SPREAD ACROSS 5 WORKING DAYS

SUPERVISOR: CORDAID

1. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

Desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria) outbreaks have become a recurring plague from Mauritania to India, from Yemen to Kenya, and beyond. The desert locusts (DL) migrate great distances of up to 90 miles per day, with 1 km2 swarms containing 40-80 million locusts1 consuming the same amount of food per day as 35,000 people. During the 2019 to 2021 DL outbreak, the worst to ever occur in Kenya in the past 25 years, the swarms consumed approximately 1.8 million tons of vegetation a day, covering 107,000 km2 (20% of the country). In the process, new DL breeding sites were created along the DL migration paths in Kenya. With increasing and frequent climate change effects in favour of increased breeding and survival of DLs (Desert Locusts), it is anticipated that more frequent, intense, and destructive outbreaks, with higher risk of community livelihoods destruction will be witnessed.

Currently, the preferred DL management strategy employed by government is aerial sprays of enormous amounts of synthetic/chemical pesticides at great cost. Although there is little research on the effects of chemical pesticides, it is likely that it has long-term negative effects on human and environmental health as well as huge losses of local biodiversity, threatening the achievements of the sustainable development goals. Some of the pesticides used in control of DL in Kenya are even reported to have been banned in Europe and the US due to their toxicity to bees and fish particularly.2

The uptake of biopesticides for DL control in Kenya is low. There is only one biopesticide available (Green Muscle), which is patented and therefore produced by a single company. The availability of the biopesticide on short notice in copious quantities for DL swarm management is thus challenging. In addition, no other innovative and environmentally friendly solutions exist for eradicating DL plagues. Nevertheless, pastoralists in the ASAL (Arid and Semi-Arid Lands) regions of Kenya would prefer biopesticides given their high affinity for use of natural remedies against pests and diseases, building on their traditional indigenous knowledge and practises.

While FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) has a community reporting system for environmental damage due to use of chemical pesticides, most local communities are unaware of it or even the knowledge on the effects of chemical pesticides. Local communities need to be aware of the effects of chemical pesticides and empowered to speak up to protect their environment on which they depend as pastoralists.

The outbreak of Covid 19 followed closely by the DL outbreak which cleared large areas of pasture further exacerbated the vulnerability of pastoralists’ livelihoods. As a result, many pastoralists lost their livestock. For pastoralists, livestock is their main capital source and once lost, they lack the investment capacity to buy new animals. In addition, livestock presents cultural and social value for these pastoralists. The lack of income opportunities is also luring vulnerable youth into violent extremism in Northern Kenya, with Al Shabab recruiting cross-border for their cause in Somalia3. This calls for a solution that would create new livelihood opportunities that foster food and nutrition security in the region. As per the latest IPC report, 1.4 million people in the ASAL regions were classified as ‘people in crises’ or ‘people in emergency’ in February 2021. This was projected to grow to 2 million people over April and May 2021. Additionally, there are elevated levels of acute malnutrition in the ASAL regions, especially among children aged 6-59 months and pregnant and lactating women, attributed to a reduced milk production and consumption4.

Nonetheless, DLs also present untold opportunity for pastoralists. Over 65 countries prone to outbreaks have historically gathered locusts for sale or home use as food or feed because they are rich in proteins (52-87% on dry matter basis). Locusts are also rich in fat (17%), minerals, vitamins D and E, omega-3 fatty acids, flavonoids, and chitin, which contribute to improved nutrition and enhanced immunity in humans and livestock. A DL swarm covering a square kilometre is estimated to contain the equivalent of 8-16 tons of high-quality protein biomass. This thus presents a viable solution to the animal production industry in Kenya which is constrained by a lack of high-protein animal feed, volatile prices5 and a high dependency on imported protein ingredients such as fishmeal and soybeans6.

There is clearly an opportunity for local agribusinesses to develop high-protein products for their use in the feed industries. A pilot project between December 2020 and March 2021 by Cordaid’s ACT Alliance partner DanChurchAid on harvesting of desert locusts for animal feed proved that processed DL have the potential to replace soybean as the protein input for chicken broiler diets, with positive effects on growth performance and body composition and reduced feed costs. Among poultry farmers in Western Kenya who fortify chicken feed with insects (termites), it has been established that this boosts the poultry immunity to common poultry disease outbreaks.

While DLs offer an interesting business case for processing into animal feed, their availability is unpredictable. To bridge periods when there are no DLs, a combination with Kenya’s rapidly developing cricket breeding industry might offer sustainability solutions. Crickets are an equally reliable source of animal protein, fatty acids, and micronutrients such as iron, zinc, and folate, containing two times more proteins than beef, four times more iron than spinach and more B12 than salmon. They can easily be processed and have a neutral taste. Because cricket breeding can be done in a closed environment with the right standards, food safety is less at stake.

For human consumption, there is a substantial and growing market opportunity for crickets. There is a growing demand for insect-based food in Kenya especially among the middle- and high-income groups, pregnant and lactating women, and urban population focussed on health, nutrition, fitness, and general well-being who are increasingly using cricket-based produce7. An ICIPE Survey showed that in Central Kenya, 65.5% of the respondents were familiar with entomophagy, and expressed willingness to consume crickets. Majority of respondents 93.3% and 50.8% preferred crickets in powder form and premixing of the powder with staple foods8.

The ASAL regions seem to be the perfect area for cricket rearing. There are at least two indigenous edible species (Scapsipedus icipe and Gryllus bimaculatus) that foster in the warm and dry ASAL environment. Unlike other places for cricket rearing in the highlands of Kenya, there is no heating source needed to keep the crickets warm at night, and the species are resilient to common pests and diseases in the area. Additionally, crickets have shown to have a significantly smaller carbon footprint than other animal-based protein sources for human consumption, amongst others because they need less water and feed9 which are scarce in the ASAL region.

2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

2.1 OVERVIEW

(B)eat the Locust is a three-year project funded by the Nationale Postcode Loterej of Netherlands and implemented by Cordaid (Lead partner), ICIPE and IMPACT in Laikipia, Isiolo, Marsabit and Samburu Counties of Kenya.

2.2 PROJECT OBJECTIVE AND DESIRED RESULTS

2.2.1 Overall Objective

The Project’s main objective is diversification of the livelihoods of pastoralist communities in desert locust prone areas in Kenya based on an environmentally friendly and scalable insect value chain.

2.2.2 Outcomes

The project is expected to achieve the following outcomes:

1. Biopesticides have been adopted through policy (county and national level) as the preferred mechanism for controlling Desert Locust Outbreaks in target communities;
2. Pastoralist communities build livelihoods on insect value chains.
3. Establishing Insect value chains for human and animal consumption

2.3 IMPLEMENTATION AND PARTNERS

The project is implemented by Cordaid (Catholic Organization for Relief and Development Aid) being the lead implementor in partnership with ICIPE (International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology) and IMPACT (Indigenous Movement for Peace Advancement and Conflict Transformation

3. PROOFREADING AND EDITING OF BASELINE SURVEY REPORT

3.3.2 Assignment Background and Overview

In May 2023, we commissioned a Baseline Survey to provide an understanding on the viability and opportunities for diversification of the livelihoods of pastoralist communities in desert locust prone areas in Kenya based on an environmentally friendly DL control measures and scalable insect value chain. The Survey was undertaken by an independent consultant and concluded in November 2023. The survey adopted a mixed method approach collecting data through quantitative and qualitative approaches including household questionnaires, desktop review, Key Informant Interviews and Focus Group Discussions with community members in the four target Counties of Marsabit, Samburu, Isiolo and Laikipia. The Survey specific objectives were as outlined below:

1. Provide a comparative cost-benefit analysis of the use of biopesticides versus chemical pesticides in the control of DLs;
2. Identify the current policy status, gaps (if any) and pathways for promoting biopesticides use as alternatives to chemical pesticides in the control of DLs at county and national levels- including extent of biopesticide adoption at county and national level if any;
3. Determine the status of the insect value chains in Kenya, including awareness, key challenges and opportunities, and doorways for establishing vibrant DL and cricket insect value chains; and general perception of communities on insect rearing and consumption.
4. Highlight the feasibility and measures of enhancing the livelihoods and resilience of pastoralist youth and women, who have fallen out of pastoralism, through their engagement in the DL and cricket insect value chains
5. Outline plausible measures and mechanisms for improving human and animal nutritional needs through the insect value chain.
6. Provide benchmark statistics and indicators against which to measure the project results

A report was submitted upon completion of the assignment by the consultants in November. The report however had a few gaps that we would want addressed by a separate consultant by proofreading and editing.

3.3.2 Scope of Work

The consultant(s) will undertake the following activities:

1. Refine the executive summary to provide a comprehensive overview of the report’s key aspects in line with the outlined objectives.
2. Triangulate the data provided under findings for each section to ensure that quantitative and qualitative data responding to a particular study objective and research questions align and are captured in the respective sections and not separately.
3. With the guidance of Cordaid team, refine the non-standard acronyms used.
4. Ensure the conclusions and recommendations sections are distinct in terms of content to avoid duplication between these two sections.
5. General formatting and proofreading of the document, including addressing grammatical errors.
6. Refine the abridged version to align with the full report.

3.3.3 Assignment Duration

The duration of the assignment is a maximum of 2 working days spread across 5 days. Conducted in February 2024.

3.3.4 Role of Cordaid

1. Provide any necessary documentation, including the report and any other relevant information and data to enable the assignment to be concluded.
2. Any other relevant guidance requested by the consultant.

3.4. Expected Deliverables

1. Final report, well formatted, free of errors, coherent with good level of detail.
2. An abridged version of the final report highlighting the key findings well formatted, free of errors coherent with good level of detail.

3.5. Required Qualifications, Experience and Skills

1. Minimum Degree in Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, Social Sciences, Literature or any related field.
2. Minimum of 5 to 7 years relevant experience, demonstrated ability to write, edit or proofread and edit reports for various audiences, with portfolio that includes donor reports, evaluation reports and other documents.