Consultant - Central Asia Stunting Reduction Initiative (CASI)

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a private, non-denominational, international development agency established in 1967. It seeks sustainable solutions to long-term problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and ill-health with special emphasis on the needs of rural communities in mountainous and other resource poor regions, primarily in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Its main areas of focus are education, health, rural development, environment and strengthening civil society.

The Aga Khan Foundation (Pakistan) [AKF (P)] is seeking a high caliber professional consultant, or consultancy service, to conduct field work in Northern Pakistan. This is a short-term consultancy for 45 days from mid-August to mid-December 2024. The beginning date will be mutually agreed upon between the consultant, or consultancy service, and AKF (P).

1.       Introduction and Background

The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) launched a stunting reduction programme since 2019 in Northern Pakistan to break the inter-generational cycle of stunting, through direct intensive nutrition services targeting mothers and children. Traditionally, nutrition programmes focus on improving primary drivers of stunting and treating malnourished children.  While these are strong evidence-based interventions and will be supported through the stunting programme, they are not sufficient to have long-term impact. The programme intensively focuses on the first 1,000 days including ensuring adequate maternal nutrition and identifying early signs of gestational weight gain faltering and growth faltering in children and proactively addressing shortcomings to prevent a worsening of their nutritional situation. 

Despite compelling implementation realities coupled with a complex interplay of Covid-19 pandemic impact, climate, and geography in Northern Pakistan, the AKDN stunting reduction programme resulted in reduction in underweight, wasting, and stunting from baseline in 2019 to midline in 2023. The challenge remains to address the disturbing trend of inconsistent frequency and consumption of good quality diets, including intake of protein and iron rich foods. There is a need to identify food-based approaches to support current malnutrition reduction efforts. As a result, AKDN proposes one nutrition-component to be developed within six months from July to December 2024, and tested for an additional six months from January to June 2025 to better understand and develop what food-based intervention, or mix of food-based interventions, works best in the evolving context of Northern Pakistan, such that the pilot includes a social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) component, and includes a reference food and eating plan at household level also.

2.       Consultancy Objectives

This consultancy will be conducted under the direct supervision of AKDN’s technical taskforce and under direct leadership of the Aga Khan Foundation. The consultancy aims to identify food-based dietary interventions for treatment and prevention of moderate wasting and moderate acute malnutrition in Northern Pakistan targeting Ghizer and Hunza districts of Gilgit, and Upper and Lower Chitral districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. More specifically, the consultancy will achieve the following objectives, with a specific timeline outlined on pages 4 and 5:

a)       Conduct a thorough literature review on nature-based food options, local food options, staple, traditional, indigenous, and forgotten or neglected foods and underutilized crops[1] (including plants, herbs etc.) in Ghizer, Hunza and Chitral districts in specific, in Northern Pakistan in general, and within Pakistan for potential to bring to Northern Pakistan.

b)      Devise a list of key informants in Ghizer, Hunza and Chitral districts, and conduct key informant interviews, and/or focus group discussions – in consultation with – with key researchers, government departments like food security and livelihood, Mountain Agricultural Research Centre (MARC), wheat fortification, community leaders, and key household individuals on locally available food, staple foods mostly consumed and dietary habits and preferences, and home food environment, variety, quantity and quality of foods available, seasonal variability and availability of vegetables and fruits during the lean periods, their traditional and modern way processing storage and transport and effectiveness of these methods, analysis of factors affecting access to food, such as geographical location, economic status, and transportation.

c)       Develop an evidence synthesis based on the results of the desk review and key informant interviews and focus group discussions, to provide recommendations on priority food crops, food items, potential plants, herbs and ingredients that could be used.

d)      Provide a brief on best practices. This should come after you have completed the written desk review, reviewed what experts, researchers, and community are saying about food-based options, and the evidence synthesis.

e)       Devise practical guidance/resources on potential for different combinations and proportions of priority food crops, food items, plants, herbs, and ingredients.

1. Scope of Work:                                                                         

The consultancy contract is planned for a total of 45 working days, or less, depending on the experience and the proposed timeframe by the consultant or consultancy service, starting anytime in August 2024 until a final hard date of 15 December 2024. The scope of work should provide a rationale for any proposed variance in the timeframe and should also include a consultancy rate per day according to the deliverables outlined below, and on page 3. The consultant will work closely with the Aga Khan Rural Support Program food team in the targeted geographies to complete the field work and coordinate meetings with key stakeholders. 

Deliverables

No. of Days

Preparation Phase (August 2024)

1)      Sign contract.

2)      Meet with AKDN technical taskforce.

3)      Finalize technical proposal with revised scope of work, methodology, and confirmation of deadline of each deliverable and payment modality, by 31 August 2024.

3 days

Desk Review Phase (August & September 2024)

1)      Conduct desk review, during August and September, on nature-based food options, local food options, staple, traditional, indigenous, and neglected foods (including plants, herbs etc.) in Ghizer, Hunza and Chitral districts in specific, in Northern Pakistan in general, and within Pakistan for potential to bring to Northern Pakistan (e.g. Salicornia[1] that can be grown in Sindh, or Moringa[2]). Also consult with key resources in the footnote.[3]

2)      Submit, by 15 September 2024, an annotated bibliography, including all articles, books, reports, videos, lectures, podcasts, and supplemental media in bibliographic format.

3)      Submit, by 30 September 2024, written desk review in English. It should be 15 pages in length.

4)      Report and discuss with AKDN technical taskforce on biweekly basis, starting in August 2024, maximum of 1 hour meeting.

Total of 15 days as follows:

·         7 days: desk review

·         3 days: annotated bibliography

·         5 days: write up of literature review.

Conduct interviews/focus group discussions (September – November 2024)

1)      Devise and finalize a list of key informants in Ghizer, Hunza and Chitral districts, by 15 September 2024.

2)      Conduct key informant interviews or focus group discussions – in consultation with – with key researchers, community leaders, and key household individuals on locally available food, staple foods mostly consumed (e.g. potato and potato-based options), fruits and other vegetables, and home food environment including seasonal availability and variability, food processing, storage and transport , effectiveness of these methods, Analysis of factors affecting access to these food, such as geographical location, economic status, and transportation by 31 October 2024.

3)      Submit a draft report on outcome of interviews, key thematic areas. And within 15 pages, by 15 November 2024.

4)      Report and discuss with AKDN technical taskforce on biweekly basis, maximum of 1 hour meeting.

21 days

Evidence Synthesis, best practices, and practical guidance (November & December 2024)

1)      Develop an evidence synthesis, by 30 November 2024, based on the results of the desk review and key informant interviews and focus group discussions, to provide recommendations on priority food crops, food items, potential plants, herbs and ingredients that could be used.

2)      Provide a 5-page brief on best practices, by 15 December 2024. This should come after you have completed the written desk review, reviewed what experts, researchers, and community are saying about food-based options, and the evidence synthesis.

3)      Devise practical 5-page guidance, by 15 December 2024, on potential for different combinations and proportions of priority food crops, food items, plants, herbs and ingredients.

4)      Report and discuss with AKDN technical taskforce on biweekly basis, maximum of 1 hour meeting.

9 days as follows:

·         3 days: evidence synthesis (combining literature review with interviews/focus group discussions). Maximum 30 pages.

·         3 days: brief on best practices (maximum 5 pages).

·         3 days: Practical guidance (maximum 5 pages).

TOTAL:

45 days

1.       Required Consultancy Profile

The consultant, or consultancy service, should have the following profile as a local consultant, or as a service group with local experts including:

4.1 Minimum Educational Qualifications required:

•         Master’s degree in agronomy, food science, food technology, anthropology, sociology, nutrition, public health or a related discipline.

•         Post-graduate qualification in social or food anthropology, customs and culinary practices in Pakistan, effective writing, social development, or any educational experience tackling food, nutrition, or nutrition social behavior change in Pakistan is an advantage.

4.2 Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

•         Should demonstrate knowledge of the history of food and eating culture, tradition, food anthropology, customs and cuisine of Pakistan, and more specifically, in Northern Pakistan, or what would work in the context of Northern Pakistan.

•         Should have a minimum of 5 years’ experience working in food science, food and nutrition management, food technology, or culinary-related systems and across sectors.

•         Ability to effectively write, grasp and incorporate inputs/feedback from multiple contributors.

•         Previous experience of food-related consultancies is desirable.

•         Must be a national of Pakistan and based inside Pakistan with frequent travel and presence in Northern Pakistan.

4.3 Language Skills:

•         Proficiency in English and Urdu.

•         Deliverables must be submitted in writing in English language, however, meetings with local staff and community will need to be held in local language/Urdu.

4.4 Experience:

•         At least 5 years of successful experience of working in relevant sector with government and development partners or academia in Pakistan. 

•         Demonstrated good understanding of food and nutrition structure and coordination mechanisms within relevant stakeholders in Pakistan, and more specifically in Northern Pakistan.

•         Relevant experience in organizational and systems development will be an advantage. 

•         Demonstrated application of gender equality principles to practical development situations.

•         Demonstrated ability to develop recipes and materials and write effectively.

1.5   Availability

·         The consultancy is of 45 days planned over a period of 3-months (90 days), during the months of August to December 2024.

·         As of August, biweekly meetings will be held with the assigned AKDN technical taskforce for support and update on deliverables. Meetings will be chaired by Mr. Mushtaq Hassan, the Programme Officer for the Central Asia Stunting Reduction Programme at the Aga Khan Foundation Islamabad Office. 

2.       Application Procedure

The selection of the consultant, or consultancy service, will be carried out in accordance with the procedures of the AKF Pakistan. Qualified and interested parties are asked to submit the following, in one package as a word file, or as a pdf file, at ********* Deadline is 18th August 2024. The package should contain the following:

5.1   Letter of Intent: The letter should be the first page of the package and should be a maximum of 1 page in Times New Roman font size of 11, including proposed dates with availability days during August, the names and contact information of three previous clients who can be contacted regarding relevant experience.

5.2   Technical Proposal: The technical proposal should be around 3-5 pages, in Times New Roman font size of 11, and should not exceed 5 pages. It should clearly include, but not necessarily be limited, to the following items:

Criteria

Evaluation Points: Introduction & Background brief (including the consultant or consultancy service understanding of the required assignment. Any previous experience in context of Ghizer, Hunza and/or Chitral will be a plus