Background

HarvesPlus improves nutrition and public health by developing and promitng biofortified food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals, and providing global leadership on biofortification evidence and technology. HarvestPlus works across the CGIAR as part of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

The biofortified crops delivered by HarvestPlus were developed using conventional plant breeding to develop high yielding, climate-smart, staple food crops with high levels of iron, zinc, and vitamin A, the three micronutrients of greatest public health significance globally. The Global HarvestPlus Crop Development Alliance leads biofortified crop variety development in partnership with CGIAR breeding centers and National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in target countries to ensure that these varieties are not only nutrition-smart, but are also climate-smart, high-yielding, and combine productivity and end-use quality traits which trigger adoption and consumption. As of 2021, an estimated 12 million farming households (60 million people) are growing and eating these nutritionally enriched staple crops across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Robust and well documented evidence shows that under HarvestPlus, biofortified crops are adopted and consumed by farmers and target populations and published nutritional efficacy trials have shown regular consumption of biofortified crops improves micronutrient intake, reduces micronutrient deficiency, and improves health outcomes.

HarvestPlus is helping to scale incorporation of these biofortified crops into food systems through engagement with national policy makers, to foster a conducive policy environment. Our policy engagement work to this end has yielded significant traction at senior levels in India, including endorsements from Prime Minister Modi, expanded collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) on seed production, and collaboration with the Government of Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Program. Social transfer programs like school feeding play a significant role especially in India where the national school feeding program reaches 120M children ever school day and is a major focus both for public investment and policy integration. These are key public procurement channels in which to incorporate biofortified food grains and products.

Developing the Integration Strategy

Two ongoing pilots offer lessons for a forthcoming project that will allow Akshaya Patra and other potential agencies to procure biofortified grain. In a new partnership with World Bank funded Government of Bihar’s livelihood initiative - JEEViKA - HarvestPlus is testing a model which trains existent local FPO/FPCs, to produce biofortified seed and market this to other local farmers to grow biofortified grain. A second pilot focuses on testing the acceptability and additional nutrition benefit of biofortified grain in India’s school feeding program in collaboration with potential partners in India. This pilot is leveraging the partnership with the Government of India’s mid-day meal scheme which is a leading food science, preparation and distribution platform to meet school children’s nutritional needs.

Biofortification in India

India is home to some 1.3 billion people. In India, 30% of adult males, 45% of adult females, 80% of pregnant females, and 60% of children are iron deficient. Meanwhile, some 300 million Indians (22% of the population) are deficient in zinc, including 44% of all Indian children under the age of five.

Nationally, pearl millet is consumed by 6-7% of households in India but reaches a much higher percentage in six states, i.e. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan account for 90% of pearl millet production and consumption. Other states where the crop is often consumed include Maharashtra and Karnataka. Consumption of pearl millet is highest in the state of Rajasthan, at 60 grams per day on average. Wheat is widely consumed across all states in India with an average consumption of 138 grams per day, accounting for 20% of daily caloric intake. Outside of southern India, average consumption is even higher. Major wheat cultivation and production hub are found in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Punjab.

Biofortified varieties of pearl millet and wheat are potential vehicles for increasing iron and zinc intakes, respectively, that could significantly reduce the prevalence of iron and zinc deficiency in the Indian population. Iron pearl millet is estimated to provide up to 70% of daily iron needs in young women while zinc wheat biofortified is estimated to provide up to 50% of daily zinc needs.

In support of the production and consumption of biofortified iron pearl millet, the Indian Council on Agricultural Research (ICAR) has mandated that all released varieties of hybrid pearl millet seed be biofortified to a minimum of 42 ppm iron. In addition, iron pearl millet has recently been included as a commodity that will be distributed via the Public Distribution System (PDS). India’s PDS, managed through central and state governments, works to ensure that staple commodities are available to India’s populace.

Objective of the RFP

The main objective of the RFP is to identify a consultant/consultants/organization/JV/Consortiums (hereafter referred to as Consultant) that will primarily work to achieve the following:

The consultant will hire a team of state coordinators who will work with HarvestPlus and report to the relevant Project Manager in HarvestPlus.

1. Technical Support and Capacity Building of FPCs and Farmers: The Consultant, through their on-ground team, will develop modules to train and build the capacities of FPCs and farmers for seed multiplication and grain production along with aggregation and segregation.
2. Seed and Grain Production through FPCs: The identified Consultant will work across the aforementioned geographies to implement the seed production and grain production value chains either directly or through partners.
3. Grain Aggregation: The Consultant will be responsible for the development of strategy, process, and SOP for aggregation and segregation of grains produced in the agreed upon geographies.
4. Partnership and Linkages: The Consultant will identify and facilitate partnership with public private partners to facilitate not only the production of the seeds and grains but also the linking up or finished products to the aganwadi and primary schools in the geographies.
5. Reporting, Monitoring, and Evaluation: The Consultant will also be responsible for collecting data, sharing progress reports, and sharing the analysis of data to showcase the progress and outcomes thus achieved.
6. Monitoring Seed Production and Distribution: Manage seed trials, production, and distribution, including data collection and digitalization, procurement operations, lab report drafting, and stakeholder partnerships to promote biofortified crop outreach in India.

   Indicative Timeline/Process Deliverable Deadline Submit any questions by March 31, 2024 Technical and financial proposal submission April 5, 2024 Presentation by shortlisted organizations April 15, 2024 Final response regarding selection of the executing agency April 20, 2024 Contracting process initiated April 25, 2024

   The assignment duration will be for 3 months where the implementing partner can apply for one or multiple states.

   To Apply

   Proposal format should be no longer than 20 pages in 12 size Arial font, including a detailed capability statement, approach, and budget. The technical proposal document should include an approach to the scope of work, implementation timeline, methodology, approach, program pathway, and risk mitigation strategy. The financial proposal should outline budget details. The detailed budget should be in US dollars and include fees, travel, accomodation, and any other direct costs to be incurred in the delivery of the scope of work. Include a brief narrative justification for each line item. The budget should be inclusive of all taxes/VAT and indirect costs. The final budget amount will be approved by HarvestPlus prior to starting the consultancy. Selection will be based on experience, delivery approach, timeline, and reasonable cost.

   Submit proposals to the IFPRI website. If any questions about the call for proposals, you may reach out to s.purwar@cgiar.org. Please include \"HaNSA-India\" and the requisition number 2024-H44-006 in the subject line.