SCOPE OF WORK AND OUTPUTS/DELIVERABLES

• Detailed Report on Situational Analysis and Stakeholder Analysis and Social Landscape mapping for each of the 4 Sub landscapes. The following are the specific details:
• Highlight the key natural resources in the sub-landscapes, with emphasis on Food, Water and Biodiversity, including which are healthy and which are degrading.
• Identify priority challenges and opportunities, including history, state, the main trends and drivers of land degradation that are affecting natural resources (especially agriculture, water and biodiversity) use and management in the sub-landscape. Key issues may include land use change (e.g. agricultural expansion, land tenure and land use practices, urban development and resource extraction), socio-economic trends (e.g. main sources of income for different groups), presence of indigenous people and demographic trends (e.g. migration patterns and population growth).
• Highlight how different parts of the sub-landscape interact or connect, e.g. how upland soil and/or forest management affect water flow and quality, downstream, biodiversity, food production or habitat quality.
• Identify and evaluate the presence and effectiveness of key national and county-specific policy instruments (including laws, policies, regulations, guidelines, strategies, plans and incentive mechanisms) for forest landscape restoration in the sub-landscapes, with emphasis on food, water and biodiversity. This includes local land tenure arrangements and traditional decision-making mechanisms.
• Detailed stakeholder analysis and social landscape mapping: Social landscape mapping, roles and responsibilities and mapping influence. Map all the key institutions and stakeholders/actors in the sub-landscape (through the lens of food, water and biodiversity), including who is doing what and where, who is benefitting from the natural resources and/or who are impacted by their degradation. This includes identifying any multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs) present related to forest landscape restoration, with emphasis on food/agriculture, water and/or biodiversity. Develop a power map that not only identifies key actors but also examines the structures, institutions, and norms that influence decision making and resource access within the sub-landscape. This will include analyzing power dynamics, hierarchies, and relationships that shape resource governance, equity, and community participation, providing a deeper understanding of the enablers and barriers to forest landscape restoration in these priority landscapes.
• Identify hot spots of land degradation, in the different biophysical and ecological zones (riparian areas, agro- pastoralists, highly intensive agriculture, wetlands etc. and identify feasible restoration contextualized methods in the specific sub landscapes, including maps and list of specific areas in the 4 sub landscapes where restoration implementation would have most impact for water, food and biodiversity in the sub-landscape.
• Methodology: This assignment will be carried out through desktop review, consultative meetings and interviews with local actors. Sources of information may include reports from routine monitoring by government agencies, studies by research organizations or NGOs, participatory assessments with farmers and other local practitioners, and structured workshops with stakeholders including insights and reconstructed histories developed by focus groups including diverse individuals who have deep experience in the landscape for the 4 sub landscapes.

TIMING

• Timeline 2 months (60 days) consultancy, starting upon the signature of the contract.

BUDGET

• Compensation will be based on a total fixed fee for the delivery of all required deliverables.WRI will not reimburse for miscellaneous costs (e.g., travel, office supplies). Rather, these costs should be built into the total cost of the contract. If the Consultant sub-contracts other individuals or organizations to assist in the performance of the Services, the Consultant shall be responsible for any payments to such individuals or organizations. Each payment will be based on the receipt and acceptance by WRI of a product/deliverable and invoice.
• Please note that WRI is an IRS-registered 501(c)3, tax-exempt organization. WRI is not VAT exempt. All prices or quotes should include VAT and tax, as applicable.

GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Requirements

• The selected vendor should be able to demonstrate capacity in similar work, particularly:
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of the Greater Rift Valley Landscape
• Expertise and experience in research on drivers of and impacts on land degradation in context of Food, Land and Water and its impact on Food, Water and Biodiversity in the Greater Rift Valley Landscape.
• Expertise and experience in socioeconomic research in Kenya, Gender and Social Equity issues across GRV sub landscapes, intersectionality and Community livelihood dynamics.
• Expertise and experience in using GIS and other statistical tools.
• Experience in publishing in journal articles and technical reports