VCA4D//Cashmere_Mongolia_call for experts! DDL 03/04/2023

22nd March 2023
by secretary

Agrinatura News

VCA4D project launches a new call for experts for a value chain analysis on cashmere in Mongolia.

The profiles are detailed below. Each expert will have 45 working days (50 for the team leader).The period for the study is April– October 2023.

The ToR will be circulated as soon as approved – but this is expected to be a standard study, undertaken by using the VCA4D methodology, as described in the ‘Methodological Brief. Tools and Methods’.

Please send the CVs of candidates to vca4d@agrinatura-eu.eu and giorgia.mei@agrinatura-eu.eu , by Monday, 3^rd April 2023.

Context

The Mongolian economy is dominated by the extractive industry, but underexploited value-added lies in the livestock sector and in particular in the cashmere-wool, leather and meat value chains. Rural economies highly depend on livestock, with a traditional pastoral system dominated by goats’ pasture, mainly used to produce cashmere.

Mongolia is the second largest world producer of cashmere after China. The cashmere sector provides income and employment for over a third of its 3M people population and raw cashmere and cashmere products are Mongolia’s third largest export. About 80 percent of Mongolian cashmere is exported, while only 20 percent is further processed locally.

Despite its potential, the cashmere value chain is exposed not only to the changes in international demand and prices, but, above all, to local issues linked to the over exploitation of the resource. There is in fact an excess of animals with respect to the available grazing land which threatens the sustainability of the whole pastoral system. Cashmere herders tend to favour the quantity of wool over its quality, contributing to reduce its productivity and profitability. Moreover, excessive livestock heads and non-sustainable natural resource management, exacerbated by the effects of climate change, have increased the degradation of ecosystems, with alarming rates of desertification.

The government of Mongolia is engaged to fight these multiple challenges, pushed by the political momentum on “The One Billion Tree Initiative” initiated by the President of Mongolia at the margin of the COP26. The objective to fight deforestation and climate change, combined with the need to create jobs and fight food insecurity, is pushing toward diversification and transformation of main national raw materials, focusing on the agricultural sector. Cashmere production is identified among the strategic value chains to achieve these goals.

The EU Delegation to Mongolia supports this national vision which is reflected in the multi-annual implementation plan – MIP 2021-2027. The MIP has identified an area of action “Sustainable ecosystem and agriculture management for rural development” that aims to strengthen Mongolia’s transition to a greener economy, based on sustainable and resilient eco-system and agricultural management, focusing on strategic value chains, including the cashmere one.

The EU Delegation asked the value chain analysis to have an evidence-based analysis of the cashmere value chain and of the bottlenecks that jeopardize its full potential. The EU Delegation is particularly interested in better understanding the issues relating to in-country processing as well as to geographical indications as a mean to promote quality.

EXPERTISE REQUIRED

1) Agro-Economist S/he is a senior expert with deep knowledge and experience on value chain analysis from an economic point of view, possibly with a knowledge of livestock value chains. S/he will elaborate financial and economic accounts of the VC (and its sub-systems) as a whole and of its actors. He/she will analyse the VC from the different actors’ perspectives, as well as its contribution to the main economic indicators (GDP, balance of trade, public finance, etc.). He/she will be at ease with the concepts of income distribution, job creation, growth and distributive effects, viability of the VC in the international economy, etc. S/he will undertake a full functional analysis with the support of his/her colleagues.

Experience on economic analysis in value chain is required, and experience in livestock value chains is an asset.

Experience in developing/transition countries is required.

Professional experience in Mongolia is an asset.

Knowledge of English is required.

Experience in stakeholders’ management (including relations with high level officials and private sector) and analysis of public policies are a plus.

The economist will coordinate and consolidate the functional analysis, compiling the contributions from all experts. S/he will provide a Functional and Economic Analysis that will be included in the final report.

A collective training or at least an individual introduction to the AFA software will be made prior to the first mission. In the case the training cannot be done before the first mission, it will be done before the second mission.

S/he will help the team leader (if another member of the team) to (i) define the typology of actors that will be adopted throughout the study; (ii) formulate an executive summary and conclusions that combine the results of the different analyses in order to answer the framing questions and to finalise the report (reading, formatting of the report…). The expert will collaborate and integrate the analysis on market trends provided by COLEACP.

2) Social expert

S/he is a senior expert with deep knowledge of and experience on social issues related to agricultural value chains in developing countries, particularly on inclusiveness of the most vulnerable groups.

The expert has experience at least in two of the social domains covered by VCA4D (working conditions, land and water rights, gender equality, food and nutrition security, social capital, living conditions) and is able to handle and inform on the other ones.

Experience in social analysis of the agricultural sector is required, and specific experience on social issues in developing countries is strongly appreciated.

Experience in social aspects of the livestock VCs is highly appreciated.

Professional experience in Mongolia, or in the region, is compulsory.

Knowledge of English is required. Knowledge of Russian and German are an asset.

Experience in stakeholders’ management (including relations with high level officials and private sector) and analysis of public policies are a plus.

The social expert will provide a social analysis to be included in the report, on the basis of the VCA4D Social Profile. An introduction on how to complete the Social Profile will be made prior to the first mission.

The Social Expert will also support the economist for the analysis on inclusiveness and the LCA expert to deal with the Biodiversity Analysis.

S/he will help the team leader to: (i) define the typology of actors that will be adopted throughout the study; (ii) formulate an executive summary and conclusions that combine the results of the different analyses in order to answer the framing questions and to finalise the report (reading, formatting of the report…).

3) Environmental/LCA expert

S/he is a senior expert with deep knowledge of and experience on the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA).

Experience on value chain analysis in developing/transition countries is appreciated.

Experience in livestock VCs is an asset.

Professional experience in Mongolia/in the region will be appreciated.

The LCA Scientist must be able to investigate also local health risks and biodiversity issues in the environmental analysis.

Knowledge of English is required.

S/he will preferably use the SimaPro software for LCA.

S/he will provide the part of the report on the Environmental Analysis that will be included in the final report. His/her analysis will focus on the analysis of damages on resources, ecosystems and human health, as well as on the impacts on climate change.

S/he will help the team leader to: (i) define the typology of actors that will be adopted throughout the study, (ii) formulate an executive summary and conclusions that combine the results of the different analyses in order to answer the framing questions and to finalise the report (reading, formatting of the report…).

4) National Expert

S/he is a specialist of the cashmere value chain in Mongolia.

Relevant knowledge of the national institutions (technical, economic and political ones) and stakeholders (public and private) involved in the cashmere value chain is required.

At the beginning of the study, s/he will provide general information on the value chain, identifying key players and existing relevant information and data for the analyses. The national expert will help to select the most relevant data from available sources, to clarify inconsistencies and to improve coherence between analyses.

S/he will facilitate and complete the data collection, in agreement to the guidelines of the Team Leader. S/he will facilitate the contact between the whole team and the local stakeholders.

Depending on the organization chosen by the team, his/her work can be deployed before the missions (preparation of the mission of the colleagues), during the missions (support of colleagues during missions), between missions (collection of additional information, supervision of data collection, etc.), even after missions (additional information).

VCA4D//Cashmere_Mongolia_call for experts! DDL 03/04/2023

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