A.
BACKGROUND
Liberia’s agriculture sector
serves as a backbone of its economy, employing 60% of the population and
contributing 60% to GDP. Dominated by smallholder farming and shifting
cultivation, the sector primarily produces crops like rice, cassava, rubber,
and palm oil. However, despite the economic importance, agricultural
productivity remains low due to limited access to modern techniques, quality
inputs, and market information. These challenges are further compounded by environmental
degradation, poverty, and a lack of resilient practices, contributing to food
insecurity that affects 46% of Liberian households, particularly in rural
areas. On average, Liberian households face approximately three months of food
insecurity annually.
At the same time, Liberia's
digital landscape is still developing, with internet penetration at 30% and
mobile phone usage at 60% as of 2024. The government has initiated efforts to
expand broadband infrastructure to improve digital inclusion, but critical
challenges persist, including unreliable electricity, high data costs, and
limited rural connectivity. These infrastructural barriers hinder the
widespread adoption of digital solutions, particularly in the agriculture
sector, where innovation is urgently needed to improve productivity and
resilience.
Recognizing the transformative
potential of digital technologies in agriculture, the government has launched
some targeted initiatives. In 2024, the country conducted its first digital
agriculture census with FAO support. Other ongoing efforts include the
introduction of digital tools for agricultural extension services, market
information systems, and weather forecasting. However,
the uptake and scalability of such initiatives remain limited.
To address these challenges
and unlock the potential of digital agriculture, there is an urgent need to:
1.
Assess the
current state of Liberia’s agriculture sector and digital ecosystem.
2.
Identify the
barriers and opportunities for adopting innovative, scalable digital solutions.
3.
Strengthen
partnerships among key stakeholders, including the government, private sector,
development partners, and AgTech innovators, to drive collaborative solutions.
In this context, the World Bank seeks a
qualified consulting firm to conduct a Comprehensive Needs Assessment. This
assessment will serve as a foundation for Liberia's digital agriculture
strategy by generating data-driven insights and actionable recommendations. The
findings will guide strategic interventions, including the upcoming Innovation
Hackathon. The hackathon will serve as a platform to address Liberia's
agricultural challenges by fostering innovative, practical, and scalable
digital solutions that enhance productivity, resilience, and food security.
B.
OBJECTIVE
The World Bank is
looking for a consultant (firm/institution) to develop and conduct a
comprehensive needs assessment and user survey to understand the current state
of the agriculture sector and digital infrastructure in Liberia.
The primary objectives
of the consultancy are to:
- Conduct a
comprehensive needs assessment to identify the challenges, barriers,
and opportunities for adopting digital solutions in Liberia’s
agriculture sector, including technical, regulatory, and financial
aspects.
- Assess the
current state and capacity of the AgTech innovation ecosystem,
including national, regional, and global networks, to respond to Liberia’s
agricultural challenges.
- Map and engage key
stakeholders within the agriculture and technology ecosystem, such as
government agencies, private sector players, farmer organizations,
incubators, accelerators, donors, and research institutions.
- Facilitate
stakeholder engagement and public-private partnerships by advising
on partnership frameworks, exploring formal and informal arrangements, and
organizing stakeholder meetings (co-design sessions) to build
collaborative relationships.
- Develop a prioritized
list of actionable problem statements based on the findings of the
needs assessment, ensuring the challenges are clearly defined,
purpose-driven, and time-bound to guide strategic interventions, such
as the upcoming Innovation Hackathon.
The Needs Assessment
and Survey Report is the final output of the activity. It will be a detailed
report addressing the specific challenges and opportunities faced by the
Liberia’s agriculture sector and a prioritized list of digital agriculture
services, emphasizing sustainable practices. The report will be published
externally.
C.
MAIN TASKS
The
consulting firm will conduct a comprehensive needs assessment to
evaluate Liberia's agriculture sector, digital infrastructure, and regulatory
environment, with a specific focus on RETRAP beneficiary districts. The
assessment aims to identify challenges, opportunities, and actionable solutions
to advance digital agriculture and support the design of the Innovation
Hackathon. The consultant will also engage stakeholders to foster
partnerships, explore investment opportunities, and recommend regulatory reforms
to create an enabling environment for digital agriculture solutions.
This would involve close collaboration with
Program Implementation Unit (PIU) of the World Bank’s Rural Economic
Transformation Project (RETRAP) as well as Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), all
other relevant ministries, development partners as well as other technical
partners within the country.
The consultant will undertake the following
tasks:
A) Comprehensive Needs Assessment and Data
Collection
The consultant will conduct a thorough needs
assessment and user survey to evaluate the current state of Liberia's
agriculture sector, digital infrastructure, and readiness for digital
solutions, with a focus on a selected district. This will involve:
1.1 Assessment of Agricultural
Sector and Practices
·
Assess the socioeconomic conditions of
smallholder farmers, production systems, input usage, market access, and
productivity gaps.
·
Identify key challenges related to sustainability,
climate resilience, and resource optimization in agricultural
practices.
·
Analyze existing agricultural support initiatives and government
priorities.
1.2 Digital Infrastructure and
Technology Adoption
·
Evaluate the state of digital infrastructure in
target districts, including mobile coverage, internet connectivity, data
affordability, and access to electricity.
·
Assess digital literacy levels and the current
acceptance and adoption of digital tools among smallholder farmers.
·
Identify gaps and opportunities for enhancing farmer
connectivity, technology use, and access to relevant digital services.
1.3 Regulatory and Policy
Environment
·
Review regulatory frameworks governing digital
technologies, agriculture, and data governance to identify gaps or barriers to
innovation.
·
Assess the feasibility of implementing sandbox
approaches to pilot digital agriculture innovations.
·
Identify opportunities for regulatory reforms
to foster an enabling environment for digital agriculture solutions.
1.4 Digital Agriculture
Innovation Ecosystem
·
Map the digital agriculture innovation ecosystem
to assess the capacity of national, regional, and global networks to address
Liberia’s challenges.
·
Analyze the current landscape of digital agriculture
innovations, access to financing, and incubation or acceleration programs.
·
Identify opportunities for integrating innovative
solutions into the agriculture sector.
To conduct the needs assessment, the consultant will use a mix of
methodologies, including:
- Detailed surveys and interviews with RETRAP beneficiaries, government
agencies, private sector players, and development partners in target
regions.
- Leveraging the RETRAP MIS database to establish baseline information and
integrate new findings.
- Utilizing remote sensing technologies
(e.g., drones, satellite imagery) to provide geospatial data on land use, ecological
conditions, and climate-related impacts where necessary.
- Analyzing secondary data, existing
policies, and stakeholder feedback to inform findings.
B) Stakeholder Mapping
and Engagement
The consultant will identify, analyze, and engage key stakeholders to
strengthen partnerships and foster collaboration in advancing digital
agriculture solutions. Tasks include:
2.1 Stakeholder Mapping
·
Identify stakeholders across the agriculture and
technology ecosystems, including:
o
Government ministries, regulatory agencies, and public
institutions.
o
Farmer cooperatives, associations, and agricultural
service providers.
o
Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), private sector
actors, and AgTech innovators.
o
Development partners, research institutions,
universities, and technical agencies.
2.2 Stakeholder Analysis
·
Assess stakeholder roles, interests, and capacity to
contribute to the adoption and scaling of digital agriculture solutions.
·
Highlight opportunities for partnerships to address
gaps in infrastructure, financing, and technical expertise.
2.3 Stakeholder Engagement and
Partnership Facilitation
·
Organize and facilitate co-design sessions and
stakeholder workshops to:
o
Validate findings from the needs assessment.
o
Identify synergies, challenges, and opportunities for
collaboration.
·
Provide recommendations on public-private
partnership frameworks (formal and informal) to enhance collaboration,
particularly with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and AgTech innovators.
C) Problem Statement Development for the Innovation Hackathon
The consultant will define clear, actionable, and validated problem
statements to guide the design of the upcoming Innovation Hackathon.
Tasks include:
- Identify priority challenges and
opportunities based on findings from the needs assessment and stakeholder
consultations.
- Develop specific, purpose-driven, and
time-bound problem statements that address Liberia’s agricultural and
digital challenges.
- Ensure that problem statements are inclusive,
balancing technical precision with accessibility to attract participation
from both expert and non-expert innovators.
- Validate the problem statements through
stakeholder feedback to ensure relevance and alignment with national
priorities and sector needs.
D) Recommendations for Reform, Investment, and Partnerships
Based on the findings of the needs assessment and stakeholder
engagement, the consultant will identify strategic opportunities for reforms,
investments, and partnerships to advance digital agriculture solutions. Tasks
include:
- Policy and Regulatory Recommendations: Propose actionable reforms to address
regulatory barriers and promote an enabling environment for digital
agriculture innovation, including the introduction of sandbox
approaches.
- Investment Opportunities: Identify priority areas for investment,
such as improving digital infrastructure, scaling digital tools for
farmers, enhancing connectivity, and building digital skills.
- Partnership Development: Highlight opportunities for
collaboration with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), private sector actors,
development partners, and digital agriculture innovators to leverage
resources and expertise.
D.DELIVERABLES
The main deliverables are
as follows:
1)
Comprehensive
Needs Assessment Report:
·
Detailed analysis of Liberia's
agriculture sector, including socioeconomic conditions of smallholder farmers,
production systems, and productivity gaps
·
Evaluation of digital
infrastructure, technology adoption, and digital literacy levels
·
Review of regulatory
frameworks and policy environment
·
Mapping of the digital
agriculture innovation ecosystem
·
Actionable recommendations
based on findings
2) Stakeholder Mapping and Engagement Report:
·
Detailed mapping of key
stakeholders across agriculture and technology ecosystems
·
Analysis of stakeholder roles,
interests, and capacities
·
Recommendations for
partnerships and collaboration opportunities
·
Documentation of stakeholder
engagement activities, including co-design sessions and workshops
3) Problem Statement Report for Innovation Hackathon:
·
Set of clear, actionable, and
validated problem statements
·
Rationale for each problem
statement, linking to needs assessment findings
·
Validation process and
stakeholder feedback
4) Strategic Recommendations Report:
·
Policy and regulatory reform
proposals, including sandbox approaches
·
Investment opportunities in
digital infrastructure, tools, and skills
·
Partnership development
strategies, particularly with MNOs and AgTech innovators
·
Implementation roadmap for
proposed recommendations
5) Data Collection and Analysis Package:
·
Raw data from surveys,
interviews, and geospatial analysis
·
Methodology documentation for
data collection and analysis
·
Integration of findings with
RETRAP MIS database
F.REQUIREMENTS
The ideal firm/institution
should have the following qualifications:
•
Extensive
knowledge in agricultural development in West Africa, and Liberia specifically
•
Minimum
10 years of experience conducting needs assessments and user surveys in the
agriculture sector, particularly in developing countries
•
Demonstrated expertise in digital
agriculture solutions, including technologies for connectivity, farmer
digital literacy, data-driven agriculture, and precision agriculture.
•
Experience in assessing and
providing recommendations on digital infrastructure, regulatory
frameworks, and public-private partnerships.
•
Familiarity
with designing and conducting surveys, field collection, and integrating geospatial
technologies such as remote sensing (e.g., satellite imagery, drones)
into agricultural assessments.
•
Proven
ability to produce high-quality, comprehensive reports for international
organizations
•
Well-developed
interpersonal and teamworking skills, persistence and positive attitude.
•
Ability
to work under tight deadlines, pay high attention to details, and demonstrate a
high degree of pro-activity and initiative.
•
Ability
to undertake national level consultations with all important stakeholders
including the private sector.
G.REPORTING
The consultant will work closely with the World
Bank team and other stakeholders in RETRAP. The consultant will report to Kadir Osman
Gyasi (kgyasi@worldbank.org). The
application deadline is February 28, 2025.
