The
firm would provide overall technical support to WRG in the areas of Direct Seeded
Rice (DSR), mechanization and technology promotion & adoption in water use
efficiency related technologies and approaches. The firm (TSU) will perform the
following activities per the scope.
a) Design
and undertake baseline assessments, status reviews and critical analyses of the
Technical Assistance (UP Accelerator) program to inform WRG about any course
corrections required, track, review, update the progress of the Accelerator
program targets from time to time and help achieve goals set out by the
Governing Council of the Trust Fund.
b) Design
and develop research pilots for WRG’s understanding of the economics,
efficiency, incentives and scale-enabling factors for adoption of Low Emissions
Rice cultivation techniques such as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), DSR and
uberization of farm-technologies to inform WRG’s global flagship program for
scaling private sector investments in Low Emissions Rice.
c) Provide
technical inputs and support WRG to convene and follow up on multi-stakeholder
platform discussions on Sustainable Rice periodically in partnership with
public, private and civil society stakeholders. Document global and domestic
evidence, good practices and knowledge on sustainable rice production,
market-linkages, digital technology, and climate financing to create a
knowledge repository on low emissions rice supporting World Bank operations.
d) Carry
out value chain analyses in key agro-climatic regions where WRG TA programs are
operational to understand impacts on key sustainability indicators (water
savings, emissions reduction), identify climate- smart, farmer-centric, and
water-efficient technologies and inform World Bank operations in UP, Bihar and
Odisha (UP-AGREES, BWSIMP, REWARD).
e) Provide
technical inputs to develop a Measurement Reporting and Verification (MRV)
system for measurement of emissions and water footprint reduction and its
interactions with sustainable/regenerative agricultural practices creating
knowledge for use in World Bank operations, employing spatial and
field-observation or survey-based data tools and aligned to global and national
benchmarks. Also suggest good practices to co-create MRV systems that are
accessible and affordable to smallholders and value chain stakeholders.
f) Identify
opportunities and facilitate convergences with public-and-private funded
programs for promotion of mechanization, irrigation technologies and
innovations such as community irrigation programs, entrepreneurship and
Irrigation as a Service (IaaS) concept along with the DSR initiative.
g) Support
documentation and convening of workshops and knowledge events bringing together
key stakeholders to disseminate knowledge products,
lessons in private sector partnerships and showcase
the UP Accelerator program. Share updates with relevant stakeholders
through newsletters, digital media, annual reports, etc.
h) Closely
coordinate with the monitoring, evaluation and learnings (MEL)
partner/consultant assigned by WRG, to develop and periodically update a Monitoring Information System (MIS) to report outputs
of the UP Accelerator program
(per Theory of Change).
i) Develop IEC material, support WRG to conduct workshops,
seminars, and create awareness about the
UP-Accelerator Program, including support for formalizing private sector
partnerships and support for resource mobilization and co-financing by
preparing pitch books/presentations/proposals, funder and partner lists etc.