Strengthening institutional capacity and market systems for climate-smart agriculture in The Bahamas

Description

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), through Compete Caribbean+, is seeking a consulting firm to provide technical assistance to strengthen agricultural extension services. The project focuses on integrating Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) with Business-to-Business (B2B) models to support financially viable enterprises and foster public-private market linkages.

Key Components and Activities:

1. Institutional Strengthening and Training Framework
The firm will develop a national CSA and B2B extension delivery model. Key tasks include:

Baseline Assessment: Identifying institutional gaps and capacity needs across key Bahamian agencies.

Curriculum Development: Designing a certifiable standardized training curriculum and toolkit covering CSA techniques, business management, and market facilitation.

Validation: Conducting stakeholder workshops to align the model with operational needs and market realities.

2. Applied Learning and B2B Demonstrations
The project involves practical training for at least 50 government extension officers (with capacity for 50 additional virtual participants).

Demonstration Farms: Revitalizing three school-based sites for hands-on learning in hydroponics, soil health, and water-efficient irrigation.

Business Planning: Formulating farm business plans and piloting aggregation mechanisms to improve price competitiveness.

Market Linkages: Facilitating three B2B partnerships and executing at least one commercial sale to validate market feasibility.

3. Knowledge Hub and Sustainability
To ensure long-term impact beyond the project's duration, the firm will:

Establish a CSA & B2B Knowledge Hub for continuous learning and collaboration.

Organize a national outreach event to showcase results and best practices.

Formulate a Sustainability and Scale-up Plan to institutionalize the framework.

Note: Interested firms must review registration requirements in the BEO Bidders Portal.