Consultant for the implementation of Risk-Contingent Credit and Sustainable Agricultural Finance Facility

Job description

Position Title: Consultant for the implementation of Risk-Contingent Credit and Sustainable Agricultural Finance Facility

Position Brief: The consultant will play a pivotal role in advancing the implementation and impact evaluation of the RCC and SAFF initiatives in Zambia. The responsibilities include spearheading strategic engagement with government partners to secure agreements, identify targeted regions for farmer and extension worker training, and facilitate partnerships with financial institutions to promote financial literacy and climate-smart agricultural practices.

Job Description:
Summary: The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), in collaboration with the Government of Zambia, is implementing Risk-Contingent Credit (RCC) to strengthen the resilience and investment capacity of smallholder farmers. This initiative is being carried out under the Sustainable Agricultural Finance Facility (SAFF) and the Comprehensive Agriculture Support Program (CASP), in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture. To advance this objective, IFPRI seeks a consultant to lead strategic stakeholder engagements. The consultant will facilitate high-level negotiations and build partnerships with key government departments, financial institutions, and other relevant stakeholders. Their role will be pivotal in securing agreements, supporting the integration of RCC into national policy, and promoting the scaling up of RCC within the frameworks of SAFF and CASP. Through these efforts, the consultant will help create an enabling environment for smallholder farmers to benefit from innovative financial solutions and enhance their resilience to climate risks.

Background: Agricultural risks—especially those linked to climate variability and drought—are significant barriers to agricultural productivity among smallholder farmers in Zambia, reducing crop yields and discouraging investment in productive inputs due to the fear of loss during adverse weather events. While improved technologies such as mechanization, irrigation, and advanced seed varieties offer pathways to boost productivity and farm incomes, most smallholder farmers in Zambia lack access to the credit required to purchase these technologies. This is largely due to the absence of collateral, high perceived risk by lenders, and information asymmetries, all of which result in limited credit availability and high interest rates. To address these challenges, IFPRI and its partners are implementing Risk-Contingent Credit (RCC) in Zambia—an innovative financial instrument that bundles credit with insurance to protect farmers from climate risks. Through strategic engagement with the Zambian government, private sector, and existing agricultural programs such as the Sustainable Agricultural Finance Facility (SAFF) and the Comprehensive Agriculture Support Program (CASP), the initiative aims to expand access to credit, enhance farmers’ resilience, and promote sustainable agricultural investment. IFPRI is seeking the service of a consultant to lead the collaboration with the Zambian government in integrating RCC into national policy and support its scaling up for broader impact.

The consultant will play a pivotal role in advancing the implementation and impact evaluation of the RCC and SAFF initiatives in Zambia. The responsibilities include spearheading strategic engagement with government partners to secure agreements, identify targeted regions for farmer and extension worker training, and facilitate partnerships with financial institutions to promote financial literacy and climate-smart agricultural practices. The specific objectives are outlined below:

Lead strategic engagement with key governmental departments to facilitate high-level negotiations and secure approval of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IFPRI, the Natural Resources Institute (NRI), and the Ministry of Agriculture, Zambia.

Identify and select specific geographic regions (Regions I and II) in Western and North-Western provinces for targeted training of smallholder farmers and extension workers on products and initiatives outlined in the MoU.

Identify and engage potential financial institution partners, conduct financial literacy training, and facilitate access to low-interest, digitally enabled financial products in line with the MoU.

Deliver targeted agricultural extension and capacity-building trainings as outlined in the MoU, aimed at promoting the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices—including the use of climate-resilient crops.

Qualifications:

The right candidate should have the following qualifications

Advanced degree in Finance, Economics, or Agricultural Development
Proven experience in agricultural finance product development
Stakeholder engagement and partnership-building skills
Climate finance and risk management expertise
Capacity-building experience in agricultural contexts
Knowledge of local language