Agricultural Training and Capacity Building Consultant – Lebanon 4 views

• VA No.: UNDP/LBN/VA25/151
• Position Title: Agricultural Training and Capacity Building Consultant
• Duty Station: LARI Tal Amara station, Lebanon
• Duration: Fifteen (15) working days, distributed over twelve (12) weeks from the contract signature.
• Contract Type: Consultancy
• Vacancy Date of Issue: 23 December 2025
• Vacancy Closure Date: 29 December 2025
• National or International consultancy: National (LEBANESE NATIONALS ONLY)

To review the full Terms of Reference (TOR), please follow link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cf-Rq8GCYsUqCtT5l6ZfOgdc7zLHQJu1/edit

Background

Lebanon is experiencing a constantly evolving multi-layered crisis which is exacerbating long-term structural vulnerabilities and inequalities, reversing previously made development gains, and leading to acute and increasingly visible humanitarian needs among the most vulnerable populations. As the country faces its fourth year of economic crisis and amid escalating tensions on its southern border, the food security situation is expected to deteriorate in the projected period. Since October 8, exchanges of fire across the southern Lebanon border continue to increase. The hostilities have displaced 90,859 thousand of families and considerably affected over 60,000 people who remained in the area. Lebanon continues to face an economic and financial crisis that has undermined the food security of Lebanese residents and of Syrian and Palestine refugees. Rising inflation continues to be one of the main drivers of food insecurity. In January 2024, year-on-year food inflation was 180.96%, and among the highest food inflation rates in the world. Along with inflation, currency depreciation, income losses expected cuts to humanitarian food assistance and increasing tensions negatively impacted the capacity of the different population groups to access food. In the current period and as per the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC), between April and September 2024, about 1.26 million Lebanese, Syrian refugees, PRL and PRS are facing acute food insecurity and are classified in IPC Phase 3 or above (Crisis or worse), corresponding to 23% of the analyzed population. The agricultural sector in Lebanon has been significantly impacted by the country’s economic crisis. The ongoing economic and political turmoil has resulted in many challenges that have affected farmers and their ability to produce crops and livestock. Prior to the crisis, which began in October 2019, Lebanon’s agricultural sector was already affected with productivity constraints, limited access to finance, employment challenges, inefficiency in the use of water and inputs, poor infrastructure, inefficiencies of the public extension service, and weak institutional support, in addition to gender gaps in terms of access and control over resources, decision making, and access to finance. Additionally, the ongoing conflict has severely disrupted the agricultural sector, causing damage to infrastructure, displacement of farmers, and limited access to essential resources like water and seeds. It has also led to reduced crop yields, food insecurity, and financial strain on rural communities. The project aims at improving food security in Lebanon through the enhancement of the availability of certified wheat seed production, wheat value chain and the improvement of agricultural livelihoods. For this sake, the project will revive and strengthen the non-operational LARI’s seed generation program, which will produce and supply certified wheat seeds and saplings sufficient to meet the local demand of farmers. The availability of high-quality seeds is critical for the success of agriculture and food security, as it is the foundation of crop production. However, in Lebanon, there is a lack of access to high-quality seeds, which hinders agricultural productivity and food security efforts. Farmers often use uncertified or low-quality seeds, which can result in low yields, poor crop quality, and susceptibility to diseases and pests. Furthermore, relying on imported seeds can increase the risk of crop failure due to pests, diseases, or environmental stresses. Importing seeds has also become very expensive for the Lebanese farmer given the financial crisis. In contrast, locally produced seeds can be better adapted to local conditions, have better drought tolerance, higher disease resistance, require less agricultural inputs and can be more affordable for smallholder farmers. To address these issues, a seed production program is crucial to produce and distribute high-quality seeds to farmers, particularly smallholder farmers who are often marginalized in the current seed market. This program can provide farmers with access to high-quality wheat seeds, technical assistance, and training on wheat seed production and management, thereby improving agricultural productivity and enhancing food security efforts in Lebanon.

Within the framework of the Food Security Project, UNDP aims to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI) to enhance its operational efficiency, management systems, and service delivery. To achieve this, UNDP seeks to equip LARI staff with the necessary managerial, financial, and logistical skills through a comprehensive capacity-building programme. The training will target key personnel involved in management, finance, and operations, ensuring they acquire practical competencies to support effective project implementation, resource management, and decision-making. Accordingly, UNDP intends to engage a specialized consultant to design and deliver tailored training modules, conduct needs assessments, develop relevant materials, and evaluate the learning outcomes to ensure measurable improvements in LARI’s institutional performance.

Scope of work, responsibilities and description of the proposed analytical work

Under the supervision of the UNDP Project Manager, the consultant will design and deliver a comprehensive capacity-building program for LARI staff, covering management, financial, and logistical functions. The consultant will assess training needs, develop tailored curriculum and materials, deliver interactive sessions, and evaluate training outcomes.

The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

Training Needs Assessment

• Conduct consultations with LARI focal point to identify specific training needs for technical, financial, and logistical staff that could support shaping the curriculum for the related audience.;
• Prepare a short assessment report summarizing overall staff competencies and gaps to inform curriculum design based on LARI focal point input.

Curriculum Development and Training Materials

• Develop a modular curriculum covering:
  • Project Management
  • Operations Management
  • Financial Management & Budgeting
  • Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E)
  • Conduct an on-hand application of the above items during the training session

Training Participants

The training will be delivered to a total of 10 staff members from LARI, representing management, financial, and logistical functions. The consultant will ensure that the content of the training is directly applicable to their work:

• Technical staff (e.g., engineering, agricultural, and machinery operation roles)
• Financial staff (e.g., financial management and support roles)
• Logistical staff (e.g., procurement and operational support roles)

Training Delivery

• Deliver all training sessions at LARI Tal Amara center in-person over a total of five (5) consecutive days to relevant LARI staff using participatory and experiential learning methods.
• Tailor content to participant roles, ensuring each staff member gains practical skills relevant to their responsibilities.
• Provide hands-on exercises and real-life examples from LARI operations.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting

• Conduct pre- (if possible) and post-training assessments to measure knowledge and skill gains.
• Collect participant feedback for continuous improvement.
• Issue certificates of completion to participants.
• Submit an Inception Report (methodology, agenda, curriculum, and materials) prior to training delivery and a Final Training Report documenting outcomes, and strength and weaknesses of the attendees, and recommendations for future capacity-building initiatives.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

The consultant is expected to submit the following deliverables, along with biweekly progress reports summarizing activities, observations, and challenges:

1. Inception Report – short report detailing the methodology, training approach, tools, and work plan for the full consultancy, including the feedback on the needs from LARI focal point
2. Curriculum and Training Materials – modular training content covering Financial Management, Budgeting, Project Management, Operations Management, and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E).
3. Final Training Report – including

• Training Delivery Summary Report documenting participant engagement, practical exercises conducted (project or assignments), and recommendations for further capacity-building.
• Post Evaluation results, including participants strength and weaknesses related to the delivered subject
• The power point presentations delivered during the training

Institutional arrangements

• With day-to-day management by the Project Manager or designated team member(s)
• The contractor will be responsible for preparing and providing all necessary materials related to the project in a timely manner. UNDP will be also responsible to provide clarifications and facilitation of the work.
• All transportation from home to training location – Tal Amara (& vice versa) shall be covered by the Consultant’s own means.

Duration of Work

The consultant will be recruited for 15 working days, spread over twelve (12) weeks from the date of contract signature. The days will cover training needs assessment, curriculum and materials development, delivery of all training sessions, participant evaluation, and final reporting, with scheduling coordinated to align with LARI staff availability.

Duty station

The services (training) will take place at LARI Tal Amara station.

“The Personnel will be covered with Health insurance and Personal accident insurance; the fees shall be deducted from personnel’s monthly payment”.