Sheep form an integral part of the mixed crop/livestock farming system in Georgia. They are a valuable source of income for small resource-poor farmers, particularly women, and act as a safety net and liquid asset in times of need. Furthermore, they make a significant contribution to livelihoods, providing an important source of meat, manure, leather and wool.

In Georgia, the constraints on sheep production, compounded by smallholder producers' lack of access to the formal sheep market, has resulted in slower growth in sheep herd increase. Despite the visible market opportunities in the meat sub-sectors, the country has been unable to take advantage of the situation for various reasons. Some of the reasons include production constraints compounded by farmers' socioeconomic and institutional issues and their relationship with the market as a driving force. Efforts on community development have not been successful because community members are not sufficiently empowered in participating in community level enterprises and establishing their linkage with the local markets to assure the sustainability of their activity.

The rural Georgian production economy has a greater then now potential, comparative and competitive advantage for enhancing sheep meat and wool production and live animal export in view of increasing market demand. For increasing the live sheep export, the smallholder sheep production system must be efficient and competitive in terms of quantity, quality and market orientation. When entering the production and marketing sectors of a value chain specifically focusing on sheep meat and wool production as well as on exporting live animals, local community initiatives can help rural farmers increase their family income by strengthening their role in the sheep value chain that help channelize international and local urban cash to rural areas. Heifer is looking for a sustainable sheep value chain mechanism set in operation in Georgia. Heifer's experience suggests smallholders will become competent producers and can be integrated in the sheep value chain for local consumption as well as for export in a sustainable manner, when entrepreneurship in farming is fostered and facilitated. There is a need to follow a more integrated approach by investigating challenges and opportunities from production to consumption and exporting along a value chain, while also addressing policy and institutional aspects affecting sheep value chain.

Heifer Georgia plans to conduct a comprehensive study on sheep value chain as a part of the project activity with the objectives of developing implementation strategies and plans for enhancing the stake/ role of the smallholders and their institutions in the sheep value chain.

Scope of the study:

The study will analyze and document the sheep value chain in Georgia considering different sheep production systems, cost of production by systems, and the existing sheep marketing/exporting channels to the end markets. It will generate necessary primary data from selected sites of the sampled municipalities among the proposed three project implementing sites (Ninotsminda, Dmanisi and Kakheti/Shiraki) and collate and analyse available secondary data to meet the study objectives of identifying options (along with their pros and cons) for strengthening competitiveness of sheep production and improving export marketing system. The study will identify key areas of interventions in the sheep value chain to enable smallholders to become one of the important actor group capable of receiving benefit/proportionate share of the trade margins across the value chain.

The specific objectives of the study include:

** Analyze consumer and traders' perceptions/attitudes towards safe and hygienic meat and make recommendations for increased consumer awareness. Identify quality issues/concerns of consumers across the sheep value chain regarding live sheep quality, price etc.

** Analyze the current supply and demand system of live sheep and other sheep products (formal, semi-formal and informal), including market volumes, market shears and seasonality trends. Based on this information, develop options for year-round marketing strategies.

** Analyze the various existing forms of sheep value chain by production systems and geographical regions. Calculate cost of production, associated costs and value additions across the entire value chain tiers from production functions to end market dynamics.

** Examine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the current live sheep marketing systems along the vertical tiers. Suggest optimal options for efficiency of value chain in terms of increasing margins for farmers, considering the associated costs and value additions, including the need for cash float in key parts of the value chain.

** Compare prices and margins along the sheep value chain focusing on competitiveness of Georgian sheep vis a vis other live sheep exporting countries considering both production quantity and quality.

** Briefly examine and assess infrastructure at existing sheep collection/marketing sites and identify measures to improve them leading to their sustainable management. Include consideration of how other stakeholders (government, private sector etc.) may be involved.

** Examine existing live animal transport systems and suggest practical measures to improve animal welfare conditions.

Give an account of weight loss and other associated costs at all transit points of existing live animal transport system (from the farm gate to end market).

** Assess the concerns and quality of relationships among actors along the vertical and horizontal linkages of the sheep value chain including dynamics among the various interest groups (e.g. producers, municipalities, market operators, traders, exporters, entrepreneurs, processors, etc.). Contributing factors such as ethnic and socio-economic dynamics should also be considered. Suggest key project interventions/ areas for building trust, capacity, reciprocity and business relationships among these value chain actors in favour of all actors.

** Identify potential enterprises of sheep value chain (services/trade) in the vertical and horizontal linkages where smallholders can have the decisive role and stake across linkages of the sheep marketing channel thereby eliminating or minimizing opportunities for exploitation by other stakeholders.

** Suggest strategies for attracting the private sector to increase investments in sheep value chain enterprises.

** Suggest optimal ways of sheared wool utilization (disinfection, washing bailing) for marketing.

Proposed composition of the study team:

** An agricultural economist with experience in marketing

** Livestock expert from Sheep Breeders Association

** Heifer Georgia representative

Methodologies:

** Including but not limited to SWOT-Analysis of the current sheep market in Georgia based on secondary literature

** Mapping of value chain and its different components (different forms in different regions etc.) based on literature, secondary data and expert interviews.

** Market analysis for sheep (products) based on statistics and consumer survey (questionnaire). The final methodological approach will be finalized in mutual consultation of the Study team and Heifer Georgia.

Pre-study work:

A brief proposal on approaches, methodology and field study plan for mutual consultation

Duration of the study: six weeks.

Deliverables:

** Mid-term progress sharing of field and desktop studies

** A draft report

** Presentation and sharing on draft report

** Final report (25 - 30 pages)

** Tabulated data set used in the analysis

Application procedure:

In order to apply, the interested experts' teams will have to send below listed documents to: info@heifer.ge by April 07, 2014.

** CVs of the experts and a letter of interest (stating their interest for this call as well as their willingness to work together);

** Technical offer, including the draft methodology of the needs assessment and tentative timeline for implementing the assessment;

** Financial offer (budget).

source: jobs.ge