Charting Next Steps for Improving Smallholder Farmers’ Access to Irrigation Financing in Tanzania

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania – The Tanzania 2030 Water Resources Group convened senior representatives from Tanzania’s agriculture, finance, and water sectors  to chart a path forward to make it easier for the country’s smallholder and emerging farmers to access financing for irrigation technologies. The move aims to improve irrigation efficiency while also expanding the amount of land under irrigation.

The consortium, which includes the Financial Sector Deepening Trust (FSDT), National Irrigation Commission (NIrC), Private Agricultural Support Trust (PASS), Rikolto, Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB), Tanzania Horticulture Association (TAHA), and Tanzania 2030 WRG, is establishing a partnership that leverages their combined networks to link smallholder farmers with appropriate financing for irrigation investments.

The collaboration supports the mandate of NIrC to strengthen private sector engagement in irrigation through financing, equipment-supply, and co-investment.

Eliakim Chitutu, NIrC’s Managing Director said: “If Tanzania is to achieve its agriculture and food security targets, expanding irrigation is critical, but we must do so in a way that is both financially and environmentally sustainable.”

In its first phase, the consortium plans to unlock a portfolio of irrigation projects by enhancing existing financing options that remain out of reach for most smallholder farmers or enabling new financing options entirely. Once at scale, the initiative will see a substantial increase in smallholder farmer’s access to irrigation solutions.

Smallholder and emerging farmers account for over 80 percent of the nation’s agriculturalists and they struggle to access credit and loan mechanisms that would enable them to purchase modern, water-efficient irrigation systems. As a result, although Tanzania is endowed with nearly 30 million hectares of irrigable land, less than 500,000 hectares is currently under irrigation, equivalent to less than 2 percent of the potential.

Despite the limited amount of land under irrigation, the agriculture sector remains the country’s largest water user, accounting for over 80 percent of water consumed nationally. Gravity, open canal and flooding or basin irrigation methods commonly in use are very water-inefficient, with up to 45 percent water losses. Despite a relative abundance of water resources, critical parts of Tanzania, the Pangani River Basin in particular, are considered water-stressed. Freshwater availability per capita in the latter is 1,200 cubic meters, compared to 1,608 cubic meters for Tanzania as a whole. The water-efficiency of irrigation solutions is therefore critical to safeguard Tanzania’s future water security.

“Tanzania’s smallholder farmers produce the majority of agricultural output, but they also struggle to access affordable credits and related services,” said TAHA CEO Jacqueline Mkindi. “The challenge is not only about lack of financial products in the market but also weak support system to guide farmers on how to access available credit in a smart manner.”

A market study carried out in 2016 by TADB, Tanzania 2030 WRG, and FSDT found that although the country’s banks have developed products aimed at supporting such farmers, the high costs of capital and of identifying investment-ready farmers increases the risks to extending irrigation financing on a large scale.

“Qualified demand for irrigation is dispersed and uncharted. Such conditions, combined with the relative disconnect between target farmers and financial institutions, make identifying bankable irrigation projects challenging” said Japhet Justine, Managing Director for TADB, “That’s precisely the challenge that this partnership is intended to address.”

The consortium will identify, prioritize, incubate, and package irrigation financing opportunities that meet the requirements of funding sources, therefore reducing the coordination burden on financiers.

By facilitating smallholder and emerging farmers’ access to irrigation finance, the consortium will help to expand the amount of land under irrigation, helping to provide both a safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change while at the same time catalyzing economic growth, improving food security, and safeguarding Tanzania’s future water security.

Speaking ahead of the event, Onesmo Sigalla, Country Coordinator with Tanzania 2030 WRG said: “Water security and food security in Tanzania go hand in hand. The joint-efforts of this consortium are precisely the type of multi-stakeholder cooperation that can leverage sustainable water management as a vehicle for investment and growth, while also helping to safeguard the country’s resources for future generations.”

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About Financial Sector Deepening Trust

The Financial Sector Deepening Trust (FSDT) was incorporated in Tanzania on 1 July 2004 with an overall aim to develop a deeper financial system that can provide greater access to finance to more Tanzanians. To unlock greater access, volume, and quality of financial services to the agriculture sector and to rural economies in Tanzania, FSDT is addressing constraints to deeper financial sector engagement in the agriculture sector and tackling the issues contributing to high transaction costs for financial services in agricultural and rural markets.

About National Irrigation Commission

The National Irrigation Commission (NIC) is mandated for coordination, promotional and regulatory functions in the development of the irrigation sector in the country. NIC in collaboration with various stakeholders, envisages to improve the traditional irrigation schemes and expand the area under irrigation. It is a semi-autonomous Government Department established under section 3 (1) of the National Irrigation Act No. 5 of 2013, under the Ministry responsible for irrigation.

About Private Agricultural Sector Support Trust

The Private Agricultural Sector Support Trust (PASS) is a facility established in the year 2000 in order to stimulate investment and growth in commercial agriculture and related sectors. It was registered in 2007 as nonprofit making and non-governmental organization under the Trustees Incorporation Act, 2002 and is taxed as charitable organization.

About Rikolto

Rikolto in East Africa (formerly VECO/Vredeseilanden) is part of the Rikolto Network, an international NGO with more than 40 years’ experience in partnering with farmer organizations and food chain stakeholders across Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Rikolto runs programs in 15 countries worldwide through eight regional offices. We enable and support smallholders’ farmers to take up their role in rural poverty alleviation and to contribute to feeding a growing world population in a sustainable way.

About Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank Limited

The Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank Limited (TADB) facilitates the development and transformation of the agriculture sector by providing short, medium- and long-term finance to agriculture projects in Tanzania that promote economic growth, food security and the reduction of income poverty. Our vision is to be a world-class model agriculture development bank that supports and promotes Tanzania’s agriculture transformation from subsistence to commercialized modern farming and agri-business for economic growth and poverty reduction. TADB was established under the Company Act, 2002 CAP 212 in September 2012.

About Tanzania Horticultural Association

The Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) is an apex private sector member-based organization that advocates for the growth and competitiveness of the horticultural industry in Tanzania. Since its inception in 2004, TAHA has been an effective voicing platform for producers, traders, exporters and processors of the horticultural products mainly; flowers, fruits, vegetables, horticultural seeds, and spices. The Association safeguards the interest of the private sector and ensures the industry issues are well mainstreamed at the national and international agenda.

 

The Guardian: Linking smallholder farmers to financiers is key to achieving more crop per drop

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NEWS SOURCE: The Guardian (IPP Media)

BY: Mr. Japhet Justine, Managing Director, Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB)

 

Water is arguably our most important and yet undervalued resource. Not only does it sustain life, but it is a critical enabler of the activities that drive our economy. Agriculture, a mainstay of Tanzanian livelihoods, constitutes 30 percent of the country’s GDP, employs nearly 70 percent of the population, and accounts for over 80 percent of water consumed.

Put another way, water and food security are inextricably linked.

Traditional methods like gravity, open canal or flooding irrigation are extremely inefficient resulting in up to 45 percent water losses. Modern technologies like drip irrigation can not only improve water efficiency but have the potential to also increase yields up to 50 percent, especially in combination with water storage approaches like rainwater harvesting.

But while Tanzania is endowed with nearly 30 million hectares of irrigable land, less than 500,00 hectares are currently under irrigation. As a result, food production is falling far short of what is possible.

Despite accounting for just 1.6 percent of irrigable land, irrigated crops account for nearly a quarter of the national food requirement at present. Irrigation helps reduce reliance on increasingly erratic rainfall, protects against droughts, and increases yields.

Expanding the amount of land under irrigation would provide both a safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change while at the same time supporting economic growth in line with the nation’s goal of achieving middle-income status by 2025.

But Tanzania’s smallholder and emerging farmers, who account for a majority of agriculturalists in the country, lack access to the types of irrigation technologies that could boost their productivity and help safeguard the country’s food security in the face of a growing population and an increasingly unpredictable climate.

The high costs of identifying investment-ready farmers is a key constraint for banks and loan providers who want to provide irrigation financing to smallholder and emerging farmers.

Despite the existence of savings and loan products, many farmers are ill-equipped to conduct comprehensive business planning, identify appropriate sources of finance, prepare compelling financing proposals, and negotiate loan terms.

Even when the above-mentioned barriers have been addressed, such investments require a high degree of confidence in the market. As such, strong cooperatives, access to markets, and offtake agreements with buyers and processors are also needed.

If we are to achieve The National Irrigation Master Plan’s target of 1 million hectares under irrigation by 2035, we must make it easier for the country’s smallholder farmers to access financing.

Reducing the risks regularly associated with financing small-scale commercial agriculture is critical to achieving our ambitious irrigation targets while also ensuring that precious water resources are used efficiently and sustainably.

This is why the Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB), in partnership with Tanzania 2030 Water Resources Group (2030 WRG) – a public-private-civil society partnership supported by the World Bank – alongside the Financial Sector Deepening Trust (FSDT), National Irrigation Commission (NIrC), Private Agricultural Support Trust (PASS), Tanzania Horticulture Association (TAHA), and Rikolto are working together to link smallholder and emerging farmers with financiers.

Once our consortium’s full ambition is realized, the initiative will see a substantial increase in smallholder farmer’s access to irrigation solutions. It is expected that those participating in the project will increase their productivity by 30 percent on average, while simultaneously decreasing water abstraction by up to 50 percent.

There has been tremendous progress over the last decade in terms of developing the types of blended-finance solutions that meet the needs of smallholder and emerging farmers. Now it’s time to connect the dots for the benefit of the economy, people, and planet.

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About TADB

The Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank Limited (TADB) facilitates the development and transformation of the agriculture sector by providing short, medium and long term finance to agriculture projects in Tanzania that promote economic growth, food security and the reduction of income poverty. Our vision is to be a world-class model agriculture development bank that supports and promotes Tanzania’s agriculture transformation from subsistence to commercialized modern farming and agri-business for economic growth and poverty reduction. TADB was established under the Company Act, 2002 CAP 212 in September 2012.

 

This article was originally published in The Guardian and The Daily News in Tanzania.

Vacancy Notice | State Coordinator for 2030 WRG Maharashtra Program, Mumbai, India

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Title: 2030 WRG Maharashtra State Coordinator
Organization: 2030 Water Resources Group/World Bank
Contract type: Short Term Consultant (STC)
Term Duration: 150 days
Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment
Location: Mumbai, India
Required Language(s): English
Preferred Language(s): Marathi (speaking and understanding)
Closing Date: April 5, 2019 11:59pm (EST)

Background/General description:

The 2030 Water Resources Group (2030 WRG) is a public, private, civil society partnership hosted by the World Bank Group. The partnership supports country-level collaboration designed to unite diverse groups with a common interest in the sustainable management of water resources. Our global partners include bilateral agencies and governments (Swiss Development Cooperation, Swedish Development Cooperation, the governments of Hungary and Israel), private companies (Nestlé, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Dow Chemical, Ab InBev), development banks (IFC, World Bank, African Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank), INGOs and IGPs (UNDP, GGGI, GWP, the World Economic Forum, BRAC and IUCN). The 2030 WRG was launched in 2008 at the World Economic Forum and has been hosted by The World Bank Group since 2012.

The primary aim of 2030 WRG is to develop partnerships at a national (or state) level that can assist governments to accelerate actions to increase water resources sustainability and water efficiency across the economy. This is based on the recognition that demands for water are increasing dramatically with economic and population growth, and that, assuming a continuation of current trends, the world is predicted to face a 40 percent gap between available renewable water supply and water demand by the year 2030. It is also based on the recognition that the public and private sectors have a common interest in strengthening water resource management and can achieve far more by acting in partnership than alone.

2030 WRG is currently active in Bangladesh, Mongolia, Vietnam, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and in India, the program is working in the states of Uttar Pradesh/India National, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

In Maharashtra, 2030 WRG in partnership with the Government of Maharashtra, private sector companies, and civil society organizations formalized a Multi-Stakeholder Partnership (MSP). Its high-level Steering Board is chaired by the Chief Secretary. This new partnership has identified three priority workstreams and cross-cutting initiatives:

  • Water and Livelihood Security in Rain-fed Agricultural Areas
    2030 WRG is working to deliver coordinated, multi-stakeholder solutions at scale to promote water security and de-risk livelihoods of farmers in rain-fed areas in Maharashtra, through a combination of programmatic approaches, partnership models, financing mechanisms, and policy interventions. The two key initiatives in this respect include the Maharashtra Cotton Water Platform and market linkages in the cotton-belt.
  • Wastewater Reuse and Management
    In the industrial and urban sectors, 2030 WRG focuses on policy/governance/tariffs, developing pilots to demonstrate recycling of city sewage and its application in the agriculture sector. The workstream members recently launched the unique Wastewater Reuse Certificates (WRCs) scheme to develop tradable permits for reuse. A Blockchain Hackathon was held recently to crowd-source algorithms to monitor WRCs in a simulated environment.
  • Command Area Water Productivity
    This workstream facilitated the launch of a Project Implementation Unit to assist the development of integrated projects dealing with off-farm, on-farm water conservation efforts in the command area and associated market linkages, aligning with the “More Crop per Drop” policy objectives of the Government of Maharashtra.

2030 WRG is spearheading two cross-cutting initiatives related to Gender- Water – Agriculture and Water Accounting/Budgeting. These two cross-cutting themes are also covered in the multi-stakeholder platform. 2030 WRG recently launched a landmark joint publication with UNDP India titled “Gender and Water in Agriculture and Allied Sectors”.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The 2030 WRG Maharashtra State Coordinator will be 2030 WRG’s primary interface and representative for the Maharashtra initiative. The position will serve as a catalyst between public and private sectors and civil society on water and 2030 WRG. The thematic areas of work will include all facets of water in Maharashtra such as resource demand management, policies, projects, programs, and financing mechanisms. This assignment requires extensive experience and engagement with government officials to develop and monitor the program of the 2030 WRG Partnerships. This position will focus on leading the 2030 WRG activities associated with Maharashtra water resources management and report to the India Country Coordinator, Asia Regional Coordinator as well as the Global Program Manager for 2030 WRG. In addition to the responsibilities related to Maharashtra initiative, the position involves substantial knowledge-sharing and synergizing of initiatives in other states in India where 2030 WRG is operating. Specifically, this position requires the pro-active development of linkages between water and other sectors, such as agriculture and urban/industrial sectors.

The position will assist the 2030 WRG to:

  1. Develop/ refine the 2030 WRG Maharashtra strategy and implementation plan and contribute, as needed, to strategy development and implementation in the 2030 WRG India program
  2. Facilitate and further the role of Multi-Stakeholder Platform (MSP) on Water in Maharashtra and take a leadership role in advancing Maharashtra-MSP activities, specifically leading stakeholder engagement process at the most senior- (minister, Chief Secretary, CEO) and operational levels, across government (central and state), private sector (leading corporate houses, solutions providers, financial institutions), civil society, and other key agencies (e.g., multilaterals, academic institutions), in order to develop trusted relationships with key decision-makers and create/ sustain effective collaborative platforms at overall Maharashtra – and thematic work stream levels
  3. Ensure delivery of series of concrete projects and programs along identified work streams, and deliver both short-term (collective action) projects, immediate results and demonstration effects, as well as medium- and longer-term programs and policy improvements for higher impact initiatives; the individual will also lead the secretariat of the MSP, including the Steering Board, Work Streams and Task Forces for specific projects/ programs in Maharashtra and contribute to the key innovations in other states in India
  4. Maintain active dialogue with relevant parallel initiatives related to Maharashtra water resources management that are managed by local, multilateral and/or bilateral agencies, and develop appropriate collaborations and synergy
  5. Lead additional analytical studies as and when required, including development of ToRs, and selection and supervision of consultants
  6. Support overall knowledge management with regard to multi-stakeholder processes in general and related to Maharashtra water resources management in particular, by collaboration with relevant knowledge institutes, think tanks and government agencies. Also contribute in bringing in best practices from other states/countries to the Maharashtra program
  7. Provide on daily basis leadership to the 2030 WRG Maharashtra team and strengthen their capacity by contributing experiences with water- and/or private sector development and leveraging relevant networks for water resources management
  8. Develop and implement the 2030 WRG Maharashtra communication strategy and outreach agenda, including identification of relevant fora where 2030 WRG should have a presence
  9. Actively pursue local (national/state level) funding mobilization opportunities from government, donor agencies and/or private sector (in line with World Bank Group donor/ client engagement policy and procedures) and ensure appropriate partner/ donor/ client relationship management
  10. Lead overall program management including resources mobilization/approvals, reporting, budgeting and other administrative tasks
  11. Ensure relevance and highest quality of activities and deliverables
  12. Collaborate closely with the broader 2030 WRG Asia team and explore mechanisms to strengthen knowledge management within 2030 WRG Asia; additionally, to consider new ways to synthesize lessons learnt and communicate results externally to interested parties
  13. Contribute to the 2030 WRG partnership goals, knowledge development, communication and networks as and when required including representing 2030 WRG as an expert speaker/panelist at various conferences or events
  14. Identify opportunities to collaborate with the World Bank and IFC offices, where relevant

Selection criteria:

The required skills and experience are as follows:

  • Masters level degree in natural resource management, engineering, irrigation, water resource management, economics, finance, or equivalent
  • At least 15 years of relevant professional experience, of which a minimum of (a) five years in the field of water/ natural resource management and/or sustainability, and (b) five years in private sector (development)
  • Knowledge of and relationships with the various 2030 WRG stakeholders (public sector, private sector and civil society) in Maharashtra
  • Solid understanding of political economy, water policies, stakeholders, strategies, institutions, and regulations in Maharashtra and other states in India
  • Experience in program management and managing consultants a plus, delivering within tight timelines
  • Excellent verbal and written skills, and ability to present ideas and information both clearly and concisely
  • Excellent organizational, team player, multi-tasking skills with strong sense of initiative and responsibility
  • Entrepreneurial attitude with ability to identify and develop new opportunities outside of immediate scope of work
  • Results oriented, and ability to monitor and report on a project cycle basis and work effectively in a team-oriented, multi-cultural environment
  • Strong leadership and interpersonal skills and ability to develop and maintain effective relations within internal and external stakeholders
  • Fluency in Hindi and Marathi (speaking and understanding) preferred
  • Fluency in English essential

How To Apply
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, CV, and list of at least three references to aradhakrishnan3@worldbank.org no later than Friday, April 5, 2019.
Kindly use the subject line “2030 WRG Maharashtra State Coordinator”.

Vacancy Notice | Partnerships Coordinator for 2030 WRG Maharashtra State, Mumbai, India

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Title: 2030 WRG Maharashtra State Partnerships Coordinator
Organization: 2030 Water Resources Group/World Bank
Contract type: Short Term Consultant (STC)
Term Duration: 150 days
Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment
Location: Mumbai, India
Required Language(s): English
Preferred Language(s): Marathi (speaking and understanding)
Closing Date: April 5, 2019 11:59pm (EST)

Background/General description:

The 2030 Water Resources Group (2030 WRG) is a public, private, civil society partnership hosted by the World Bank Group. The partnership supports country-level collaboration designed to unite diverse groups with a common interest in the sustainable management of water resources. Our global partners include bilateral agencies and governments (Swiss Development Cooperation, Swedish Development Cooperation, the governments of Hungary and Israel), private companies (Nestlé, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Dow Chemical, Ab InBev), development banks (IFC, World Bank, African Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank), INGOs and IGPs (UNDP, GGGI, GWP, the World Economic Forum, BRAC and IUCN). The 2030 WRG was launched in 2008 at the World Economic Forum and has been hosted by The World Bank Group since 2012.

The primary aim of 2030 WRG is to develop partnerships at a national (or state) level that can assist governments to accelerate actions to increase water resources sustainability and water efficiency across the economy. This is based on the recognition that demands for water are increasing dramatically with economic and population growth, and that, assuming a continuation of current trends, the world is predicted to face a 40 percent gap between available renewable water supply and water demand by the year 2030. It is also based on the recognition that the public and private sectors have a common interest in strengthening water resource management and can achieve far more by acting in partnership than alone.

2030 WRG is currently active in Bangladesh, Mongolia, Vietnam, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and in India, the program is working in the states of Uttar Pradesh/India National, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

In Maharashtra, 2030 WRG in partnership with the Government of Maharashtra, private sector companies, and civil society organizations formalized a Multi-Stakeholder Partnership (MSP). Its high-level Steering Board is chaired by the Chief Secretary. This new partnership has identified three priority workstreams and cross-cutting initiatives:

  • Water and Livelihood Security in Rain-fed Agricultural Areas
    2030 WRG is working to deliver coordinated, multi-stakeholder solutions at scale to promote water security and de-risk livelihoods of farmers in rain-fed areas in Maharashtra, through a combination of programmatic approaches, partnership models, financing mechanisms, and policy interventions. The two key initiatives in this respect include the Maharashtra Cotton Water Platform and market linkages in the cotton-belt.
  • Wastewater Reuse and Management
    In the industrial and urban sectors, 2030 WRG focuses on policy/governance/tariffs, developing pilots to demonstrate recycling of city sewage and its application in the agriculture sector. The workstream members recently launched the unique Wastewater Reuse Certificates (WRCs) scheme to develop tradable permits for reuse. A Blockchain Hackathon was held recently to crowd-source algorithms to monitor WRCs in a simulated environment.
  • Command Area Water Productivity
    This workstream facilitated the launch of a Project Implementation Unit to assist the development of integrated projects dealing with off-farm, on-farm water conservation efforts in the command area and associated market linkages, aligning with the “More Crop per Drop” policy objectives of the Government of Maharashtra.

2030 WRG is spearheading two cross-cutting initiatives related to Gender- Water – Agriculture and Water Accounting/Budgeting. These two cross-cutting themes are also covered in the multi-stakeholder platform. 2030 WRG recently launched a landmark joint publication with UNDP India titled “Gender and Water in Agriculture and Allied Sectors”.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The 2030 WRG Maharashtra State Partnerships Coordinator will support 2030 WRG’s activities in Maharashtra. This position will provide substantive support to the team responsible for implementing activities under the Maharashtra Water MSP (MWMSP), spearheaded by the India Country Coordinator and Maharashtra State Coordinator for 2030 WRG. The subjects of work will include all facets of water in Maharashtra such as resource demand management, policies, projects, programs, and financing mechanisms. This assignment requires extensive experience and engagement with government officials to develop and monitor the 2030 WRG program. This position will facilitate the proper functioning of the MWMSP, support managing stakeholder consultations, assist in organizing events, workshops and outreach activities. The incumbent will report to the Maharashtra State Coordinator and India Country Coordinator, and Asia Regional Coordinator.

The position will assist the 2030 WRG to:

  1. Support development/refinement of the 2030 WRG Maharashtra strategy and implementation plan
  2. Assist in advancing Maharashtra activities facilitating the Maharashtra Multi Stakeholder Platform (MSP) on water, specifically supporting the State Coordinator with stakeholder engagement processes across government (central and state), private sector (leading corporate houses, solutions providers, financial institutions), civil society, and other key agencies (e.g., multilaterals, academic institutions
  3. Provide support to ensure delivery of series of concrete projects and programs along identified work streams, and deliver both short-term (collective action) projects, immediate results and demonstration effects, as well as medium- and longer-term programs and policy improvements for higher impact initiatives; the individual will also support the secretariat of the Multi-Stakeholder Platform (MSP), including Steering Board, Work Streams and Task Forces for specific projects/ programs in Maharashtra, including development of minutes, documents, agenda, concept notes and proposals
  4. Assist in maintaining active dialogue with relevant parallel initiatives related to Maharashtra water resources management that are managed by local, multilateral and/or bilateral agencies, and develop appropriate collaborations and synergy
  5. Support development of ToRs, and selection and supervision of consultants
  6. Support overall knowledge management and outreach with regard to multi-stakeholder processes in general and related to Maharashtra water resources management in particular, by collaboration with relevant knowledge institutes, think tanks and government agencies
  7. Assist in developing and implementing the 2030 WRG Maharashtra communication strategy and outreach agenda, including identification of relevant fora where 2030 WRG should have a presence
  8. Support the State Coordinator with fund mobilization opportunities at local (national/state level) from government, donor agencies and/or private sector (in line with World Bank Group donor/ client engagement policy and procedures) and ensure appropriate partner/ donor/ client relationship management
  9. Support management and stakeholder reporting structures providing assistance to resources mobilization/approvals, reporting, budgeting and other administrative tasks
  10. Ensure relevance and highest quality of activities

Selection criteria:

  • Masters level degree in natural resource management, engineering, irrigation, water resource management, economics, finance, or equivalent;
  • At least 8 years of relevant professional experience, of which a minimum of (a) 3 years in the field of water/ natural resource management and/or sustainability advocacy, and (b) 2 years in private sector (development);
  • Knowledge of and relationships with stakeholders (public sector, private sector and civil society) in Maharashtra;
  • Understanding of political economy, water policies, strategies, institutions, and regulations in Maharashtra;
  • Experience in program support and managing consultants preferred;
  • Excellent verbal and written skills, and ability to present ideas and information both clearly and concisely;
  • Excellent organizational and multi-tasking skills, with strong sense of initiative and responsibility;
  • Results oriented, and ability to monitor and report on a project cycle basis and work effectively in a team-oriented, multi-cultural environment;
  • Strong interpersonal skills and ability to develop and maintain effective relations within internal and external stakeholders;
  • Fluency in Hindi and Marathi (speaking and understanding) preferred;
  • Fluency in English essential.

How To Apply
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, CV, and list of at least three references to aradhakrishnan3@worldbank.org no later than Friday, April 5, 2019.
Kindly use the subject line “2030 WRG Maharashtra State Partnerships Coordinator”.

Tanzania – Collective action unlocks water for all: the SUWAMA Usa-River Partnership

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Climate change, population growth, deforestation, growing numbers of livestock, and the expansion of cultivated land are increasing pressures on the water resources of Tanzania’s Pangani River Basin. A stakeholder-led catchment stewardship initiative launched by 2030 WRG is working to change that narrative.

The first harvest of 2017 was disastrous for Ernest Pallangyo, a farmer and father of two from Kiwawa Village, in Usa River, Northern Tanzania.

Ernest, a smallholder farmer from Kiwawa Village in Usa-River, stands in front of the irrigation canal that supplies his village with water.

Like many small-scale growers, Ernest shares the water allowance allotted under a single water-use permit with neighboring farmers. Back in 2017, when it was his turn to irrigate his small plot of cucumbers, he often found the canal totally dry; others upstream from his village had diverted so much water that there was not a drop left for those downstream.

Eventually, the harsh Tanzanian sun took its toll. His crop withered and died.

To pay for the seeds, the fertilizer, and his portion of the permit, Ernest had taken out a loan. But when his crop failed, he was unable to repay it. In a desperate bid to maintain his relationship with the local creditor, he sold his family’s two goats. The animals that had once been an important source of income – as is custom, his wife reared livestock and sold milk and meat at the local market – and provided his family with milk – an important source of protein in a predominantly plant-based diet – were now gone. There would be no income until the next harvest. Ernest would have go into more debt in order to afford new seeds for the next planting season. The intervening months would be a struggle.

“We are farmers. Our livelihoods depend on water. Without it, we can’t survive,” he explained.

Ernest’s case is typical of the 2.7 million smallholder farmers residing in Tanzania’s Pangani Basin.

As the breadbasket of Tanzania, over three million people derive their livelihoods from the 500 km-long river and the 43,650 km2 of fertile land surrounding it. It is also a vital resource for national economic development. Commercial agricultural interests are growing while three hydropower schemes, located along the main river, have the potential to generate up to 17 percent of Tanzania’s electricity.

But the basin and people who rely on it are in trouble.

Climate change, population growth, deforestation, growing numbers of livestock, and the expansion of cultivated land are increasing pressures on the basin’s water resources. Water flows are decreasing, leading to more intense competition among water users and dire consequences for families whose livelihoods depend on the land—families like Ernest’s.

“Agriculture is the backbone of Tanzania’s economy” explained Angelina Nyamsambo, Agri-Finance Officer with the Tanzania Horticultural Association.

Agriculture generates around 30 percent of GDP, accounts for 28 percent of exports, employs 66 percent of the population, and is the mainstay of 80 percent of livelihoods in the country.

“Poor access to water reduces farmers’ productivity, limits their income, threatens food security and ultimately results in lower GDP” stressed Angelina.

But effective water management is a complex and volatile issue. Increasing competition for water among riparian stakeholders, each with varying degrees of access to water infrastructures like irrigation and storage, is complicated by the local politics of water allocation.

Weak monitoring and enforcement of regulations designed to control and protect water resources, alongside a general lack of awareness about efficient water use and sustainable farming practices and ineffective coordination among stakeholders further compound the challenge of fair and equitable water delivery in the sub-catchment.

Sustainable water resource management is a challenge nationwide. A recent Tanzania Economic Update, published by the World Bank, found that sub-optimal water management is already having a negative impact on Tanzania’s economy.

To strengthen collaborative approaches to water management in the country, Tanzania 2030 Water Resources Group (2030 WRG) – a public-private-civil-society partnership hosted by the World Bank Group – has been working with government and businesses to identify, develop and scale innovative solutions to the country’s water management challenges since 2013.

The Sustainable Water Management (SUWAMA) Usa-River Partnership is a stakeholder-led catchment stewardship initiative launched under one of Tanzania 2030 WRG’s flagship initiatives—the Kilimanjaro Water Stewardship Platform (KWSP)—that has been carrying out successful joint initiatives among public institutions, community organizations, and businesses to address water-related challenges in the sub-catchment since 2016.

Led by the Pangani Basin Water Board (BWB), in partnership with KWSP, the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) through the International Water Stewardship Programme (IWaSP), the Upper Kikuletwa Water User Association (WUA), the Tanzanian Horticulture Association (TAHA), and Kiliflora Limited, SUWAMA engages water users all the way down to the village level.

The partnership focuses on improving water governance, water use efficiency, and water quality and supply, and works with the community to collectively identify priorities and strategies to do so.

“Our approach is based on the recognition that working separately is a risk for all users because they share the same water source. This means that all the different users need to get together and act collectively in order to help each other and themselves,” said Abraham Yesaya, Community Development Officer with the Pangani BWB, who manages the SUWAMA partnership.

Richard Johannes, Project Officer for the Kilimanjaro Water Stewardship Platform, believes that community ownership is key to SUWAMA’s success.

According to Abraham, the most challenging aspect of the partnership was the initial period of community mobilization and coordination. But it has also provided the biggest payoff. “People need to own the project, otherwise nothing will ever be completed,” he said. “In this case, they do [have ownership], and it shows.”

The collaboration is a model of community-scale public-private cooperation, with private sector partners providing over half of the total financing. Other private sector partners have provided in-kind assistance, such as farming inputs, trees for rehabilitating damaged riparian land, and supplies for the reconstruction of dilapidated irrigation systems. Meanwhile, community members contribute their time and skills. Information placards placed at project sites recognize the contributions of local village associations alongside those of donors and private sector partners. Everyone is in it together.

After two years in operation, satisfaction with SUWAMA’s collective action approach is high.

Rogers is a transplant from South Africa who lives on a lush 90-acre piece of land that used to be a coffee plantation. Of those residents receiving water from the Usa-river, he is among the furthest downstream to be connected to its system of irrigation canals and farrows. Before SUWAMA, he recalled periods of up to six months during which no water flowed to his farm. Today, it flows without disruption.

“It doesn’t matter how much money or what kind of sophisticated technology you throw at the problem; it’s about people,” emphasized Rogers. “You need to get people together and get disciplined.” He hopes to see the model replicated in other communities.

To date, the partnership has succeeded in improving water security for more than a quarter of a million people living around Usa-River in the Kikuletwa Catchment, Pangani Basin: 25,000 people have received direct assistance through SUWAMA, while a further 800,000 have benefited from improvements in water access as a result of the partnership’s initiatives.

Back in Kiwawa, a project to address the source of the village’s water challenges is nearing completion. As part of its good water governance workstream, SUWAMA convened water users from upstream and downstream to collectively assess why there was insufficient water during certain parts of the year. They found that in addition to illegal abstractions occurring upstream, a significant amount of water was lost because the canals, and especially the farrows and abstraction points, were in a state of disrepair.

Since then, a community task force that was created to address these issues has been overseeing efforts to improve monitoring of water use in coordination with the Pangani BWB. The task force, part of the local Water Users Association, has also developed a constitution and bylaws to govern water use and launched a canal rehabilitation project that will prevent future water losses.

Members of a community task force convened by SUWAMA work together to improve the canal infrastructure leading to their village.

With funding from a consortium of water users from the community, a reconstruction of the primary diversion point from the main Usa-river canal has already been completed. Next-up is the abstraction point from which Kiwawa draws its water. Overseeing construction is Ernest, who now serves as Chairman of the Kiwawa Irrigator’s Association.

The reconstruction of the primary diversion point from the main Usa-river canal was among the first projects completed by SUWAMA.

He is looking forward to what he and his neighbors will be able to achieve with consistent and reliable access to water. For him and his family, he envisions green irrigated plots and abundant harvests. Maybe even a greenhouse for himself, with two goats tied up out front.

Women at the Heart of Innovation in Agriculture

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By Karishma Gupte, 2030 WRG Partnerships Coordinator, Maharashtra Program

A study by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reveals that women could improve agricultural yields by 20-30 percent if given access to the same productive resources, such as modern inputs, technology, financial services, and training, that are available to men. In the Amravati district of Maharashtra, 1,900 women from two talukas (administrative divisions of a district) are gradually transforming the agricultural landscape by improving agricultural production and post-harvest processing. Several of the women I recently met in Amravati had interesting stories to share.

Through Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM), a government-funded program, women across Maharashtra, including the Amravati district, were encouraged to form Self Help Groups (SHGs) where they could be trained to cultivate a habit of saving and receive access to group credit through bank linkages. In such a way, several women in the district were able to secure loans for their family farms and personal use. MAVIM further encouraged these women to form consortia of SHGs at the taluka level that could support capacity building in areas such as social and leadership skills. As a result, women found the confidence to venture out of their homes, consider possibilities to start their own businesses, and apply for bank loans. The United Nationals Development Programme (UNDP), with the goal of empowering women through Project Disha, trained women in the SHG consortium of two talukas in the Amravati district on post-harvest management, which led to increased income opportunities for them. Through diverse partnerships and support from the private sector which procured produce from these women farmers, these women became knowledgeable about potential business opportunities for them in the agricultural value chain.

One of the woman farmers who started their own businesses is Rekha Sarodayay. Rekha is a sourcing manager for one of the SHG consortia from the Wakiraipur village of Amravati. She oversees the sourcing of pigeon peas from three villages, dealing primarily with men; traditionally, such interactions are restricted. In addition to her work as a sourcing manager, Rekha also trains women from the villages in best practices for post-harvest management. Drawing upon the training she has received through various programs, Rekha formed her own small enterprise of making wheat noodles three years ago. Along the way, Rekha had to overcome many difficulties, including getting access to finance to buy the machine she needs to make noodles. She borrowed Rs.25000 (US$370) from her SHG at an annual interest rate of 24 percent and invested her savings to start her business. With access to productive resources, Rekha built a thriving business in less than two years and was able to return the funds she borrowed while contributing to the household income. Today, there are over 150 small businesses owned by women like Rekha in the two talukas. These women, who manage complex households while pursuing multiple livelihood options, continue to inspire confidence in other women of the district.

In support of women farmers like Rekha, Reema Sathe left her comfortable corporate job to build a women-friendly supply chain, offering new markets to 15,000 women smallholder farmers. Her team supports a women-run cooperative factory by training them to make baking products using less water-intensive grains like barley, buckwheat, and oats. Through her online platform, Happy Roots, these women were able to sell directly to consumers, thereby eliminating the costs that comes with using middlemen.

Women entrepreneurs like Rekha and Reema, are leading some of the most exciting agri-innovations on the ground, and they are a source of inspiration for those who are passionate about empowering women in rural areas. Today, organizations are keen to invest in women with the aim to close to gender gap, improve rural livelihoods and income, and make rural families and communities more food secure. To highlight such examples, 2030 WRG worked with UNDP India on a compendium of case studies from Maharashtra that exemplify women-centric partnership models that have positively impacted agricultural value chains and have the potential to scale. By challenging gender stereotypes, these case studies could catalyze transformative change in the role of women in Maharashtra and beyond.

The publication, ‘Gender and Water in Agriculture and Allied Sectors’ was jointly developed by 2030 WRG and UNDP India and was launched on 26 February 2019. Read or download the publication here.

For more information, contact Karishma Gupte, kgupte@worldbank.org.