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Tenders are invited for Provision of the Improve Your Agri-Business - Iyab Training to Farmers and Small Agri-Businesses Closing Date: Friday, 09. May 2025 Intervention Sector(s): Agriculture, Labor & Livelihoods PROJECT BACKGROUND Lebanon has been suffering from a severe financial and economic crisis with long-lasting effects on its economy and its people. With the drastic devaluation of the currency, prices of imported items have risen sharply, and households are now increasingly struggling to cover food needs. The combined effects of the crises have resulted in unprecedented levels of unemployment and pushed both the Lebanese population and the approximately 1.5 million Syrian refugees further into poverty. The Lebanese agriculture sector remains one of few sectors where both Syrian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese host communities can legally find employment as well as vulnerable Lebanese host communities but has been particularly hard-hit by the ongoing crises. The International Labour Organization (ILO) is therefore implementing the BOUZOUR project Building Inclusive Markets and Decent Work for Lebanese host communities and Syrian refugees funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida). The project aims to develop specific agricultural and agri-food value chains with potential for decent job creation and livelihoods of both Lebanese and Syrian vulnerable population groups and in particular women of both communities. The project makes use of the ILOs Approach to Inclusive Market Systems (AIMS) to safeguard jobs and livelihoods of vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian communities threatened by the crises and encourage decent job creation for both groups in sectors with potential. The BOUZOUR project is aligned with the idea of doing development differently and therefore applies a market systems development approach. This approach tackles the root causes of market issues affecting people in poverty, aiming for lasting, sustainable changes. Instead of delivering goods and services directly, the project looks at the overall system in which people live and make a living, asking why certain groups struggle to access economic opportunities. By understanding these root causes, the project can design interventions that address them sustainably. This means collaborating with a range of public and private actors to incentivize and capacitate them so they can deliver goods and services sustainably. To guarantee sustainability, the project seeks to create win-win situations whereby both the actor delivering any good or service and the person receiving that service stand to gain from the transaction. One of the key components of the project is dedicated to capacitating farmers and small agri-businesses to better manage their activities and resources as well as to better manage their income-generating activities and small businesses. Interventions under this component would aim to build the capacity of farmers to manage businesses and resources effectively. This would make use of the ILOs Start and Improve your Business (SIYB) trainings and particularly the Improve your Agri-Business - IYAB training modules developed specifically for Lebanese small-holder farmers. Improve your Agri-Business - IYAB contains six training modules (planning for your business, record keeping, costing, people and productivity, buying and stock control, marketing) designed to support farmers and micro and small agri-businesses in better managing their small businesses and making sound financial decisions. Interventions will focus on building the capacity of local institutions and trainer networks to roll-out the training programme sustainably. ASSIGNMENT BACKGROUND According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), micro and small enterprises are responsible for approximately 70% of job creation globally, underscoring their critical role in inclusive economic development. In Lebanon, micro and small enterprises constitute over 90% of the private sector and are particularly dominant in the agriculture and agri-food industries sectors that are central to rural livelihoods, national food security, and export potential. Despite accounting for a relatively small share of national GDP, the agriculture and agri-food sectors provide vital employment opportunities, especially in rural and marginalized regions. These sectors are largely sustained by MSEs, including smallholder farmers, food processors, cooperatives, and family-run agribusinesses. Together, they form the backbone of local food systems and contribute significantly to domestic supply chains and agri-based exports. However, these enterprises face persistent structural challenges: limited access to financing and modern technology, inadequate infrastructure, fragmented value chains, and increasing vulnerability to climate change. Lebanons ongoing economic crisis, coupled with regional instability and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, has further constrained the growth of agricultural and agri-food MSEs. Many continue to operate below capacity, despite their potential to drive job creation, empower women and youth, and promote sustainable development. As such, supporting aspiring entrepreneurs is key in creating more and better jobs. The ILOs Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) entrepreneurship training programme was designed as a set of inter-related training packages to support micro and small enterprises throughout the different phases of business development, from business creation to growth and expansion. According to the ILO, the SIYB implementation model follows a three-tier structure comprising Master Trainers, Trainers, and potential/existing Entrepreneurs. This tiered approach aims to ensure quality control across all three levels. The investment in developing high-performing trainers into Master Trainers aims to promote sustainability and scalability within countries and across the region. Therefore, to enhance the programs sustainability and scale in the Arab States, ROAS is developed high-performing trainers into Master Trainers. This ensures that these countries have Master Trainers capable of training further trainers, ensuring the programs sustainability and impact. In this context, the project supported the participation of highly qualified trainers from Lebanon in the Training of Master Trainers (ToMT) process, further enhancing the programs effectiveness and reach. This ensures that Lebanon will have Master Trainers to carry out higher-level functions, such as training of further trainers during and beyond the lifespan of projects. This investment seeks to create a sustainable training and quality assurance system that can support and scale up the implementation of business development services for vulnerable potential and existing entrepreneurs in the region. The SIYB implementation model operates on a three-tier structure comprising Master Trainers, Trainers, and potential and existing Entrepreneurs, ensuring quality control and effective implementation. Developing high-performing trainers into Master Trainers enhances sustainability and scale within the country. In 2024, efforts have focused on training master trainers and identifying Business Development Service (BDS) providers to ensure effective support for farmers and agri-businesses. In 2024, five trainers (2 male and 3 female) from four institutions in Lebanon completed a certification process to become SIYB Master Trainers. This milestone establishes a sustainable system for training and quality assurance, enabling the expansion of business development services for vulnerable entrepreneurs, farmers, and SMEs. The certified trainers are now equipped to train additional trainers, creating a ripple effect to reach more farmers and small agri-businesses. In addition, the certified trainers will also conduct a training session on Gender and Entrepreneurship focusing on inclusivity. This session will equip new trainers with the knowledge and strategies needed to ensure that their training interventions are gender-inclusive, fostering by that, equal opportunities and participation. To this end, the ILO has organized in April 2025 a ten-day Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop, facilitated by 5 SIYB Master trainers, for 40 trainer candidates from different local organizations and freelancers. OBJECTIVE AND EXPECTED RESULTS This outcome utilizes the ILOs Start and Improve your Business (SIYB) trainings and particularly the Improve your agri-business training modules developed specifically for Lebanese small-holder farmers. Improve your agri-business contains six training modules (planning for your business, record keeping, costing, people and productivity, buying and stock control, marketing) designed to support farmers and small agri-businesses in better managing their small businesses and making sound financial decisions. To support this initiative, efforts focus on strengthening the capacity of local institutions and trainer networks to deliver these modules effectively. This includes training new SIYB trainers or connecting existing trainers to a national network. Emphasizing a cascading model as outlined in the SIYB implementation guide, these interventions concentrate on building sustainable capacity for local institutions and trainer networks to effectively roll out the training program. Moreover, these activities extend to the training of farmers and agri-businesses in the Improve your agri-business IYAB training by the selected local institutions and SIYB trainers aiming to support farmers and small agri-business to better manage their income-generating activities and small businesses. As previously mentioned, the ILO has organized in April 2025 a ten-day Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop, facilitated by 5 SIYB Master trainers, for 40 trainer candidates from different local organizations and freelancer Tender Link : https://daleel-madani.org/civil-society-directory/international-labour-organization-0/calls/tor-provision-improve-your-agri-business-iyab-training-farmers-and-small-agri-businesses
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