CIFOR-ICRAF
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land & Irrigation Sri Lanka (MoALLI), along with World Agroforestry (ICRAF), is implementing the project titled “Strengthening Climate Resilience for Subsistence Farmers and Agricultural Plantation Communities Residing in the Vulnerable River Basins, Watershed Areas and Downstream of the Knuckles Mountain Range Catchment of Sri Lanka.” The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the principal donor of this project, with a total budget of USD 49 million over six years.
Rice is the staple food of Sri Lanka, with an average annual per capita consumption of 114 kilograms. The country produces approximately 3.4 million metric tons of milled rice annually, cultivated by over 1 million smallholder farmers predominantly in the dry zone. The Knuckles Mountain Range serves as a critical water tower for Sri Lanka’s agricultural heartland, supporting extensive rice cultivation in both upstream watershed areas (Matale, Kandy) and downstream regions (Kurunegala, Anuradhapura). Sri Lanka possesses over 400 rice varieties with exceptional nutrition (low GI<48, high antioxidants, 10% protein vs 6-8% conventional). The demand for rice with various health effects and grown with less chemical inputs has been increasing in many developed countries. Value addition potential includes: rice flour products, noodles, starch, bran oil, functional foods, ready-to-eat products and healthy rice. Export markets in EU, USA, Japan, Middle East offer 30-100% price premiums. Climate-smart practices (AWD, SRI) can reduce methane 50-70%, save water 30-50%. Site-specific nutrient management increases yields 17-19% while reducing fertilizer use. Current pricing issues (30-50% seasonal drops, miller dominance) require collective marketing and value addition strategies.
Duties and responsibilities
This assignment develops transformative rice value chains while addressing Sri Lanka’s unique challenges: climate vulnerability, production constraints, minimal value addition, pricing instability, and untapped export potential with the following scopes.
- Value Chain Assessment & Traditional Rice Mapping: Baseline assessment with precision agriculture readiness
- Market Analysis & Export Opportunities: Domestic/international markets, export strategies for EU/USA/Japan/Middle East
- Value Addition & Processing: 15+ product categories (flour, noodles, starch, bran oil, functional foods)
- Climate-Smart & Precision Nutrient Management: AWD/SRI, SSNM tools, site-specific fertilizer with soil spectroscopy
- Export Market Development & Branding: Brand building, GI protection, certification, competitive positioning
- Business Models & Financial Viability: Scalable models with climate finance integration
- Pricing & Market Stabilization: Fair pricing mechanisms, collective marketing, price premium strategies
- Implementation & Scaling: Roadmap, training, partnerships, M&E, policy recommendations
Output: Minimum 5 selected traditional/improved rice varieties with comprehensive business models covering all 8 objectives. This includes a minimum of 6 workable business models that promote rice intensification in both upstream and downstream of the Knuckles project area, covering the above scopes.
8 WORKING PACKAGES (14 weeks):
WP1 (Weeks 1-4): Value Chain Assessment – Production inventory, traditional variety nutritional profiling, precision ag readiness, complete value chain mapping under different contexts in up & down stream of Knuckles, post-harvest loss assessment
WP2 (Weeks 3-6): Market Analysis & Export – Domestic segmentation, international export markets (EU/USA/Japan/Middle East), competitive analysis, pricing mechanisms, certification requirements, brand strategy, multi-stakeholder validation workshop selecting 3-4 varieties/approaches
WP3 (Weeks 5-8): Value Addition & Processing – Product portfolio development across 15+ categories: rice flour (bread, noodles, pasta, crackers), rice starch/derivatives, rice bran products (oil, protein, fiber), ready-to-eat products, functional foods, fermented products. Processing technology roadmaps, equipment specifications, quality control protocols.
WP4 (Weeks 5-9): [LR1] Climate-Smart & Precision Nutrient Management – AWD/SRI protocols, Site-Specific Nutrient Management (SSNM), decision support tools (Nutrient Expert, Rice Crop Manager), soil spectroscopy for instant analysis, SPAD meters/Leaf Color Charts[LR2] , organic certification pathways, carbon footprint assessment
WP5 (Weeks 7-10): Export Market Development – Market entry strategies per region, brand identity creation, GI protection application, export procedures/regulations, competitive positioning vs Thai/Vietnamese/Indian rice, 30-100% price premium strategies
WP6 (Weeks 8-11): Business Models – 5 scales (individual, group, cooperative, small enterprise, medium enterprise), financial modeling, climate finance (carbon credits, PES), social impact assessment, investment packages
WP7 (Weeks 9-12): Pricing & Market Stabilization – Current pricing issue analysis, fair price formulas, quality-based premiums, collective marketing, contract farming, storage strategies, price information systems
WP8 (Weeks 11-14): Implementation & Scaling – Phased roadmap, training programs, partnership frameworks, M&E systems, policy recommendations, scaling strategies
All WPs customized for each of the minimum 5 selected varieties with a minimum of 6 workable business models that promote rice intensification in both upstream and downstream of the Knuckles project area
Education, knowledge and experience
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS (Individual/Team Lead):
• Advanced degree (Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, Food Science, related field)
• 10+ years of agricultural value chain development
• Rice sector expertise with demonstrated results
• Knowledge of international best practices (Japan, Thailand, Vietnam models)
• Understanding of value addition and processing
• Export market development experience
• Climate-smart agriculture and precision nutrient management
• Sri Lanka or South Asia experience preferred
PREFERRED:
• GCF or climate finance project experience
• Rice value addition product development
• Site-specific nutrient management tool experience
• Organic/GI/fair trade certification processes
• Soil spectroscopy and precision agriculture
• Network with processors, exporters, retailers
• Publications on rice value chains
PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS:
Teams/Institutions must submit:
1. Team composition with CVs for each member
2. Role assignments and person-day allocation
3. Team coordination mechanism
4. Institutional capacity statement (if applicable)
5. Past team collaboration examples
Terms and conditions
Terms and conditions
• This is a consultancy position.
• Work location: Colombo and Knuckles project area
• The Period of consultancy is 14 weeks
14 weeks after contract signing
PHASES:
• Phase 1 (Weeks 1-4): Assessment & Baseline
• Phase 2 (Weeks 3-6): Market Analysis & Variety Selection
• Phase 3 (Weeks 5-9): Technical Development (Value Addition + Climate-Smart)
• Phase 4 (Weeks 7-11): Business Models & Export Strategies
• Phase 5 (Weeks 9-14): Pricing, Implementation & Finalization
• Interested and qualified consultants/firms are invited to submit their applications (Technical Proposal, Financial Proposal, and Supporting Documents)
• Late submissions will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further assessment. CIFOR-ICRAF reserves the right to accept or reject any application and is not bound to assign any reason for its decision.
Please see the full details in the attachment file.
To learn more about CIFOR-ICRAF, please visit our websites at:
https://www.cifor-icraf.org
CIFOR-ICRAF promotes Gender Diversity – Applications from women professionals are encouraged.
CIFOR-ICRAF is an equal opportunity employer. It fosters a multicultural work environment that values gender equality, teamwork, and respect for diversity.