(TCP PROJECT EXAMPLE)

(This example reflects a project formulation process and planning results for a specific situation. The problems, objectives and activities specified as well as the inputs required are project specific and should not be used as blue print standards. Any project proposal developed should identify its specific objectives results activities and inputs, based on the TCP Guidelines and with the help of the logframe format.)

Country:   X
Project Title:   Building Capacity for Policy Analysis on Assessing the Competitiveness of COUNTRY X Agriculture and Food Processing Industry in the Context of EU Accession
Project Number:   TCP/XXX/....
Starting Date:   April 199..
Completion Date:   December 199..
Government agency responsible for project execution:   Ministry of Agriculture
FAO Contribution:   US$ 3xx 000

Signed: .................................

   ....................................
(on behalf of Government)   Jacques Diouf
Director-General
(on behalf of FAO)

Date of Signature: .....................

   Date of Signature: ........................

 

I. PROJECT SUMMARY

At the beginning of 199z, COUNTRY X applied for membership of the European Union (EU). Negotiations are beginning, and the likely entry date is considered to be between 200y to 200z. The Government is presently in the process of preparing itself for the entry negotiations and eventual accession. As part of this process the Ministry of Agriculture is examining its agricultural policies and developing a pre-accession strategy for its agriculture and food industries.

Together with FAO the Government identified the need for information on how particular sectors of X agriculture and the food industry would be affected by the adoption of the EU agricultural policy and single market acquis, particularly as it might evolve in the light of the discussions on the Agenda 2000 proposals.

This project is designed to provide assistance to the Ministry of Agriculture, and specifically the Foreign and Trade Policy Section, in preparing its negotiating position for accession to the EU. The project's research efforts will be focused on COUNTRY X's most sensitive food chains, such as: dairy, meat, cereals, fruit, vegetables, and so on. Also specific strategic agro-industries supplying inputs to agriculture (e.g. feed processing) will be covered by the study.

The objective of this project is to provide the Ministry's Negotiating Team and the Working Groups on EU accession with information on those agricultural and food industry sub-sectors likely to benefit, and those likely to lose, from integration into the EU single market. The project shall also train about ten national policy analysts in the use of the model template to ensure the capacity to maintain the analysis relevant and up to date in the future.


II. BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION

At the beginning of 199z, COUNTRY X applied for membership of the European Union (EU). Negotiations are beginning, and the likely entry date is considered to be between 200y to 200z. The Government is presently in the process of preparing itself for the entry negotiations and eventual accession. As part of this process the Ministry of Agriculture is examining its agricultural policies and developing a pre-accession strategy for its agriculture and food industries.

This project is designed to provide assistance to the Ministry of Agriculture, and specifically the Foreign and Trade Policy Section, in preparing its negotiating position for accession to the EU. The Section was recently re-organized and expanded in the light of its increased responsibilities. A small Negotiating Team and a series of around 15 Working Groups comprised of Ministry officials, processors, producer representatives, researchers and academics have been established to follow issues specifically related to EU accession. Working Groups are organized to 'shadow' the various EU common market organizations as well as a number of horizontal areas. Most Working Groups are chaired by a Ministry official and these chairpersons make up the EU Negotiating Team.

Discussions between FAO and the Foreign and Trade Policy Section in 199x identified a need for information on how particular sectors of X agriculture and the food industry would be affected by the adoption of the EU agricultural policy and single market acquis, particularly as it might evolve in the light of the discussions on the Agenda 2000 proposals. A number of commodity sector studies have already been completed within the Ministry. In addition, the Research Institute for Agricultural Economics has completed a scenarios study of the future evolution of X agriculture and a study assessing the impact of EU membership with a wide-ranging and general analysis, assuming entry in 200y.

The proposed project would build on and complement this work in a number of ways. Data on costs of production for a number of agricultural commodities and for different types of production units in _______ would be collected and compared with any available existing similar data from EU countries, so as to assess which are the products in which X has a comparative advantage compared to EU Member States. As far as possible the chain of costs should extend beyond the farm gate to include the wholesale market price, in order to compare margins in the food processing industry in addition to on-farm costs, although it is recognized there may be difficulties in obtaining the necessary data. The main factors constraining a product's competitiveness and the policy measures which could enhance competitiveness at both farm and processing level will be identified. For the food processing sector, it will be important to link these with the non-price factors affecting competitiveness (market structure and infrastructures, quality and grading standards, the White Book requirements, etc.).

The project's research efforts will be focused on COUNTRY X's most sensitive food chains, such as: dairy, meat, cereals, fruit, vegetables, and so on. Also specific strategic agro-industries supplying inputs to agriculture (e.g. feed processing) will be covered by the study.

Given the volatility of COUNTRY X agricultural policy environment at present - uncertainty about date of EU accession, uncertainty about nature of CAP at time of accession, uncertainty about progress in transition, there is a need to have a template or model which can regularly inform policy-makers, rather than just a one-off study.

The project also includes a capacity-building component which would ensure that the analyses undertaken during project implementation can be regularly updated in the light of changing economic conditions as it is expected that entry negotiations will not be completed for some time.


III. OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSISTANCE

The objective of this project is to provide the Ministry's Negotiating Team and the Working Groups on EU accession with information on those agricultural and food industry sub-sectors likely to benefit, and those likely to lose, from integration into the EU single market.


IV. PROJECT OUTPUTS (RESULTS)

The outputs of the project will be:

  • a final report summarizing the current state of knowledge regarding the competitive position of COUNTRY X agriculture and food processing industries;

  • a model template (probably in spreadsheet form) which could be used by policy-makers to assess the implications of changes in the main economic parameters (commodity prices, exchange rates, labour costs etc.) on the competitive position of COUNTRY X agriculture and food processing; and

  • about ten national policy analysts trained in the use of the model template to ensure the capacity to maintain the analysis relevant and up to date in the future.


V. WORK PLAN

Project Organization and Management

The project would be implemented with the Foreign and Trade Policy Section, Ministry of Agriculture, as the executing agency, assisted by a Project Steering Committee, and by international and local consultants.

The Project Steering Committee (PSC) would ensure the overall direction of the project and its relevance to the needs of the Negotiating Team and the Working Groups on EU accession. It should be chaired by the Director General, Foreign and Trade Policy Section (who will also play the role of National Project Coordinator) and should include, inter alia, the Head of the Negotiating Team, the Directors of the Strategy and Commodities Division and the Food Industry Division in the Ministry, as well as leaders of the Working Groups on EU accession.

Management of the project would be the joint responsibility of a National Senior Policy Analyst, locally recruited, and the International Team Leader nominated by FAO.

In implementing the project activities use will be made, as far as possible, of locally available expertise and institutions. In this respect, xyz - a X semi-autonomous institution functioning as a private consulting firm in the field of agricultural policy analysis - will be contracted to a large extent to carry out specific project tasks. xyz would bring particular skills and assets to the project as it conducts the annual national farm survey and maintains cost of production data which are currently used as an input into their agricultural sector model A…. The availability and quality of these data need to be assessed. However, it is unlikely that their data extend beyond the farm gate, so additional survey work would be required in order to estimate the composition of producer-wholesale margins.

The actual studies would be carried out by three functional Task Forces, organized according to specialization:

  • the first Task Force will be mainly dealing with primary agricultural commodities;
  • the second Task Force will concentrate on food processing products; and
  • the third Task Force will be mainly concerned with the development of the computer model templates required by the other task forces to analyze their data and compute the indicators of comparative and competitive advantages.
Each Task Force will comprise two specialists from xyz and two to three Ministry's staff seconded to the project. The possibility of selected staff from certain Ministry's Divisions (particularly the Strategy and Commodity and the Food Industry Divisions) becoming involved should be explored.

International specialists, working under the leadership of the FAO Team Leader, would be hired to assist the Task Forces in the various phases of the project.

Project Implementation

The 9-month project period has been divided into five phases as presented below. An implementation schedule showing the project activities and the manpower inputs covering the activities is given in Annex I.

Duration
(Months) Timetable
(Months)


PHASE I - PREPARATION - (2 Months)

1. Project Establishment  
  Recruit FAO Team Leader; Recruit National Senior Policy Analyst; Make office arrangements; Purchase equipment; Agree on members of Project Steering Committee (PSC).  
2. Preparation 1.5 0 - 1.5
  Project Inception Mission prepares a work plan for project implementation spelling out in detail the activities to be carried out for the achievement of the project objectives, the Task Forces composition and their respective TORs, TORs for the international consultants, and the time schedule for project execution; Inception Report ; PSC approves Inception Report; Contractual arrangements for local Task Forces (3) and International Consultants (3); Prepare background papers (including overview of agriculture and food industry's contribution to X socio-economic development).  
3. Orientation Workshop 0.5 1.5 - 2
 

Three main objectives: a) to clarify the methodological approach; b) to review preliminary background papers prepared by Consultants and Task Forces; and c) to prepare detailed plan for the next phase (i.e. preliminary analysis of available information).

PHASE II - PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS - (2 Months)

 
4. Preliminary Analysis 1.5 2 - 3.5
  Assemble and review available studies and data on X and EU primary agriculture, food processing and marketing costs; Construct a model template and carry out preliminary runs.  
5. Mid-Progress Workshop 0.5 3.5 - 4
 

Three main objectives: a) to discuss the results of the preliminary analysis of available information; b) to identify existing information gaps; c) to prepare a detailed plan for the next phase (i.e. data collection and processing).

PHASE III - DATA COLLECTION AND PROCESSING - (2 Months)

  
6. Data Collection and Processing 2 4 - 6
 

Collect and process all relevant data concerning selected X Republic's agriculture and food industry products; Assemble further relevant information concerning EU costs of production; Compare EU and X results.

PHASE IV - ANALYSIS - (1 Month)

  
7. Analysis of Alternative Policy Scenarios 1 6 - 7
 

Assess the comparative advantage of X and ways to improve the competitive position of individual sectors under alternative policy scenarios; Prepare reports including documentation of model template.

PHASE V - REPORTING - (2 Months)

  
8. Concluding Seminar 0.5 7 - 7.5
  Present the project's main findings and policy recommendations to a wide audience (including government policy makers as well as the main private sector categories concerned; i.e. farmers, traders, entrepreneurs, etc.) so as to obtain feedback for their finalization.  
9. Documentation. 1.5 7.5 - 9
  Finalize technical reports incorporating relevant comments and suggestions emerged at the Concluding Seminar; Prepare Project Terminal Statement (including project main findings and recommendations); Official submission of technical reports and FAO terminal statement to the Government.  

VI. CAPACITY BUILDING

The project envisages an in-service training component to ensure that the Ministry of Agriculture has the required policy analysis skills to be able to continue the type of analysis undertaken during the implementation of the project, in view of the likely extension of negotiations for EU accession beyond the project period and more generally so as to cover the requirements of a competitive market economy.

The training programme will take the form of workshops and seminars, tailored to the needs of those engaged in conducting the analyses, and designed so as to be functional to and closely linked to the assessment of X's agriculture and food industries' competitiveness.

In addition, a specific training programme will be envisaged for three selected project counterparts (one from each of the three Task Forces envisaged in the project design), on the use and maintenance of the computer model template required by the project. This programme will take the form of a working period (say two to three weeks) to be spent in a European University specialized in this field.

Main output of this project component would be a number of national economists (around 10) trained in the use of policy analysis techniques, including related computer model templates, to assess X's competitiveness under different policy scenarios.


VII. INPUTS TO BE PROVIDED BY FAO

Personnel

International Experts and Consultants

  • Senior Policy Advisor - FAO Team Leader (15 p/weeks in 5 missions). TORs in Annex II/a.
  • Food Industries and Marketing Economist (10 p/weeks in 4 missions). TORs in Annex II/b.
  • Specialist in Measurement of Comparative Advantage (10 p/weeks in 4 missions). TORs in Annex II/c.

FAO Advisory Technical Services (ATS) by an officer from TCAS

  • Agricultural Economist - Farm Production Analysis. (10 p/weeks in 4 missions). TORs in Annex II/d.

National Experts and Consultants

  • Senior Policy Advisor - Project Co-Director (6 p/months). TORs in Annex II/e.

Retired Expert/Partnership Programme

  • Macroeconomist (6 p/weeks in 2 missions). TORs in Annex II/f.

FAO Supervisory Technical Services

  • Technical Backstopping by an officer from TCAS (3.5 p/weeks in 3 missions). TORs in Annex II/g.

Duty Travel

  • A budgetary provision is made for in-country travel by the International experts and the FAO Technical Backstopping officer, up to US$ zzz.

Contracts

  • Three contracts with a local institution for the assessment of the competitiveness of X agricultural commodities; the assessment of the competitiveness of X food industry products and the development of related computer templates. Each of the above tasks will be carried out by a purposely established Task Force, working under the guidance of an international specialist in the subject matter.
  • These contracts will also cover the organizational and operational costs of an orientation seminar, a mid-progress workshop and a concluding seminar, simultaneous interpretation and translations costs of the reports.
  • The total cost for contracts will be up to US$ ..... (TORs in Annexes III, IIIa, IIIb and IIIc).

General Operating Expenses

  • General Operating Expenses miscellaneous expenditures, including costs of communication and eventual equipment repairs will be up to US$......, including US$... for project report.

Materials and Supplies

  • Materials and Supplies including stationery for report preparation and training, diskettes for PCs and purchase of computer software, reports and documents as necessary, up to US$.......

Equipment

  • Three PCs and audio-visual equipment for use in training activities, up to US$......

Direct Operating Expenses

  • Direct expenses at FAO Headquarters connected with the implementation of the project, up to US$.......

Training

Study Tours (US$.......)

  • The project envisages specialized training programme abroad of two to three weeks duration each for three project counterparts, one from each of the three project Task Forces, on the use of computer model templates (probably in spreadsheet form) for the construction of PAMs and the computation of DRCs, NPCs, EPCs, etc. The programme will be conceived and arranged by the FAO Team Leader, in consultation with the Specialist in Measurement of Comparative/Competitive Advantage, and it will be implemented in collaboration with a specialized European University.
  • The total cost of the study tours will be up to US$........., US$...... for the training, US$ ........ for the travel and US$ ...... for DSA.


VIII. REPORTING

On the basis of the working documents prepared by the three functional Task Forces (see Annexes III/a, III/b and III/c), the Team Leader will prepare a synthesis report summarizing the current state of knowledge regarding the competitive position of X agriculture and food industry in the EU accession environment. The report will incorporate the points of greatest relevance and importance made during the Concluding Seminar. It will be translated into X language prior to its official submission to the Government of the X .

The Macroeconomist will prepare a report providing a statistical overview of the contribution of agriculture and the food industry to the X's economic and social development which is expected to be a reference for the Task Forces in determining which specific sectors could be covered by in-depth study.

On the basis of the experience gained during project implementation, the National Senior Policy Advisor will prepare a report on the possible "institutionalization" of the policy analysis work as a permanent function of the Ministry of Agriculture.

At the end of the project, the FAO Team Leader will draft a Terminal Statement, according to FAO/TCP procedures, for finalization at FAO Headquarters and submission to the Government.


IX. GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTION

The Government of _____ will provide the following for the implementation of the project:

  • nominate the members of the Project Steering Committee;
  • assign a National Coordinator and a team of qualified ministerial staff (6 to 9 Government officials) for the entire duration of the project;
  • office accommodation for the project, including a seminar hall for the duration of the envisaged workshops and seminars;
  • supplementary secretarial/administrative and logistic support for the project team, including in-country transportation, document reproduction and printing facilities, etc.;
  • access to all pertinent information.
Finally, the Government will provide any other contribution in terms of persons, equipment and materials needed for successful implementation of the project.


PROJECT BUDGET COVERING FAO INPUTS
(in US dollars)


  Country: X
  Project Title: Assessing the Competitiveness of COUNTRY X Agriculture and Food Processing Industry in the Context of EU Accession
  Project Number: TCP/…/….

1100

International experts and consultants

   

1200

FAO Advisory Technical Services (ATS)

 

1700

National experts and consultants

 

1800

TCDC/TCCT Experts/Consultants

 

1900

Supervisory Technical Services (STS)

1910 Standard Supervisory Technical Services

1920 Supervisory function of lead technical units

1930 Field visits by Technical Officers

1950 Thematic evaluations (standard fee)

(7 500)

(2 340)

(25,872)

(500)

       Sub-total Personnel

 

2000

Duty Travel

 

3000

Contractual Services

   
4000 General Operating Expenses (including US$.... for project report)    

5000

Supplies and Materials

   
6000 Equipment    

7000

Direct Operating Expenses

   

8000

Training

   
  Study Tours (19 000)    
TOTAL  


Annex II/a

TERMS OF REFERENCE

International Senior Policy Advisor /Team Leader
(15 person/weeks in 5 missions)


Under the overall supervision of the Chief, TCOC and the technical guidance of the Agricultural Policy Support Service (TCAS) and in close collaboration with the National Senior Policy Advisor the consultant will:

First Mission (2 weeks)

  • lead the Project Inception Mission;

    Home Base (1 week)
  • prepare methodological notes on the approach to be followed in assessing the competitiveness of X's agriculture and food industry to be presented and discussed with the Task Forces at the "Orientation Workshop";

    Second Mission (2 weeks)
  • design the agenda of the "Orientation Workshop" and participate;

    Home Base (1 week)
  • provide ad-hoc guidance and assistance to the three project Task Forces during Phase II;

    Third Mission (2 weeks)

    • design the agenda of the "Mid-Progress Workshop" and participate;

      Home Base (1 week)
    • provide ad-hoc guidance and assistance to the three project Task Forces during Phase III;

      Fourth Mission (2 weeks)

    • lead the project Task Forces in identifying and analyzing ways to improve the competitive position of X's individual sub-sectors under alternative policy scenarios and in the light of EU integration;

      Home Base (1 week)
    • provide ad-hoc guidance and assistance to the three project Task Forces during Phase IV;

      Fifth Mission (1 week)

    • design the agenda of the "Concluding Seminar" and participate;

      Home Base (2 weeks)
    • prepare a synthesis report summarizing the current state of knowledge regarding the competitive position of X agriculture and food industry in the EU accession environment. The report will incorporate the points of greatest relevance and importance made during the "Concluding Seminar";
    • draft a Terminal Statement according to FAO/TCP format and procedures.

      Qualifications and Experience
      A graduate in economics/agricultural economics with more than 20 years practical and teaching experience in micro and macro economic analysis, price and trade policies (including GATT and regional trade agreements) and specialization on EU Accession issues.

      Languages - English (essential), _______ (desirable).

      Duration
      The total duration of the assignment will be 15 weeks, of which 9 weeks in X in 5 missions, of a duration of 1 or 2 weeks each, and the rest at his/her home base.

       

      Annex II/b

      TERMS OF REFERENCE
      International Food Industry and Marketing Economist
      (10 person/weeks in 4 missions)

       

      Under the overall supervision of the Chief, TCOC, the technical guidance of the Agricultural Policy Support Service (TCAS) and under the overall guidance of the Team Leader, the consultant will:

      First Mission (2 weeks)

    • participate in the "Orientation Workshop" with the task of clarifying the methodological approach to be applied and preparing a detailed work plan for assessing the competitiveness of selected food industry's products in the light of EU accession;

      Home Base (1 week)
    • guide and assist the Food Industry Task Force in assembling and reviewing available studies and data on X and EU food processing and marketing costs;

      Second Mission (2 weeks)
    • participate in the "Mid-Progress Workshop" with the task of identifying existing information gaps and preparing a detailed plan for the collection and processing of relevant missing data and information. Compare EU and X results;

      Home Base (1 week)
    • guide and assist the Food Industry Task Force in data collection and processing;

      Third Mission (2 weeks)
    • guide and assist the Food Industry Task Force in assessing the comparative advantage of X and in identifying ways to improve the competitive position of individual food industrial products under alternative policy scenarios;

      Home Base (1 week)
    • guide and assist the Task Force in preparing a technical report on the main findings of the above analysis.

      Fourth Mission (1 week)
    • participate in the Task Force's presentation of the above technical report at the "Concluding Seminar" and contribute to the discussion;
    • finalize the Task Force's report on food industry's competitiveness, incorporating the most relevant points emerged at the Seminar.

      Qualifications and Experience
      A graduate in economics/industrial Economics with more that 15 years practical and teaching experience in the economic and policy analysis of the food-industry sector. Experience with economies in transition is desirable. Languages - English (essential), ___ or ___ (desirable).

      Duration
      The total duration of the assignment will be 10 weeks, of which 7 weeks in X in four missions, of a duration of 1 or 2 weeks each, and the rest at his/her home base.


      Annex II/c

      TERMS OF REFERENCE
      International Specialist in Measurement of Comparative Advantage
      (10 person/weeks in 4 missions)

       

      Under the overall supervision of the Chief, TCOC, the technical guidance of the Agricultural Policy Support Service (TCAS) and overall guidance of the Team Leader, the consultant will:

      First Mission (2 weeks)

    • participate in the "Orientation Workshop" with the task of clarifying the methodological approach to be followed and preparing a detailed plan for the development of the computer templates for data collection, processing and analysis;

      Home Base (1 week)

    • prepare model template for data collection and carry out a preliminary run with available data. On the basis of the preliminary run's results, finalize the model template for data collection;

      Second Mission (2 weeks)

    • participate in the "Mid-Progress Workshop" with the task of identifying, in collaboration with the other team members, existing information gaps and preparing a detailed plan for the collection and processing of relevant missing information;

      Home Base (1 week)
    • prepare a computer model analysis template;

      Third Mission (2 weeks)
    • train Task Forces' members on their use to calculate DRCs and EPCs for each of the selected products and production processes for the year represented by the data;
    • on the basis of the above information, calculate measures of the current competitiveness of major X agriculture and food industry's products and illustrate, with additional calculations, how that competitiveness would change under different policy scenarios;

      Home Base (1 week)

    • prepare a user's manual on the computer model template for future updating of the above analysis in a changing policy environment.

      Fourth Mission (1 week) - participate in the "Concluding Seminar".

      Qualifications and Experience
      A graduate in economics/agricultural economics with more than 15 year practical and training experience in the construction of Policy Analysis Matrix (PAMs) and in the calculation of Domestic Resource Costs (DRCs) and Effective Protection Coefficients (EPCs) for different food industry products and production processes. Experience in the development of subject matter specific model templates is essential. Languages - English (essential), ___ or ___ (desirable).

      Duration - 10 weeks, of which 7 weeks in X in 4 missions, of a duration of between 1 and 2 weeks each, and the rest at his/her home base.

       

      Annex 1I/d

      TERMS OF REFERENCE
      Advisory Technical Services in Agricultural Economics/ Farm Production Analysis
      (10 person/weeks in 4 missions)

       

      Under the overall supervision of the Chief, TCOC, and of the Agricultural Policy Support Service (TCAS) and under the overall guidance of the Team Leader, the TCAS officer will:

      First Mission (2 weeks)

    • participate in the "Orientation Workshop" with the task of clarifying the methodological approach to be applied and of preparing a detailed work plan for assessing the competitiveness of selected X agricultural commodities and production processes in the light of EU accession;

      Home Base (1 week)
    • guide and assist the Agriculture Task Force in assembling and reviewing available studies and data on X and EU agricultural production and marketing costs.

      Second Mission (2 weeks)
    • participate in the "Mid-Progress Workshop" with task of identifying existing information gaps and of preparing a detailed plan for the collection and processing of cost of production and other relevant missing data and information. Compare EU and X results;

      Home Base (1 week)
    • provide ad-hoc guidance and assistance to the three project Task Forces during Phase III;

      Third Mission (2 weeks)
    • guide and assist the Agriculture Task Force in assessing X's comparative advantage and in identifying ways to improve the competitive position of individual agricultural commodities under alternative policy scenarios;

      Home Base (1 week)
    • guide and assist the Agriculture Task Force in preparing a technical report on the main findings of the above analysis;

      Fourth Mission (1 week)
    • participate in the Task Force's presentation of the report at the "Concluding Seminar" and contribute to the discussion. Finalize the Task Force's report on X agriculture competitiveness, incorporating the most relevant points emerged at the Seminar.

      Qualifications and Experience
      A graduate in agricultural economics with more than 15 years experience in agricultural policy analysis, especially in the analysis of comparative/competitive advantage of different agricultural commodity chains, in farm-level analysis and in training in the above fields. Knowledge of EU comparative cost of production studies. Languages - English (essential), ___ or ___ (desirable).

      Duration - 10 weeks of which 7 weeks in X in 4 missions (between 1 and 2 weeks each) and the rest at FAO Headquarters.

       

      Annex II/e

      TERMS OF REFERENCE

      National Senior Policy Advisor / Project Co-Director


      Under the general guidance and supervision of the Project Steering Committee and in collaboration with the FAO Team Leader the consultant will:

       

      • have overall responsibility for the management and implementation of project activities;
      • participate in the Project Inception Mission and in the preparation of the detailed work plan;
      • guide and assist the Macro-Economist in identifying the sources of information, collecting relevant data and preparing a report on: " An overview of agriculture and food industry's contribution to X economic and social development".
      • participate in the organization and implementation of the "Orientation Workshop".
      • coordinate and guide the three project Task Forces during Phase II;
      • participate in the organization and implementation of the "Mid-Progress Workshop";
      • coordinate and guide the work of the three project Task Forces during Phases III and IV;
      • participate in the organization and implementation of the "Concluding Seminar";
      • prepare a report on the possible "institutionalization" of the policy analysis work carried out during project implementation as a permanent function of the Ministry of Agriculture.
      Qualifications and Experience
      A graduate in economics/agricultural economics with a significant and diversified experience in X's agriculture and food policy issues, price and trade policies (including GATT and regional trade agreements).

      Languages - Knowledge of English is essential.

      Duration
      The total duration of the assignment will be 6 months (WAE).

       

      Annex II/f

      TERMS OF REFERENCE
      Retired Expert in Macroeconomics under the Partnership Programme
      (6 person/weeks in 2 missions)

       

      Under the overall supervision of the Chief, TCOC, the technical guidance of the Agricultural Policy Support Service (TCAS) and in collaboration with the National Senior Policy Advisor, the TCDC consultant will :

      First Mission (2 weeks)

      • specify the principal ways in which agriculture and food industry can contribute to economic and social development;
      • select statistical indicators that will allow quantifying the agriculture and food industry sectors' impact and performance;
      • identify the possible sources of information and collect relevant data;
      Home Base (2 weeks)
      • prepare a report on a " A statistical overview of agriculture and food industry's contribution to X economic and social development", providing reference for the subsequent work of the project Task Forces and, through its statistical analysis, help them to determine which specific sectors should be covered by in-depth study;

      Second Mission (2 weeks)

      present the broad findings of the statistical analysis contained in the above report at the "Orientation Seminar".

      Qualifications and Experience
      A graduate in economics with more than 15 years experience in macro-level assessment of agriculture and food industry's contribution to economic and social development. Experience with economies in transition is desirable.

      Languages - English (essential), ___ or ___ (desirable).

      Duration
      The total duration of the assignment will be 6 weeks, of which 4 weeks in X in 2 missions and the rest at his/her home base.


      Annex II/g

      TERMS OF REFERENCE
      Technical Backstopping
      (approximately 3.5 weeks in three missions)

       

      Under the supervision of the Chief of the Agricultural Policy Support Service (TCAS), the Technical Backstopping Officer from TCAS will:

      Project Inception Mission (2 weeks)

      • prepare a detailed work plan;
      • contribute, as appropriate, to the preparation of the Project Inception Report;
      Orientation Workshop (1 week)
      • participate in workshop programme and present a paper on "Comparative and Competitive Advantage Analysis" including illustrations drawn from other relevant FAO projects;
      Concluding Seminar (2/3 days)
      • actively participate in the Seminar and share with the Seminar's participants TCA's accrued knowledge and experience in this field.

       

      Annex III

      CONTRACTS


      Three contracts are envisaged with the Research Institute for Agricultural Economics (xyz) to cover three specific segments of the project work, namely:

      • assessment of competitiveness of X agricultural commodities;
      • assessment of competitiveness of X food industry products,; and
      • development of related computer templates.

      The total cost of the contracts component will be up to US$ ...........

      Each of the above tasks will be carried out by a purposely established Task Force, respectively TF 1, 2 and 3, working under the guidance of an international specialist in the subject matter.

      The cost of TF1 will be up to US$ ..........: US$ ......... for the 6 months honorarium of two national experts and US$ ........ to cover travel and DSA. The same applies to TF2.

      The cost of TF3 will be up to US$ .............: US$ ......... for the 6 months honorarium of two national experts and US$ .......... to cover travel and DSA.

      The total cost for the three Task Forces is up to US$ ............

      In addition, US......... are budgeted to cover the organizational and operational costs of an orientation seminar, a mid-progress workshop and a concluding seminar, simultaneous interpretation and the translation costs of the reports prepared by the TFs into English.

      TORs for the individual Task Forces are given below in Annexes III a, b and c.


      Annex III/a

      TERMS OF REFERENCE
      Task Force 1: Agriculture Efficiency

       

      Working under the direct guidance and supervision of the ATS Agricultural Economist, Task Force 1 will be responsible for assessing the relative competitiveness of selected X agricultural products and production processes in the light of COUNTRY X accession to EU. In line with the project work plan, Task Force 1 will be responsible for the following tasks:

      participate in the project "Orientation Workshop" and prepare a detailed work plan for the implementation of the project activities under the Task Force's domain of responsibility;

      • assemble and review available studies and data on X and EU primary agriculture and marketing costs. Carry out preliminary runs of the computer model template purposely developed by Task Force 3;

      • participate in the "Mid-Progress Workshop" with the aim of identifying existing information gaps and preparing a detail work plan for data collection and processing.

      • collect and process all relevant data concerning the selected X agricultural products; Assemble further relevant information concerning EU costs of production; Compare EU and X results.

      • assess the comparative advantage of the selected X agricultural products and production processes and identify ways to improve their competitive position under alternative policy scenarios; Prepare a Report on the main findings of the analysis, including the Task Force's recommendations. The outline of the document and the main findings will have been discussed and agreed beforehand with the Team Leader.

      • present the Report's main findings and recommendations at the "Concluding Seminar"; Finalize the Report incorporating the most relevant points emerged at the Seminar.

      The Task Force composition (in terms of qualifications and experience required) will be specified and agreed between the FAO Team Leader and the National Senior Policy Adviser, at the time of the project inception mission.

      Duration
      The total duration of the assignment will be 6 months. The Task Force will be required to undertake tasks in accordance with the project work plan (see Annex I).

       

      Annex III/b

      TERMS OF REFERENCE
      Task Force 2: Food Industry Efficiency

       

      Working under the direct guidance and supervision of the International Food Industry and Marketing Economist, Task Force 2 will be responsible for assessing the relative competitiveness of selected X food processing industries in the light of X accession to EU. In line with the project work plan, Task Force 2 will be responsible for the following tasks:

      • participate in the project "Orientation Workshop" and prepare a detailed work plan for the implementation of the project activities under the Task Force's domain of responsibility;

      • assemble and review available studies and data on X and EU food processing and marketing costs. Carry out preliminary runs of the computer model template purposely developed by Task Force 3;

      • participate in the "Mid-Progress Workshop" with the aim of identifying existing information gaps and preparing a detail work plan for data collection and processing;

      • collect and process all relevant data concerning the selected X food industries; Assemble further relevant information concerning EU costs of production; Compare EU and X results.

      • assess the comparative advantage of the selected X food industries and identify ways to improve their competitive position under alternative policy scenarios; Prepare a Report on the main findings of the analysis, including the Task Force's recommendations. The outline of the document and the main findings will have been discussed and agreed beforehand with the Team Leader.

      • present the Report's main findings and recommendations at the "Concluding Seminar"; Finalize the Report incorporating the most relevant points emerged at the Seminar.

      The Task Force composition (in terms of qualifications and experience required) will be specified and agreed between the FAO Team Leader and the National Senior Policy Adviser, at the time of the project inception mission.

      Duration
      The total duration of the assignment will be 6 months (WAE). The Task Force will be required to undertake tasks in accordance with the project work plan (see Annex I).

       

      Annex III/c

      TERMS OF REFERENCE
      Task Force 3: Computer Model Templates

       

      Working under the direct guidance and supervision of the International Specialist in Measurement of Comparative Advantage, Task Force 3 will be responsible for developing the computer model templates for processing the data and assessing the comparative/competitive advantage of selected agriculture and food processing industry's products. Throughout this work Task Force 3 will need to collaborate closely with the other two Task Forces. The objective is to share with them the development of the model templates and to involve them to the extent possible to carry out the work. In particular, Task Force 3 will be responsible for the following tasks:

      • participate in the "Orientation Workshop" with the aim of clarifying the methodological approach to be followed and preparing a detailed work plan for the development of the computer templates for data collection, processing and analysis;

      • prepare a model template for data collection and carry out a preliminary run with available data. On the basis of the preliminary run's results, finalize the model template for data collection;

      • participate in the "Mid-Progress Workshop" with the aim of identifying, in collaboration with the other Task Forces, existing information gaps and preparing a detailed work plan for the collection and processing of relevant missing information;

      • prepare a computer model analysis template and train the other Task Forces on their use to calculate DRCs, NPCs, EPCs, etc., for each of the selected products and production processes for the year represented by the data;

      • on the basis of the above information, calculate measures of the current competitiveness of major X agriculture and food industry's products and illustrate, with additional calculations, how that competitiveness would change under different policy scenarios;

      • prepare a user's manual on the computer model template for future updating of the above analysis in a changing policy environment. Participate in the "Concluding Seminar".
      The Task Force composition (in terms of qualifications and experience required) will be specified and agreed between the FAO Team Leader and the National Senior Policy Adviser, at the time of the project inception mission.

      Duration
      The total duration of the assignment will be 6 months (WAE). The Task Force will be required to undertake tasks in accordance with the project work plan.