Publishing Newspaper Articles on MOD's Accomplishments, Colombo

Position Description

Publishing Newspaper Articles on MOD's Accomplishments

Location Sri Lanka

Department Programs

Employment Type Consultant

Publishing newspaper articles on accomplishments of MOD

Consultant - Local Journalists (English/Sinhala and Tamil)

Title: MOD model of medium-scale dairy entrepreneur development and its outcomes

Consultants: Two consultants (one Tamil and English and one Sinhala and English

Program: Market-Oriented Dairy (MOD) Project

Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka

Start Date: June 02, 2024

LOE: 12 days (six days per consultant)

1. Objective : The objective of this consultancy is to develop and publish newspaper articles on the accomplishments of MOD in all three languages (English, Tamil, and Sinhala) in leading newspapers in Sri Lanka. These articles are expected to illustrate the key outcomes around increase of farm productivity/production, increased income, and enhanced resilience and sustainability of the dairy business among the medium-scale dairy farmers assisted by MOD over the years. Articles should also demonstrate how various other development interventions of MOD with different stakeholders in the dairy supply chain and extension network have benefited from MOD interventions. As the increased production leads to improved economic status of farmers, articles should reflect the positive impact on the local economy, farmer families and their living standards as well.

The development of the articles is expected to take a story telling approach in which the technical content should be articulated in a way that the content is palatable and pleasurable to the readers in the public domain.

2. Relevance : Improving Economies for Stronger Communities (IESC), formerly known as the International Executive Service Corps, is a leading U.S. nonprofit organization that fosters private sector development in the economically developing world. Since 1964, we have delivered lasting solutions that have resulted in more than 1.5 million jobs in 137 countries. We partner with businesses, cooperatives, entrepreneurs, jobseekers, and governments to sustainably build capacity, create jobs, and grow enterprises, sharing proven skills and experience that improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities around the world. Our major funders today are the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), among others.

The Market-Oriented Dairy (MOD) project, funded by the USDA Food for Progress Initiative and implemented by IESC, which was initiated in 2017 mainly targeting at enhancing the farm productivity and developing the entrepreneurial capacity of dairy farmers. To achieve this, the project adopted a holistic approach at various levels of the dairy value chain such as farms, processors, input suppliers, extension services etc. In addition, MOD has also made a significant impact in the enabling environment related to dairy through the collaborative efforts with processor companies, trade associations and its government counterparts such as DAPH and the Ministry of Agriculture - livestock division by addressing some of the key structural issues that inhibits the progress of the industry. In summary, the project has worked in four key domains, in collaboration with a spectrum of stakeholders. The four domains are,

- Productive and sustainable dairy farm management

- Supply chain strengthening

- Financing and investment

- Stakeholder collaboration and fostering an enabling environment.

As the project is due to be phased out in Septhember 2024, this assignment intends to produce articles in the three main languages to propagate the positive outcomes of MOD interventions in the areas described above. These articles are expected to portray a comprehensive picture on how medium-scale dairy farmers engaged with MOD changed their farming practices as well as how the changes facilitated by MOD at various levels in the supply chain contributed to overall improvement in productivity and milk production. As the project phases out in few months, the information released through these paper articles in the public domain is expected to create wider awareness on the positive changes taken place in the dairy sector that can be attributed to MOD involvement as well as encourage all stakeholders to sustain and further expand on these efforts

3. Approach:

The article development is expected to take a story telling approach in which consultant should carryout field visits to gain hands on experience on the outcomes and impact made by MOD

a. Consultant/s will go through a comprehensive orientation of MOD activities by Colombo based technical staff.

b. Review set of recommended secondary information available with MOD

c. The consultant/s is expected to carry out field visits to a selected number of medium-scale dairy farms supported by MOD and currently performing above average.

d. They will also be engaging in discussions with key stakeholders in the supply chains who are directly or indirectly linked to the farms.

e. The consultant/s will also carry out discussions with the extension services of both government and private sector to explore their involvement in the change.

f. Present draft articles for the review and feedback to MOD

g. Finalize and publish articles on the leading newspapers in all three languages

4. Tasks : 1. Take part in the orientation session on MOD activities with the technical staff.

2. Review the set of recommended secondary information

3. Carryout field visits and in-depth discussions with selected farmers and representatives of other stakeholders

4. Develop draft articles for review.

5. Finalize and published the articles in leading newspapers

5. Deliverables:

1. Media proposal identifying minimum two to three mainstream publications with sister-publications to ensure coverage in all three languages

2. Draft articles for review

3. Finalized articles published in print media

6. Level of Effort :

• 12 days within a period of three months.

7. Administration and Logistics:

The MOD Project Office will make all logistical arrangements and meet the cost of accommodation if s/he requires travel outside of her/his home residence. MOD will pay per diem based on the project's per diem policy. Transportation will be provided for work-related travel outside of Colombo. The consultant is required to have his/her own computer and all written products need to be in Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.

8. Reporting Relationship:

The consultant will work closely with MOD Communications and Outreach Specialist and will report to MOD Project Director.

9. Qualifications:

Interested candidates must meet the following qualifications:

• Hands-on extensive work experience as a journalisteLuRl1s R6xE8
• Good understanding of the dairy value chain is preferred
• Strong background in development-oriented journalism
• Proven track record on publishing exploratory articles
• Excellent articulation and analytical skills
• Candidate must be well-conversant Sinhala or Tamil and English

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