Harnessing Agriculture Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) is a 4-year project in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation as part of its Young Africa Works (YAW) strategy and more specifically with the Agriculture-Led Roadmap and Theory of Change in the Strategic Roadmap Briefing Note for Ghana Happy aims to drive shared prosperity in Ghana by creating, sustaining, or improving dignified jobs and increasing agricultural productivity across the poultry, rice, soy, and tomato value chains. HAPPY is implemented by 8 partners and includes three intervention areas:
● 20% increase in production and productivity within the poultry, rice, soybean, and tomato value chains
● Promoting value addition, fostering entrepreneurship, and facilitating market development, and
● Developing strategic policies and advancing youth, gender, social inclusion and voice and agency
The program aims to create 320,000 dignified and fulfilling jobs for youth (18-35) (70% women) and persons with disability, increase food production by 189,000 tons, generate annual revenue of over $164 million (post 2026), and increase agricultural productivity in rice, soya, tomato, and poultry value chain to reduce import of strategic foods by 10%. HAPPY will bridge the productivity gaps in these four value chains by building resilient youth-led and women-led food systems. The program will harness the power of young women and men to enhance the sourcing and business models of off-takers, pursue innovative entrepreneurial ventures, support the adoption of improved practices and inputs, and influence the enabling environment by making their voices heard. The result will be a more prosperous and inclusive agricultural sector that propels growth across the country.
The gender and youth assessment will identify the constraints and opportunities facing women and men (including people with disabilities), of different ages, involved with the production, processing, and overall performance of the poultry, rice, soy, and tomato value chains in Ghana. The assessment will support the identification of key issues that will limit young women’s and men’s participation in, and ability to benefit from these targeted sectors, as well as opportunities that can support on- and off-farm employment and entrepreneurship for young people and women. A strong understanding of the program’s design, market
systems development approach, and M&E plan is important to understanding the areas where the program will have influence and the appropriate strategies for advancing the social and economic empowerment of women and young people.
The gender and youth social inclusion assessment will identify:
● Opportunities that exist for promoting youth, especially young women, and youth with
disabilities greater participation as entrepreneurs, farmers, and/or employees, including potential
private sector companies, government actors, research institutions, or other partners who can
support the program’s gender and youth targets:
o How do youth, especially young women and youth with disabilities participate in the targeted value chains, at and ‘beyond production’ levels:o What are the best current and future opportunities to increase youth, especially young women, and youth with disabilities economic participation? What specific sector groups, associations, firms, and services (e.g., production, processing, etc.) offer the most attractive and realistic opportunities to advance youth, especially young women’s economic participation within the program’s timeframe:
o What opportunities exist for the private sector to address the constraints facing young women and young men in the agriculture sector? Who are key government and private sector partners? What opportunities exist at different levels of the poultry, rice, soy, and tomato value chains for youth, especially young women, and youth with disabilities to pursue employment or entrepreneurial activities
o Who are the key public and private decision makers when it comes to advancing the empowerment of youth, especially young women, and youth with disabilities in the poultry, rice, soy, and tomato sectors
● Constraints women and young people face to increase their economic participation and their root causes
o What barriers (e.g., norms, rules, policies, etc.) exist for youth, especially young women and youth with disabilities to participate as owners/managers, entrepreneurs, or employee in the agriculture and agriculture adjacent sector in the targeted areas
o What resource challenges (e.g., access to finance, land, training, information, technology etc.) do youth, especially youth with disabilities and young women entrepreneurs face
● Potential risks associated with greater economic participation and examples of successful strategies to mitigate those risks
o What are the greatest risks (e.g., time burden, gender-based violence, lack of control over (income, etc.) to women’s economic participation and empowerment?
o How can the HAPPY efficiently and effectively mitigate these risks given its human and financial resource constraints
● Recommendations for the project to ensure youth, especially young women and youth with disabilities benefit from program activities
o What are the best proven interventions for the successful inclusion of youth, especially young women and youth with disabilities in the program’s targeted intervention areas
o What are the key success factors in implementing successful interventions in similar socioeconomic and demographic regions
o What strategies are needed to meet or exceed the project’s 70% target to reach and benefit young women beneficiaries? How can the project best reach youth, especially young women, and youth with disabilities in the intervention areas
o How best can the project measure the impact on youth, especially young women’s economic empowerment
o What other public, private, NGO, or donor-funded project initiatives are being implemented in Ghana that support youth, especially young women’s integration, and empowerment in the agriculture sector? How can the program best partner, collaborate with, and leverage these initiatives.
o What are the best ways to approach, influence, and work with the key stakeholders such as community leaders, head of households, persons with disabilities, religious leaders among others whose decisions affect women and youth empowerment?
o What are the best ways to approach, influence, and work with the key public and private sector decision makers affecting women and youth empowerment in the poultry, rice, soy, and tomato sectors?
● An inception report (or detailed SOW) that details the revised methodology, questionnaires interview guide, target audience, and revised implementation plan within 5 days of the commencement of the assignment
● A draft report of findings, conclusions, and recommendations, including a comprehensive bibliography of documents referenced as well as people contacted along with their names, titles organizations, and contact details (email and cellphone numbers) on or before the 20th day of the assignment
● The final gender and youth assessment report including a detailed action plan that describes how the program can incorporate and implement the recommendations across the program’s activities
● A PowerPoint presentation capturing the report’s purpose, approach, and primary findings, conclusions, and recommendation.
● A 1-hour presentation to HAPPY team, Mastercard Foundation, and potentially other stakeholders
