Consultant - Policy Mapping

Terms of Reference

CONSULTANCY SERVICES ON POLICY MAPPING, ANALYSIS, AND DESIGN FOR INTEGRATION OF NDCS, NBSAPS, AND NAPS INTO COUNTY INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PLANS (CIDPS) IN LAND USE AND FOOD SYSTEMS

Institution overview

The World Resources Institute (WRI) is a global research non-profit organization established in 1982. The organization has been working in Africa for more than 30 years, supporting local partners and African governments to advance forest protection, landscape restoration and sustainable cities. Our vision for Africa is an inclusive transformation so that Africa’s people and landscapes can flourish. WRI Africa generates actionable knowledge across three strategic pillars: Vital Landscapes, Thriving and Resilient Cities, and Institutional and Economic Transformation. The goal of the Vital Landscapes pillar is to revitalize and protect landscapes for people and the planet in four programmatic areas: Food, Restoration, Water and Forests. Because Africa’s population will continue to grow rapidly in the next decades, and climate change will remain an obstacle for development, the vital landscapes pillar aims to build the resilience of our natural ecosystems so that they can continue to provide vital ecosystems services - food, water, carbon sequestration and climate regulation sustainably. The pillar aims to catalyse comprehensive transformation of African food systems, so that the way we produce, transport, store, process, trade and consume food is done in such a manner that protects the environment and guarantees human health and well-being.

The Food and Land use (FOLU) Kenya Country platform, launched in 2022, is part of the FOLU global coalition which aims to shape countries’ Food and Land Use systems to ensure sustainability. FOLU Kenya is focused on: adopting healthier diets, promoting regenerative agriculture, preserving and restoring natural ecosystems, reducing food waste, whole food systems transition coordination and planning while integrating gender and youth perspectives. FOLU recognizes the urgency to catalyse food system transformation and is actively engaged in supporting science-based solutions to foster a shared understanding of the issues at hand. WRI Africa in collaboration with FOLU partners (AGRA, GAIN and SDSN are supporting national and county-level efforts to accelerate and increase capacities for policy-driven problem-solving, through policy mapping, analysis and design and their implementation toward sustainable agriculture, food systems and land use management.

Assignment background

Kenya’s efforts to address climate change and biodiversity loss are guided by national commitments including the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAPs), and the National Adaptation Plan (NAPs). However, the implementation of these commitments at the county level particularly in the sectors of land use and food systems remains limited. The integration of NDCs, NBSAPs, and NAPs into CIDPs is essential for achieving sustainable development, climate resilience, biodiversity conservation and food security in Kenya. By promoting policy coherence, enhancing stakeholder participation, and strengthening governance, this process can help ensure that local development efforts contribute to national and global goals.

The Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) established under the Paris agreement, as plans for each country outlines and communicates its post -2020 climate actions. NDCs outlines the targets and an action plan to cut emissions and information on adaptation to climate change. NDCs are submitted every 5 years with aim to provide necessary information to facilitate clarity, transparency and understanding on baselines and timeframes for implementation, planning processes and other methodological approaches (UNFCCC, 2028). On the other hand, the Nationally Adaptation Plans (NAPS) were established in 2020 under the Cancun Adaptation Framework, as strategic plans for identifying and addressing a country’s medium –and long-term priorities to adapt to the impacts of climate change (UNFCCC, 2012). The NAP process is a continues process that involves analyzing current and future changes in climate and assessing vulnerability to impacts providing a basis for identifying and prioritizing adaptation options, financing and implementing these options, and tracking progress and results (Hammil et al, 2020). The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) provides national –level strategic direction on the protection and management of biodiversity within a country. County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs), are the primary development planning tools for counties that provide the framework for implementing national policies and strategies at the local level. Key components of CIDPs include the analysis of the county’s current status, an assessment of the development challenges and opportunities, identification of priority sectors and projects, strategies for resource mobilization and utilization, mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation and a clear implementation strategy.

Project Justification

Despite the critical importance of NDCs, NBSAPs and NAPs in sustainable development, their efficiency and effectiveness has been limited, partly because they are implemented in silos. Fragmented and uncoordinated implementation fails to account for interconnections and misses potential opportunities for synergistic outcomes. This inadvertently duplicates efforts and causes inefficiencies and sometimes conflicting outcomes that undermine sustainability objectives. Considering that NDCs include biotic adaptation to climate change, their synergies with NBSAPs can be strengthened for simultaneous climate action (adaptation, mitigation) and biodiversity action (conservation, restoration) through solutions such as ecosystem-based adaptation (e.g., reforestation, afforestation, wetland restoration) and nature-based solutions; agroecology and renewable energy.

Aligning climate mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity commitments and strategies ensures a holistic approach, by allowing the different commitments and strategies to reinforce each other. This way, NDCs and NAPs may be updated or planned considering the biodiversity priorities identified in the NBSAP, and vice versa. Second, planning and updating NDCs, NAPs, and NBSAPs in silos could result in fragmented efforts that may lead to trade-offs, duplication of work or maladaptation. Therefore, a clear understanding of current and future climate and biodiversity risks and vulnerabilities can inform the identification and implementation of climate and biodiversity actions. This is by ensuring that the proposed mitigation and adaptation actions are not detrimental to biodiversity and adversely affect local communities and at the same time.

Geographical scope

The assignment will focus on Nakuru County, Kenya.

Project Purpose & Objectives

Given that County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs) are the main instruments through which development priorities are financed and executed at the local level, it is crucial that climate and biodiversity actions are effectively mainstreamed within them. This assignment seeks to identify policy entry points, address alignment gaps, and design tools and guidelines to integrate national commitments into county-level planning and implementation processes for sustainable development.

a) Ultimate Objective

The ultimate objective is to support the coherent integration of national climate and biodiversity policy instruments (NDCs, NBSAPs, NAPs) into CIDPs, with a focus on land use planning and food systems resilience.

b) Specific objectives

i) To map and analyze existing policy instruments (NDCs, NBSAPs, NAPs, and CIDPs) to identify synergies, gaps, conflicts, and opportunities for integrated planning and implementation at the county level, specifically in relation to land use and food systems.

ii) To design an integration framework that aligns national climate and biodiversity commitments with county-level development priorities, ensuring coherence across policy, planning, and implementation processes.

iii) To develop guidelines and tools for the integration of climate and biodiversity actions into CIDPs, including practical entry points for mainstreaming ecosystem-based adaptation, nature-based solutions, and climate-smart agriculture.

iv)To promote policy coherence and intersectoral collaboration by fostering alignment between adaptation, mitigation, and biodiversity objectives, ensuring that climate actions support and do not undermine biodiversity and vice versa.

v) To assess institutional, technical, and financial capacities at the county level and recommend mechanisms for strengthening governance, coordination, and accountability in the integration process.

vi) To assess community and stakeholder participation in CIDP planning processes by ensuring inclusive approaches that incorporate local knowledge, gender considerations, and the priorities of vulnerable and indigenous groups.

Specific Benefits of Policy Integration into CIDP

This process of integrating NDCs, NBSAPs and NAPs into CIDPs has the following multiplier benefits:

a) Integrating NDCs, NBSAPs, and NAPs into CIDPs can enhance policy coherence and synergies by ensuring that national, regional and international frameworks and strategies are translated into actionable local plans to promote sustainable development. Mapping and analyzing policies ensure early identification and address potential conflicts for effective and sustainable land use and food systems. In addition, integration allows resource optimization and allocation for optimal production.

b) Integration of NDCs and NAPs into CIDPs can enhance climate change adaptation and mitigation by promoting climate-smart agricultural practices and sustainable land management leading to enhanced climate resilience and food security. Aligning land use planning with mitigation targets outlined in NDCs, can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions in counties from deforestation, agriculture, and other land-related activities. Integration of NBSAPs into CIDPs can promote the use of ecosystem-based adaptation and mitigation strategies, such as wetland restoration and reforestation which positive impacts on climate, biodiversity, and livelihoods.

c) Their integration can enhance sustainable land use and food security through the adoption of sustainable intensification practices in agriculture, to increase food production while minimizing environmental impacts; land use planning to sustainable land use and protection of natural resources and biodiversity while meeting food production needs; food systems transformation making them more resilient, equitable and environmentally sustainable.

d) The integration of NDCs, NAPS, and NBSAPs into CIDPs can enhance community participation and inclusivity through stakeholder engagement including local communities, farmers, and other relevant actors, ensuring that plans are inclusive and address local needs; gender mainstreaming through integration of gender considerations into the planning process will ensures empowerment of women, who often play a key role in agriculture and natural resource management; Recognizing and incorporating indigenous knowledge and practices related to land management and food production can enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of local plans.

e) Integrating NDCs, NBSAPs, and NAPs into CIDPs strengthens governance and accountability for climate action and sustainable development at the local level. CIDPs can serve as a framework for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of national and regional strategies, to ensure that the progress is tracked and reported.

f) Aligning local plans with national strategies can facilitate access to climate finance and other resources for sustainable development.

The assignment

The consultant/team will carry out the following tasks:

a) Policy Mapping and Review to identify and document relevant national policy instruments (NDCs, NAPs, NBSAPs, CIDPs) and other relevant sectoral plans and Acts from 3 counties.

b) Policy analysis to identify gaps and level of alignment to establish the extent to which national climate and biodiversity commitments (NDCs, NBSAPs and NAPs) are integrated into the CIDPs.

c) Stakeholder Analysis and Engagement to establish the extent to which stakeholders are involved in the CIDPs development process. In addition, conducting workshops/consultations targeting key stakeholders both at national and county levels and relevant line ministries such as CBOs, NGOs, COGs and relevant County Departments for integration of views and interests. Analysis and documentation of institutional roles, challenges, and opportunities for multi-level policy coherence.

d) Policy Design and Integration Framework: Development of guidelines and/or framework for integrating NDCs, NBSAPs, and NAPs into CIDPs including actionable policy strategies/recommendation for counties.

e) Dissemination: Prepare policy briefs, a presentation desk and a toolkit for use by counties and stakeholders

Specific activities/tasks and deliverables

| | | | |

| --- | --- | --- | --- |

| | Description | Deliverable | Timeline

(Weeks) |

| 1. | Methodology, work plan and stakeholder mapping | Inception report | 1 |

| 2. | Comprehensive review of county and national policies | Policy mapping report | 2 |

| 3. | Gaps, alignment, overlaps and recommendations | Policy analysis | 1 |

| 4. | Guidelines/toolkit for CIDP integration | Integration strategy, guidelines & framework | 2 |

| 5. | Summary of key recommendations | Policy brief | 1 |

| 6. | Compilation of consultation and validation findings | Stakeholder report | 1 |

| 7. | Development of a capacity building strategy through trainings/workshops | Capacity building strategy | 1 |

| 8. | Final Consolidated Report | Final Synthesis | 1 |

Project Duration:

50 Man-days (10 Weeks) including commencement and submission of final report and will be undertaken between October and November 2025.

Submission & approval of reports

• The consultant will report to the Director of FOLU Kenya. The secretariat will take one week (7 Man-days) to review each report, providing feedback, after submission;
• An initial meeting to debrief the consultant on the assignment will be conducted with the FOLU Kenya secretariat
• Regular communication is encouraged either by emails, phone calls or WhatsApp when need arises for follow ups and guidance
• Reports should be submitted in English and Microsoft Word, and images/photos.

Required qualifications.

The assignment may be conducted by an individual consultant or a consulting team with the following qualifications:

i) Expert in the following fields: Policy Expert, Environmental Planning, Natural resources, Climate Change, Agricultural Economics and Business, Land Use and Agricultural Policy Analyst, or related fields.

ii) Demonstrated experience with CIDP processes and county government systems in Kenya.

iii) Strong facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills.

iv) Proven ability to synthesize complex information into clear and actionable outputs.

v) Extensive experience and expertise in environmental policy and strategy development.

vi) Strong analytical skills (qualitative and quantitative) and ability to synthesize large amount of data to produce desired outputs.

vii) Excellent English writing and oral communication skills

viii) A great team leader and team player

viii) Good work ethics

Expression of Interest

Expression of Interest should contain:

• A brief (Max. 2 pages) document outlining your approach. This should explain why you are qualified for this assignment. It should also illustrate your grasp of the concepts involved, methodologies you intend to apply and timelines.

• An indicative work plan and budget proposal. The budget should provide a breakdown of the consultant fee and the costs of field activities.

• CV(s)

• All these documents should be in one pdf file.

We invite qualified persons to submit their Expressions of Interest by 5th September 2025 to Michael.Onchabo@wri.org and Samuel.Gaturu@wri.org for the attention of Michael Onchabo, Director Food and Land Use Coalition.