Technical Support: Climate-Smart Agriculture and Conservation Agriculture-Based Sustainable Intensification (CSA/CASI)

1. Overview

The Development Fund (DF) works to combat hunger and poverty, guided by its vision of a sustainable and just world. DF supports and strengthens small-holder farmers facing the growing challenges of climate change, including extreme weather and increasingly difficult farming conditions. Each year, DF reaches approximately half a million people across Africa, Asia, and Central America.

The CRRC programme strengthens climate resilience and improved food security across 38 kebeles in Tigray, Amhara, and Oromia. It supports CSA/CASI; biodiversity; post-harvest and livestock management; economic empowerment; community-led land and water management; energy-efficient technologies; and producer-led value chain development and inclusive government service delivery. It builds on lessons learnt from the Climate Adaptation and Rural Development Phase II (CARD II) Programme and the Scaling Conservation Agriculture-Based Sustainable Intensification (SCASI) Project. The programme is implemented through civil society organisations (CSOs) in close collaboration with government authorities.

2. Assignment Overview and Objective

Applications are sought from organisations legally registered to work in Ethiopia The Assignment will begin on 1st September 2026 or as soon after as possible The Assignment will be completed no later than 31 December 2028 The budget for the assignment will not exceed Norwegian Kroner nine-hundred and fifty-one thousand, seven-hundred and sixty (NOK 951,760) The assignment will be conducted, in its entirety, in Ethiopia The objective of the assignment is to enhance the implementation effectiveness of the CRRC programme and in-turn ensure long-term sustainability of programme impacts, through tailored technical support interventions that address identified knowledge and skills gaps in Climate-Smart Agriculture and Conservation Agriculture-Based Sustainable Intensification (CSA/CASI).

Such technical support will be provided to CRRC programme partner staff, strengthening their capacity to effectively implement, monitor, and scale CSA/CASI technologies and practices across diverse agroecological contexts.

These interventions and approaches proposed by the applying organisation are expected to enhance the technical competencies of implementing partners, strengthen cross-learning and collaboration, and contribute to the successful delivery and sustainability of the CRRC Programme.

3. Applicants' Required Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience

Be a globally leading research and science-based organisation focused on developing climate resilient crop varieties and agricultural practices including CASI and CSA. Have extensive experience working with key Ethiopian crops including but not limited to teff and wheat. Have more than ten years of experience supporting agricultural development in Ethiopia Be familiar with Norwegian government support for agriculture and civil society through Norad. Have strong familiarity with the Norad funded CARD and SCASI programmes in Ethiopia Be experienced in providing direct technical support to local organisations working in CASI/CSA in Ethiopia.

4. Reporting and Supervision

The technical support organisation will report to DF and work closely with CRRC partners.

How to apply

5. Application Process

Interested candidates should submit:

Technical proposal including:

No more than 1,000 words explaining how you will deliver to meet the objective of the contract No more than 5,000 words explaining how you meet the required qualifications, knowledge and experience

Financial proposal on the template provided . The financial proposal must be submitted in USD and NOK as indicated in the template. Please download the template here . You can also find the template on our webside here: The Development Fund CVs of key personnel, each CV should be no longer than 2 pages. Applications should be sent to verica@utviklingsfondet.no no later than 17 August 2026; 17:00 Central European Summer Time (CEST) Applications which fail to meet the word limit and/or do not follow the template provided for financial proposal will be rejected. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.