Environmental Assessment Consultant

PROJECT BACKGROUND:

Feed the Future Egypt Rural Agribusiness Strengthening Project (“the Project”) is a five-year USAID-funded Activity, supported by the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future initiative. The project aims to improve the competitiveness of Egypt’s horticulture producers and related down-stream businesses and food processors. The project promotes a more competitive and inclusive Egyptian economy through growth in selected horticultural sectors with special focus on securing employment and increasing agriculture-related incomes of smallholder farmers. The project will work in greater Cairo, Upper Egypt, and the Nile Delta, through three strategic regional offices in Luxor, Minya and Gharbia, in addition to the main office in Giza.  

ASSIGNMENT BACKGROUND:

The Environmental Assessment Consultant will be working under the direct supervision of the Grants Manager to ensure environmental compliance vis-à-vis the proposed activities being considered by Feed the Future Egypt Rural Agribusiness Strengthening Project’s Grants Program.

The Consultant may be required to travel to and within both Upper Egypt and the Delta to assess the environmental impact of the applications activities submitted by the potential grantees at their respective location/governorates, using the guidelines set forth by USAID for the purpose.

ASSIGNMENT DURATION: Maximum of 115 days during 2022.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Review the full grant applications selected by the Grant Evaluation Committee (GEC) to orient her or himself to the key activities related to each prospective grant.
2. Screen all grants using USAID/Egypt’s Initial Environmental Evaluation (IEE) to determine whether any environmental mitigation activities must be included as part of the grant design
3. Ensure that the proposed grant interventions are fully in compliance with all USAID regulations as laid forth in the approved Grants Manual. 
4. Develop Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plans (EMMPs) for proposed grant activities in accordance with USAID and Abt Associates guidelines. 
5. Draft and submit Environmental Review Checklist – Environmental Monitoring and Mitigation Plan (ERC – EMMP) Report for proposed grant activity in English that follows the format provided by the Project and contains the following:

One of these three levels of risk vis-à-vis the environmental implications of the proposed grant activity for each grantee:

• Categorical Exclusion: indicating no expected environmental impact; 
• Negative Determination with Conditions: signifying that the possible environmental impacts can be mitigated by use of particular methods or actions
• Positive Determination: likely to have an impact on the environment; we should incorporate this to be clear (and perhaps revise the grants manual as well – this is new guidance)

DELIVERABLES:

At the end of each assessment the consultant will deliver a separate Environmental Review Checklist – Environmental Monitoring and Mitigation Plan (ERC – EMMP) report for each assessed entity.  The report must follow a template to be provided by the Project and outline the strengths and weaknesses of each activity’s environmental impact, as well as any risks identified in the course of performing the assessment which include the following: 

I) One of these three levels of risk vis-à-vis the environmental implications of the proposed grant activity for each grantee

• Categorical Exclusion: indicating no expected environmental impact; 
• Negative Determination with Conditions: signifying that the possible environmental impacts can be mitigated by use of particular methods or actions
• Positive Determination: likely to have an impact on the environment; we should incorporate this to be clear (and perhaps revise the grants manual as well – this is new guidance)

II) An Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (EMMP) for each proposed grant activity in accordance with USAID and Abt Associates guideline.