China, People's Republic of: Agriculture Green Production and Waste Management

Agriculture, natural resources and rural development / Agricultural policy, institutional and capacity development - Agricultural production - Rural solid waste management

There is a need to transform agriculture production and address the ecological challenges the PRC faces by promoting environmental protection, waste management, and sustainable agriculture development. The core problem of unsustainable agriculture production and lack of ecological protection of land, water, and other natural resources has multifaceted causes and numerous effects. Excessive resource consumption, inefficient and unrestrained application of chemical pesticides and fertilizers on crops, and irrigation with untreated wastewater all contribute to the pollution of farmland and deterioration of the soil. Land degradation will only increase if the PRC''s soil continues to suffer from reduced fertility, erosion, changes in acidity, accumulation of plastic film residues, the effects of climate change, and damage from pollutants.

While many of these environmental and agriculture development challenges are national and provincial concerns, effectively implementing the Strategic Plan for Rural Vitalization, 2018- 2022 in provinces such as Qinghai will require a deeper exploration of the constraints to, and opportunities for, rural vitalization. Important questions requiring further investigation include: What are the key constraints facing the rural farm and nonfarm sector? What are the environmental protection challenges in Qinghai? How does the province promote rural urban integration and cohesion? How can Qinghai foster a culture of innovation and modernization in the agriculture industry, develop agriculture value chains and link agribusinesses and local entrepreneurs with smallholder farmers? What is the state of rural service delivery and governance in Qinghai? Are there critical social and physical infrastructure gaps that need to be addressed, including lack of health, education, and financial services? Answers to these and other related questions will provide the first critical step in supporting an evidence-based, scientific, and sustainable approach to implementing the Strategic Plan for Rural Vitalization, 2018 -2022 in Qinghai.

Knowledge of natural resource use and models for green agriculture production developed

New models for the proper treatment, usage, and management of rural organic waste proposed

Knowledge and understanding of key constraints to, and priorities for, rural vitalization in Qinghai Province generated

ADB will engage a consulting firm following the ADB Procurement Policy (2017, as amended from time to time) and its associated project administration instructions and TA staff instructions using a simplified technical proposal and the quality- and cost-based selection method. The quality cost ratio will be 90:10 because of the high technical complexity of the consulting assignment. Disbursement of the TA proceeds will follow ADB's Technical Assistance Disbursement Handbook (2010, as amended from time to time). The consultants will submit progress reports, which will be reviewed by ADB and the government.

Output 1 of the TA will require 17.5 person-months of national consulting services. ADB will recruit a firm to provide national expertise, consisting of an agriculture/climate smart agriculture specialist who will be the team leader; a soil and natural resources management specialist; a livestock, biogas, and organic waste specialist; a financial specialist; and an agriculture/natural resources economist. Output 2 of the TA will require 19.0 person-months of national consulting services. The recruited firm will provide a organic waste/crop straw usage specialist who will be the team leader, a renewable energy specialist, an environmental specialist, an agriculture economist and financial specialist, and an institutional and policy specialist. Output 3 of the TA will require 17.0 person-months of national consulting services. The recruited firm will provide an institutional and policy specialist who will be the team leader, a waste management specialist, and an agriculture/natural resources economist. The selected firm will also provide 2.0 person-months of national consulting services from a TA coordinator, who will handle the overall TA management and ensure collaboration among the three outputs. Resource persons may be recruited for each output to review the consultants' outputs and share knowledge during workshops following ADB's guidelines on recruiting and administering resource persons.