GCA is an international organization that works as a solutions broker to catalyze action and support for climate adaptation solutions, from the international to the local, in partnership with the public and private sector. This is to ensure that we learn from each other and work together for a climate resilient future. Adapting to the impacts of climate change provides a “win-win” for livelihoods, food security, water supply, health, security, and economic growth. GCA’s work elevates the visibility and political importance of climate adaptation and facilitates solutions, such as smarter investments, new technologies and better planning for more resilience to climate related threats. GCA is a rapidly growing organization with offices in Abidjan, Beijing, Dhaka, Groningen, and Rotterdam and a planned new office in Nairobi in 2025. 

GCA’s 2020-2025 business plan and strategy have three pillars:  

• Programs: Food Security; Using Nature for more resilient infrastructure; Water for Urban Growth and Resilience; Climate Finance; Youth Leadership.
• Knowledge: Building adaptation knowledge globally through cutting edge products such as the State and Trends in Adaptation Report and the Adaptation Knowledge Portal.
• Advocacy and Awareness: Formulating policy messages to move the global, regional, and local adaptation agendas forward.

The World Bank-funded Transforming Agri-Food Systems in Morocco Program is a 5-year, US$ 250 million investment that aims to increase the agri-food system’s resilience to climate change and strengthen food safety and quality. The Program will support the implementation of the second period (2025-2030) of Morocco’s Green Generation Strategy 2020-2030 (GGS) by improving climate resilience and risk management in rainfed agriculture, and strengthening food safety, food quality and nutrition security. It is expected to benefit over 120,000 farmers (including 30,000 youths and 8,000 women), over 1,200 SMEs and indirectly benefit over 750,000 consumers. Priority value chains include cereals, legumes, fruits and vegetables (particularly olives). 

The Program is structured as a Program-for-Results (PforR) with 5 Disbursement-Linked Indicators (DLIs) clustered under 3 Result Areas, whereby attainment of the targets specified under each DLI triggers a payout from the World Bank to the Government of Morocco. More information about the Program is available here. 

This sub-grant project aims at strengthening climate resilience of targeted value chains and communities of the World Bank-funded Program. As such, GCA is seeking a partner organization to provide technical assistance to support strengthening of climate adaptation in the Program’s implementation particularly in activities upstream the targeted value chains. GCA’s support will encompass two main activities: 

(1) Climate risk and vulnerability assessment focusing on cereals, legumes and olive value chains. This activity aims to provide context-specific information on climate hazards, exposure, adaptive capacity and impact, which will contribute to developing adaptation pathways that can be implemented by the Program, particularly in the context of agricultural insurance reforms and climate-resilient seeds that are a key part of the Program. 

The outputs of this activity are expected to support Result Area 1 of the Program (Improved climate resilience and risk management in rainfed agriculture). It is expected to facilitate identification of climatic triggers that can be used in the design of parametric insurance under the new Program for Climate Resilience and Adaptation (PCRA). It is also expected to be used by the Moroccan Agricultural Mutual Insurance Company (MAMDA), an implementing partner of the Program, in the reforms of the current insurance products to make them more viable. 

(2) Development of business and partnership models to sustainably incentivize uptake of climate-resilient seeds by farmers. The aim of this activity is to take stock, identify gaps and propose actionable recommendations/investments to strengthen the resilience of the seed systems for sustainable production and marketing and accessibility by smallholders. It will focus on seed market systems for climate-resilient varieties of cereals, legumes, olives and horticultural production. 

The outputs of this activity will also support Result Area 1 of the Program by supporting the Ministry of Agriculture (MAPMDREF) and the National Seed Commercialization Company (SONACOS) to develop strategies leveraging the Program that sustainably scale up uptake of climate-resilient seed varieties whose production is expected to be ramped up by the National Agronomic Research Institute (INRA) through this Program. The goal is to ensure that the seed varieties are not just released by INRA but ultimately get to the farmers that need them in a scalable and sustainable manner (e.g. informing the implementation of the envisaged new seed subsidy program) while also stimulating systemic improvements in the country’s seed systems.

• Only registered non-profit organizations (e.g., INGOs, NGOs, CBOs, universities, or companies limited by guarantee) are eligible to receive a sub-grant from GCA. However, non-profit organizations may apply either individually or as part of a consortium. In such cases, the consortium may include international and Moroccan specialists, or private sector entities. Regardless of the consortium composition, GCA will enter into a sub-grant agreement only with the registered non-profit organization, which will serve as the lead entity. 
• The organizations responding to this call must meet the minimum eligibility criteria and demonstrate their capacity to implement all the technical criteria.
• The concept note and all supporting documents must be submitted as a PDF, no later than 15 July, 16:00, Central European Time (CET) to subgrants@gca.org and cc’d to Kimwaga.Mhando@gca.org. .
• The proposal must include:

• Important to note:

• Proposals received after the closing date and time will not be considered. Organizations will be notified once a decision about the Sub-Grant is made.
• For all questions or requests for additional information contact FoodsecurityTeam@gca.org. The email subject heading should be clearly marked with the following information: Call for Partnership – World Bank Transforming Agri-Food Systems in Morocco Program. 
• If an interested organization has concerns about completing the templates, please reach out.
• Proposals and all supporting documents must be drafted in English.
• GCA reserves the right to decline disclosure of the specificity of decision derived by GCA mission due to reasons related to confidentiality.
• GCA reserves the right to accept or reject any submissions, and to annul the selection process and reject all submissions at any time, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected implementing partners.

Please download the Call for Partnerships document for more information