Request for Proposal

NAVARA INSTITUTERequest for ProposalsField Feasibility Study: Banana Fiber Value Chain in Nepal's TeraiNavara Institute is seeking a Nepal-based researcher or consultant to conduct a four-week field feasibility study on banana fiber extraction and value chain potential in the Terai region. This is an open, competitive call. Applicants set their own budget.About Navara InstituteNavara Institute is a nonprofit think-and-do tank focused on community-led participatory action research. We work at the intersection of climate, community, and rural livelihoods. We are fully volunteer-run with no paid staff. This feasibility study is part of our emerging work on agricultural waste valorization and women's economic empowerment in Nepal's Terai. Learn more at www.navarainstitute.org.BackgroundNepal produces over 400,000 metric tons of bananas annually, generating an estimated one million-plus metric tons of pseudostem waste, the thick stalk left after fruit harvest. For smallholder farmers, this waste costs labor to remove, pollutes local waterways, and represents a resource being discarded at their expense.Banana pseudostem fiber is a proven natural material used in textiles, yarn, and handicrafts across Japan, the Philippines, and India. Small-scale extraction is already underway in Nepal, in Tikapur and Nawalparasi, but remains fragmented and unable to meet existing buyer demand. Navara Institute wants to understand the real ground-level picture before designing any intervention.What We Need DoneWe are outcome-focused. We do not prescribe your methodology. What we need is honest, grounded answers across three areas:1. Community, Labor, and Local EconomyWe need to understand the human reality on the ground, not assumptions, not reports, but what people actually say when you sit with them.•      Current employment landscape: what work exists, who does it, and what does it pay, including gender-disaggregated labor rates•      Economic situation of banana farming households and whether community members are migrating for work•      Whether communities would be interested in a banana fiber processing arrangement, what would make them say yes or no, and at what wage rate•      Active women's cooperatives in the area: their current work, existing skills, and openness to fiber processingThis is not a survey exercise. Build genuine rapport. Sit with people, share tea, listen before you ask. The relationship you build during this study is the foundation for everything that follows.2. Existing Fiber ActivityWe know extraction is happening in Nepal. We need the real story, not the press release version.•      Whether extraction has been attempted in target villages, what happened, what worked, what failed, and why•      Volume extracted, end use, and actual profit/loss picture for existing producers•      On-the-ground visits to Tikapur and Nawalparasi operations, speak to workers, not just managers•      Equipment currently in use: cost, source, output per day, and whether it can be sourced within Nepal3. MarketWe need to understand demand honestly, not just whether buyers exist, but what they want, what they pay, and where demand is heading.•      Who is buying banana fiber in Nepal right now, in what product form, and at what price per kilogram•      Whether buyers want raw fiber, processed yarn, or finished goods, and what quality they require•      Unmet demand: how much more could existing buyers absorb•      Future outlook: is this a growing market or a niche that has peaked? Are competing supply sources from India or the Philippines a threat?•      If possible, meet with Divya Tara Tuladhar at Annapurna Handicraft, Kathmandu, a key buyer and 15-year veteran of the banana fiber trade in NepalDeliverables•      1. Field report in English: 8 to 15 pages covering all three areas. Plain language, no jargon. Photos where community members have consented.•      2. Community conversation notes: anonymized if needed, but we want actual voices, not just synthesis. Direct quotes where possible.•      3. Go/no-go recommendation: Should Navara proceed to a pilot? If yes, where, with whom, and at what scale? If not, why not? We want your honest judgment.•      4. One debrief call: 60 minutes with the Navara team after submission.A detailed Field Research Guide with specific questions will be provided to the selected consultant before fieldwork begins.TimelineFour weeks total. We are flexible on structure; you know how to organize field work. If you can move faster, we welcome that.•      Weeks 1 and 2: Community visits, cooperative meetings, existing producer visits•      Week 3: Market conversations, gap-filling, fiber extraction trial if feasible•      Week 4: Report writing, submission, and debrief callWho Should ApplyWe are looking for someone Nepal-based who speaks Nepali and has direct experience conducting field research or community engagement work, ideally in the Terai. A background in agriculture, rural livelihoods, or natural resource management is an advantage but not a requirement.What matters most: you can sit with a farming family and have a real conversation. You are curious, not just procedural. You will tell us what you actually found, including things that challenge our assumptions.You may work alone or bring in support. We are paying for the outcome, not the team structure.BudgetThis is an open budget call. Tell us what you need to do to do this work properly. We are self-funding this study as a volunteer-run nonprofit, so we ask that proposals be lean and realistic. We will prioritize the strongest approach at the best value, not simply the lowest bid.Please itemize your budget: consultancy fee, travel, accommodation, community engagement costs, and any other expenses.What to SubmitA short proposal of no more than two pages covering:•      Who you are and why you are the right person for this work•      How you would approach it, your method, whom you would talk to, and where you would go•      Your proposed timeline•      Your itemized budget•      One or two examples of similar work, with a reference contactHow to ApplySend your proposal to info@navarainstitute.org with the subject line "Banana Fiber Feasibility Study — Application."We review applications on a rolling basis and respond to all applicants. We aim to select a consultant within one week of receiving a strong application. No fixed deadline, but the sooner you apply, the sooner we move. Questions? Email us. We are happy to talk before you apply.