Consultant - National Study on Enabling Pathways for Scaling Non-Farm Entrepreneurship

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About the Organization

Development Alternatives (DA) is a premier social enterprise pioneering sustainable development solutions since 1982. DA is committed to creating a world where everyone can live secure, healthy, and fulfilling lives in harmony with nature. Through integrated clean technology solutions, micro-enterprise development, and collaborative institutional ecosystems, DA bridges practice and policy, working with partners to catalyze large-scale action toward sustainable livelihoods and environmental regeneration.

Job Description

Non-farm entrepreneurship plays a crucial role in strengthening rural livelihoods by creating income opportunities beyond agriculture. It supports families in coping with job insecurity, migration, and climate-related risks, while helping women, youth, and marginalized groups build self-reliance. From local services to small manufacturing and digital platforms, these enterprises are driving economic diversification and resilience in rural areas.
The Ministries of Rural Development (MoRD), MSME, and Skill Development (MSDE) play a vital role in shaping the national entrepreneurship framework. Their efforts, along with support from civil society organizations (CSOs), CSR initiatives, financial institutions, and incubation networks, have created enabling environments particularly for entrepreneurship. As the entrepreneurship ecosystem grows, non-farm enterprises are emerging as crucial for economic diversification, job creation, and sustainable development. While national policies set the groundwork, states are increasingly prioritising non-farm entrepreneurship to unlock new opportunities and build resilient livelihoods.
With growing recognition of the non-farm sector’s role in inclusive and sustainable growth, there is an urgent need for in-depth analysis and targeted interventions. A focused policy paper can help address challenges such as women’s economic empowerment, youth entrepreneurship, climate-resilient enterprises, and digital adoption. It can also guide the transition from informal activities to formal market participation, improving access to credit, technology, and skills. A deeper understanding of the sector’s opportunities and barriers will be crucial in designing policies that empower communities, promote equitable growth, and ensure sustainable rural development.
The TOR adopts a positive and future-oriented framing, reflecting aspirations, opportunities, and policy drivers of non-farm entrepreneurship, while aligning with the national policy push on livelihoods, skills, and enterprise development.

Objective of the assignment
The assignment envisages providing future-oriented policy framing documents that contribute to the inclusion of non-farm entrepreneurship in India’s national and state-level policies and programmatic frameworks. The consultant will:

• Provide a summary and gap analysis of the draft National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2025 with recommended pathways.
• Conduct a comprehensive analysis of India’s non-farm entrepreneurship landscape, including sectoral patterns, scale, drivers, barriers, and ecosystem enablers.
• Develop actionable policy frameworks, programmatic pathways, and strategic recommendations to support the growth and scale of non-farm enterprises at both national and state levels.
• Develop a discussion note summarizing the scope and recommendations for inclusion of non-farm entrepreneurship in the policy and programmatic framework at the national and state levels.
• Engage with policymakers, institutions, and ecosystem actors through structured dialogues to ensure alignment and uptake.
• Draft policy paper on India’s Non-Farm Entrepreneurship Landscape and Future Potential.
• Organize and conduct a multi-stakeholder consultation workshop or webinars to discuss the draft policy, generate stakeholder inputs, and build momentum for policy uptake.
• Prepare dissemination materials, including policy briefs, evidence summaries, visual presentations, factsheets, and short communication pieces (social media, articles).

Job Responsibilities

The scope of work for the consultants includes the following deliverables:
Policy Review and Analysis of the draft National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2025

• Prepare a summary of the draft National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2025 with gap analysis and recommended pathways (approximately 15 pages).

Policy Paper on India’s Non-Farm Entrepreneurship Landscape and Future Potential (approximately 50 - 60 pages).
Current Landscape 

• Map national-level non-farm entrepreneurship, including sectoral spread, scale, size, employment generation, investment, and profitability ranges.
• Analyse the nature of enterprises (subsistence and/or opportunity-driven), with disaggregation by gender, age, and social groups.
• Identify systemic gaps, barriers, and opportunities, particularly relating to women and young entrepreneurs.
• Review national and international policy frameworks, funding mechanisms, innovation practices, and institutional ecosystems
• Assess state-level policies and SRLM initiatives (e.g., Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme), highlighting innovations and good practices in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.

 Building a case for growth and expansion

• Recommend enabling policies, guidelines, and frameworks to strengthen the ecosystem, including finance, markets, skills, digital inclusion, and technology adoption, AI, and digitisation.
• Explore opportunities and evidence for non-farm entrepreneurship in rural transformation, with a focus on women and youth.
• Explore the potential role of grassroots-level business associations in advancing entrepreneurs’ interests.
• Examine pathways for formalisation and digitisation in enterprise development.
• Examine the potential impact of climate change, emerging technologies such as AI, and the future of work on non-farm enterprises, including risks and opportunities for resilience and growth. 

Discussion note summarizing the scope and recommendations for inclusion of non-farm entrepreneurship

• Prepare a discussion note (15 - 20 pages) summarizing the scope and recommendations for inclusion of non-farm entrepreneurship in the policy and programmatic framework at the national and state levels.

Stakeholder engagement to incorporate their knowledge and suggestions for non-farm entrepreneurship.

• Organize and conduct a multi-stakeholder consultation workshop or webinars (virtual/in-person) to discuss the draft policy, generate stakeholder inputs, and build momentum for policy uptake.
• Conduct consultations with MoRD, MSME, MSDE, etc, to incorporate their knowledge and suggestions for non-farm entrepreneurship.

Finalisation and Dissemination of the policy paper

• Deliver final versions of the draft policy paper, discussion note, and a short executive summary (5- 10 pages).
• Prepare dissemination materials, including policy briefs, evidence summaries, visual presentations, factsheets, and short communication pieces (social media, articles).
• Submit a completion report.

Education Qualification/Required Skills & Experience

• Advanced degree in Economics, Development Studies, Public Policy, Rural Development, or related field.
• Minimum 10 years (with a Master’s degree) or 12 years (with a Bachelor’s degree) of progressive relevant experience in policy integration and liaising with Central/State Government on enterprise development, rural livelihoods, and green economy interventions.
• Demonstrated experience reviewing relevant national and state-level policies, schemes, and datasets to analyze thrust areas, trends, and the state of the sector.
• Experience leading collaborations with NRLM and SRLMs, NABARD Regional Offices, State Level Bankers’ Committees (SLBCs), local public and private financial institutions, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Experience working with social impact investors or incubators is an asset.
• Understanding of stakeholders (and their roles) in livelihood development and non-farm entrepreneurship.
• Strong research, analysis, and writing skills (policy briefs, white papers, discussion notes).
• Experience in facilitating stakeholder consultations at the national and state levels.
• Familiarity with issues related to entrepreneurship, livelihoods, gender, inclusion, climate resilience, and digital transformation.

Skills and competencies

• Strong analytical and research skills, working knowledge of data visualisation is an added advantage.
• Drafting skills suitable for policy briefs, working documents, and discussion notes that demonstrate understanding of rural livelihood and entrepreneurship policies and programmes at the state and national level.
• Excellent communication and networking abilities.
• Good working knowledge of MS Office (Knowledge of Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and online tools for collaboration.
• Working proficiency in English and Hindi.

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