Expression of Interest for Designing a Farmers Registry for Colombia: Technical Blueprint Agriculture remains a vital pillar of Colombias economy, accounting for approximately 8.7% of GDP and providing livelihoods for more than 14% of the national labor force (World Bank, 2023). The sector is marked by structural dualism: while a small number of commercial producers participate in formal markets, the majority of agricultural output comes from smallholder and family farmers who face significant barriers to accessing government programs, technical assistance, and markets. Informality, limited access to productive services, and low digital visibility constrain the sectors productivity and resilience. Recognizing these challenges, the Government of Colombia (GoC) has placed increasing emphasis on digital transformation as a strategic enabler for rural development, institutional modernization, and for climate adaptation. Recent sectoral strategies and the National Development Plan prioritize data governance, farmer identification, and interoperable digital systems as critical building blocks for service delivery. Initiatives such as Mi Registro Rural, a digital platform launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) to register rural producers and link them with government services, and the Servicio Público de Extensión Agropecuaria (SPEA), a national framework for organizing agricultural extension services, represent important advances toward this goal. Modernizing the farmer registration system is now recognized as a critical entry point for improving the targeting, delivery, and monitoring of agricultural programs and services. A well-functioning Farmers Registry would enable the government to better reach smallholder and family farmers with tailored support, align policy and investments with actual farming realities, and facilitate inclusion of traditionally underserved groupssuch as women, youth, and indigenous communities. Furthermore, as Colombia accelerates its commitments under national development and climate agendas, registry systems will play a pivotal role in enabling the tracking of results, unlocking performance-based financing, and scaling up climate-smart agriculture. However, gaps in coherence, data coverage, and system interoperability remain. Current efforts still fall short of establishing a unified, verifiable, and inclusive registry of farmers that can enable effective policy targeting, performance monitoring, and service integration. Overlapping mandates, outdated records, and the absence of common data standards across institutions further limit the functionality and scalability of existing platforms. To support the GoCs strategic objective of building a more coherent, inclusive, and data-driven agricultural system, the World Banks Agriculture and Food Global Practice (AGF GP), through the KoreaWorld Bank Partnership Facility (KWPF), is financing the development of a high-quality knowledge product. This activity is part of the Programmatic Advisory Services and Analytics (PASA) series, Sustainable and Inclusive Agri-food System Transformation (SIAT; P509672). Rather than deliver a pre-defined technical solution, the assignment aims to generate a diagnostic and conceptual roadmap that will help Colombia define its own path toward an integrated, interoperable, and sustainable Farmers Registrygrounded in national priorities and informed by global experience. I. General Objective The primary objective is to generate a diagnostic and conceptual roadmap for a national Farmers Registry in Colombia that enables inclusive, integrated, and data-driven delivery of agricultural services and policies. The registry should serve as a foundational tool to improve policy targeting, enhance the visibility of smallholders and underserved rural populations, and support Colombias rural transformation agenda. While the core focus remains on registry design, the roadmap may consider future interoperability with other national platforms insofar as they are relevant, feasible, and aligned with institutional mandates. II. Specific Objectives The World Bank seeks to engage an experienced consulting firm to generate an actionable and context-sensitive blueprint for a Farmers Registry in Colombia. The assignment will be carried out in collaboration with a Colombia-based vendor, which will review existing registries, databases, and agricultural information systems in Colombia, identify the Governments policy goals and objectives related to farmer registration, and assess institutional capacities and technical gaps within key government agencies. The selected firm will be responsible for the following: · Identify key data needs and gaps required for effective registry functionality, particularly in relation to policy targeting, land tenure, service delivery, and inclusion. III. Scope of Work The consulting firm will be responsible for developing a comprehensive and technically sound blueprint for the Farmers Registry in Colombia. The scope of work will include, but not be limited to, the following areas: · Benchmark international good practices in the development of farmers registry, including integration with broader digital government platforms and agricultural information systems. · System Architecture & Design o Propose a registry architecture (centralized, decentralized, hybrid). o Define the core software and hardware requirements, including server infrastructure, networking, and end-user devices. o Recommend open-source and/or commercial solutions appropriate for Colombias context. o Define detailed interoperability requirements and protocols (e.g., APIs) o Design a scalable database schema that can accommodate diverse data types and future expansion. o Design a plan for integrating geospatial components o Propose and specify "offline-first" and mobile-friendly solutions for data collection in rural areas with limited or no internet connectivity. o Develop a comprehensive data security framework based on international best practices and Colombian law o Design audit systems and a data privacy policy · Data & Governance Framework o Define core data fields (farmer ID, demographics, landholding, crops, livestock, input use, program participation, etc.). o Establish data collection and verification methods (surveys, administrative records, remote sensing, mobile apps, other). o Design update protocols and validation mechanisms. o Provide recommendations on regulatory aspects o Policy Applications & Use Cases · Institutional and Policy Integration o Support the Colombia-based vendor in providing recommendations on institutional arrangements, legal frameworks, and data governance mechanisms to ensure operational sustainability and data privacy. o Support the Colombia-based vendor in proposing a sequenced implementation roadmap outlining strategic phases for the registrys design and operationalization, including indicative milestones, institutional responsibilities, resource requirements, and potential risks with mitigation measures. o Where relevant, propose options for future integration or interoperability with e-extension services, SPS databases, traceability systems, and other agricultural information systems. IV. Methodology · Conduct stakeholder consultations with agricultural, digital government, land governance, and any other relevant governmental institutes, as well as farmer organizations, and private sector actors. · Use mixed methods including document review, interviews, workshops, and technical validation sessions. V. Deliverables and Expected outputs 1. Inception Report: Methodologies framework, refined work plan, and inception timeline. 2. Design Blueprint and Implementation Roadmap: A technical blueprint outlining the proposed data architecture, core functionalities, institutional models, and governance mechanisms, while safeguarding data security and privacy. o Conceptual architecture and functionalities of the proposed registry; o Integration options with other national platforms and databases; o Institutional options for management and oversight; o Phased implementation roadmap outlining indicative stages of development, institutional roles, resource implications (cost of investment, maintenance of data, and staffing implications), sustainability considerations, and potential risks with mitigation strategies. o Summary of technical validation sessions held with relevant experts and stakeholders to test and refine proposed design elements. VI. Duration and Payment Terms The assignment will be implemented over an estimated period of 5 months, under a deliverables-based contract valued at USD 50,000 . Payments will be made upon submission and formal acceptance of final versions of each key deliverable, in accordance with the following schedule: Date Activity / Deliverables Disbursement Nov 1, 2025 Contract signing and mobilization Tender Link : https://wbgeprocure-rfxnow.worldbank.org/rfxnow/public/advertisement/6155/view.html
