ToR Research: Analysis of Farmers Participation in Agriculture Performance Contracts and Priority Crops Selection

TERMS
OF REFERENCE

RESEARCH:
ANALYSIS OF FARMERS PARTICIPATION IN AGRICULTURE PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS AND
PRIORITY CROPS SELECTION

I.
Project Overview

International
Alert is a 30-year old independent and international peacebuilding organisation
headquartered in London and works with people who are directly affected by
violent conflict to improve their living, for more details, you can find us on:
www.international-alert.org. We have been
operating in Rwanda since 1996, strengthening reconciliation, reintegration and
conflic

t management among people affected by conflicts and genocide in the
country.

With
funding from European Commission in Rwanda, International Alert and Pro-Femmes
Twese Hamwe are implementing the Inclusive Engagement for Change Project
(IE4CP). This project seeks to address sustainable agriculture and food
security which are recognised as a priority in Rwanda’s Economic Development
and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS II 2013-2018) and both expected to
stimulate economic growth and greatly contribute to poverty reduction.
Specifically, regarding chronic malnutrition in children, EDPRS II notes that
malnourished children risk losing 10% of their lifetime earning potential and
that the physical and mental damage associated with poor fatal growth and
stunting are irreversible after the age of two. Malnutrition can cause
countries to lose up to 3% of GDP. The Rwanda National Food and Nutrition Plan
2013-2018 recognises that despite major economic and poverty reduction
progress, improvements in nutrition and household food security remains a
“foundational issue”. The government recognises that civil society has a
crucial role to the implementation of the EDPRS II, as well as in the
implementation of key national policies and that it is paramount that citizens
are provided with the capacity to uphold this role.

Alert’s
IEC4P project endeavours therefore to foster farmers’ participation in
agriculture planning and budgeting which will result in more ownership over
agriculture development programs. In achieving this, the project aims to have
three main expected results:

ER1.
Local CSOs increase capacities in agricultural planning, budgeting, monitoring
and evaluation

ER2.
Mutual accountability mechanisms are set up between local authorities, farmers
and civil society to improve food security

ER3.
Actionable recommendations from target districts inform national planning and
budgeting

II.
Purpose of the assignment

International
Alert is commissioning a piece of research under expected result 2 of the IEC4P
project to determine the extent to which the process of determining which crops
to grow is inclusive of the farmers who grow those crops, the level of
participation of farmers in agricultural contracts, and the relationship
between the two.

The
study will also explore perceptions of farmers on the efficiency of different
agriculture practices including monocropping versus multi-cropping which will
be compared to scientists’ perceptions. The study will use these perceptions to
provide recommendations for increased engagement of farmers in the
decision-making process and therefore increasing food security, principally at
household level.

III.
Scope of Work

This
research study is to be conducted in the three districts of IE4CP interventions
(Bugesera, Huye and Nyamagabe) and participants including farmers, agriculture
and food security-focused cooperatives, agriculture scientists, agriculture
policy makers, and other agriculture sector actors.

The
study design and methodology will be discussed and agreed with the project team
and with the implementing partners at the beginning of the consultancy.

Duration,
Geographic Coverage and Timeline

The
research should be completed within 45 days beginning as soon as possible. The
study will be conducted in the three districts, within sectors and/or villages
that the consultant will sample based on his/her technical proposal.

The
study will include the following phases:

Phase	Title	Description
Phase I	Preparatory phase	Key documents of the project will be submitted to the consultant. The consultant will: Do a desk review of all documentation Prepare a work plan jointly with the project team Finalise methodology of the study, including but not limited to the finalisation of the sample size, the development of both quantitative and qualitative tools. The methodology will need to be validated by the project team.
Phase II	Field work	Field work will take place in the targeted districts. During the field work, and with the support of the project team and the civil society partners, the consultant will collect and analyse data from which he/she will draft a report.
Phase III	Draft report	The consultant will prepare a draft report based on the field work findings with the project team and partners will provide a round of comments to.
Phase IV	Final report	A final report will be developed, taking into consideration the feedback provided by Alert and partners. Creative ways to present the findings would be encouraged. The consultant will be supervised by the IEC4P Project Manager

IV.
Deliverables

1.
A detailed research plan shared with International Alert and Pro-Femmes
Twese Hamwe within 5 days of signing the contract. This research plan should
include:

A
summary literature review
A
joint work plan
A
methodology including sample size, development of both quantitative and
qualitative tools.
Study
design

2.
A draft research report within 30 days following the signing of the
contract

3.
A final research report, incorporating comments and feedback from
International Alert and Pro-Femmes Twese Hamwe. The final report should at a
minimum include the following:

Acknowledgements
Glossary/Acronyms
Introduction
Executive
Summary
Methodology
Limitations
Findings
and discussion
Conclusion
and recommendations
Appendices

4.
Facilitate a restitution workshop in Kigali in which the consultant will
present findings to Alert and Pro-Femmes Twese Hamwe, stakeholders, and key
government institutions.

V.
Responsibilities

International
Alert will:

Facilitate
access to project documents including full technical proposal, M&E
plan, and will officially contact district administrations to facilitate
field visits.
Be
available during the research period to answer specific questions and
provide ad hoc support such as making connections to key interviewees in
the field.

The
consultant will:

Manage
his/her transport and will be responsible for his/her own security in the
field while collecting data
Abide
with International Alert security and safety policy in the field
Be
responsible for presenting findings during the validation workshop that
will be planned together with project team.

VI.
Profile of the Consultant

The
study will be offered to a shortlisted consultant or consultancy firm who meet
the following requirements:

A
Master’s degree in a relevant field (agriculture or rural development)
An
in-depth knowledge of agriculture and food security related programming
and research
An
in-depth knowledge of rural development issues in Rwanda
Excellent
research and analytical skills
Over
10 years of experience in conducting quantitative research in agriculture
sector; knowledge of mixed method is an added value.
Proven
experiences of previous assignments including development of analyses, of
similar nature and engaging communities using participatory methodologies.
Excellent
English speaking and writing skills
Report
writing skills

VII.
Terms and Conditions of Solicitation

Bid
Requirements

Consultants
who meet the profile of the consultant above should submit an Expression of
Interest (maximum10 pages long), which should include the following:

A
suitability statement, including commitment to availability for the entire
assignment
A
clear statement of proposed study methodology
A
detailed work plan
A
detailed financial proposal, including daily cost per major activity
Updated
curriculum vitae, clearly stating qualifications and experience
3
references from organizations that have contracted the consultant proving
ability to carry out a Baseline.

Notice
of Non-Binding Solicitation
International Alert reserves the right to reject any and all bids received in
response to this solicitation, and is in no way bound to accept any proposal.
We additionally reserve the right to negotiate the substance of the finalists’
proposals, as well as the option of accepting partial components of a proposal
if appropriate. Quantities are estimates only at this time and will be subject
to change.

Confidentiality
All information provided as part of this solicitation is considered
confidential. In the event that any information is inappropriately released,
International Alert will seek appropriate remedies as allowed. Proposals,
discussions, and all information received in response to this solicitation will
be held as strictly confidential, except as otherwise noted.

Notification
Prior to the expiration of the validity of the proposal, International Alert
shall notify the successful company that submitted the highest scoring proposal
in writing and will invite for contract negotiations. Alert reserves the right
to invite the second ranking company for parallel negotiations

Right
to Final Negotiations
International Alert reserves the option to negotiate on the final costs, and
final scope of work, and also reserves the option to limit or include third
parties at Alert’s sole and full discretion in such negotiations. Upon
failure to reach agreement on the contents of the contract as stipulated in this
document, Alert has the right to terminate the negotiations and invite the
next-best rated company for negotiations.

Communication
All communication regarding this solicitation shall be directed to appropriate
parties at International Alert. Contacting third parties involved in the
project, the review panel, or any other party may be considered a conflict of
interest, and could result in disqualification of the proposal.

Acceptance
Award of a proposal does not imply acceptance of its terms and conditions.
International Alert reserves the option to negotiate on the final terms and
conditions.

VIII.
How to submit an application

Send
applications to the undersigned not later than 14th August 2017 at 5pm Kigali
time.

The
application should contain CVs of lead consultants, capacity statement,
proposed schedule/workplan of activities, examples of previous research
studies; two professional references, technical and financial proposal.

Please
write to:

Country
Coordinator

International
Alert Rwanda and Burundi

E-mail:
Rwanda@international-alert.org