Practical Action
Consulting & Strategy
Nairobi Contract
NGO, NPO & Charity KSh Confidential
Job Summary
Applications are invited from qualified persons for the above vacant consultant position.
Minimum Qualification:PHD
Experience Level:Mid level
Experience Length:10 years
Job Description/Requirements
Introduction
Practical Action is an international development organization putting ingenious ideas to work so that people in poverty can change their world. We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems. Challenges made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality. We work with communities to develop ingenious, lasting and locally owned solutions for agriculture, water and waste management, climate resilience and clean energy. And we share what works with others, so answers that start small can grow big. We’re a global change-making group. The group consists of a UK registered charity with community projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, an independent development publishing company and a technical consulting service. We combine these specialisms to multiply our impact and help shape a world that works better for everyone.
Project Background
Transforming Rural Economies and Youth Livelihoods (TREYL) project is a five-year project (Jan 2019 – Jan 2024) funded by IKEA Foundation being implemented by Practical Action Kenya, working in Kisumu and Homabay counties. The objective of the project is to establish vibrant and inclusive rural economies in Kenya by promoting agricultural livelihoods for the youth underpinned by Agroecological principles and practices. The project aims to break the cycles of low productivity and increasing rural poverty, through a holistic and gendered approach which will enable young men and women to increase their income through agri-business. The project is building a business case to demonstrate that regenerative agriculture can be commercially successful. We are working with an initial cohort of 6,000 young women and men, enhancing their business skills based on an agroecological approaches to farming. We are developing multi-stakeholder platforms to improve the poultry, groundnut, tomato, and African Indigenous Vegetable (ALV) value chains. Working groups, made up of commercial service providers and government agencies, are tackling access to finance, training services and the provision of market information. Over the longer term we will impact 80,000 young people by demonstrating the viability of agri-business as a viable career option.
Objectives of assessment
To gather and consolidate evidence on the impact of regenerative agriculture in TREYL project.
To conduct a rapid project Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and learning agenda update
To provide recommendations on optimizing evidence and impact from the project on regenerative agriculture.
To develop a journal article (ready to be submitted for peer review) on impact and scaling up of regenerative agriculture.
Scope of work
Overall research question: How effective is regenerative agriculture as an approach to support small scale entrepreneurs both on farm and off-farm in increasing their production and incomes and what evidence does the TREYL project offer?
Lines of inquiry
What social, economic, and ecological benefits of regenerative agriculture can be demonstrated through the TREYL project? Consider: o Value-chain analysis o Cost-benefit analysis o Business models for regenerative agriculture o Gender and inclusion o Soil health, soil organic matter, biodiversity o Sustainability analysis o Nutrition and safety food analysis
What are the demonstrated barriers that small scale farmers face in adopting regenerative agriculture practices through the TREYL project? Consider: o Differences between demographic groups and geographies. o Attitudes and mindsets (perception) o Knowledge, practices, and behaviors o Existing structures and procedures (market and knowledge systems) o Relationship and process between key agricultural stakeholders o Policies, Practices, and technologies for regenerative agriculture o Social and cultural norms- Land ownership
What conditions are required for smallholder farmers to adopt, scale up, and sustain regenerative agriculture practices to lead to systemic change? Consider: o Differences between demographic groups and geographies. o Attitudes and mindsets o Existing structures and procedures (advocacy approach, market, and knowledge systems) o Relationship and process between key agricultural stakeholders
To what extent is the political environment orientated towards the adoption of regenerative agriculture by smallholder farmers in Kenya? Consider: o Existing national and county-level policies o Attitudes and political leanings ?? towards regenerative agriculture for smallholder farmers o Implementation of national and county-level policies (including inclusion of smallholder farmers, budget allocation and behavior change) o Government good will towards regenerative agriculture
What is the status of project KPIs at end of year 2022?
What is the status of the project learning agenda? o Consolidate briefs that respond to learning agenda based on available information o Information/evidence needed to address gaps in answering learning questions
This assignment will be framed by the following DAC: Criterial Impact, Coherence, Relevance and Sustainability.
Methodology
Stage 1- Current State of Play
The consultant will be required to: • Outline and compare current farming practices for both conventional and non-conventional agriculture in Kisumu and Homa Bay (TREYL project areas) • Map current systemic changes occurring as a result of the impact of TREYL project: What is the status of regenerative agriculture knowledge, practices amongst smallholder farmers? (Scale of practice, types of practices, which are the distinct practices common in the project areas) • Policy analysis (conventional agriculture vs Regenerative Agriculture) Deliverable: – A documented desk review of project documents basing on the above lines of inquiry, gaps in evidence from project documents identified and primary data collection to be used to fill these identified gaps. – Develop and or refined learning briefs (4) that respond to learning agenda with the key one being the business case for regenerative agriculture
Stage 2- Primary Data Collection
Mixed method primary data collection to evidence research question and lines of inquiry: – Primarily to fill gaps as opposed to blank data collection A combination of primary and secondary data collection and interpretation methodologies can be employed during the assessment. It is imperative that the study is leveraged as much as possible to obtain consistent, reliable, and replicable data The primary data should include a combination of quantitative, qualitative, and participatory methods.
These may include (but not limited to):
• Focus Group Discussions • Key Informant Interviews
• Observations and transect walks.
• Document / desk reviews.
Photo documentation
• Most Significant Change stories
• Outcome Harvesting We actively encourage the use of agroecological survey tools and methodologies, for example, the use of FAO’s Tool for agroecology performance evaluation (TAPE) or equivalents. Relevant data collection tools will be developed by the consultant in consultation Practical Action team, and an appropriate and representative sampling method and sample size discussed prior to the approval of the inception report. We seek to ensure our sample sizes are representative to make robust claims from our primary data. We commonly take a participatory approach with sampling; Community based organizations, line ministries and private sector may be involved in the process. The community will be actively involved throughout the entire study. The government line ministries/County government and private sector stakeholders will provide the needed secondary data / information through key informant interviews. Note: It is expected that gaps identified during desk review will be addressed during primary data collection
Stage 3- Analysis
The consultant will be required to outline a clear analysis framework as part of the inception report. This is to ensure robust triangulation and clear use of primary and secondary data to generate findings and recommendations. The consultant will be required to share preliminary findings with Practical Action. This will be a key opportunity to verify findings and support the development of the final report
Stage 4- Final report
The consultant will be required to develop: ▪ A 30–40-page report (excluding annexes) summarizing the main findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Practical Action will provide a template for this report during the inception phase. The report should: o Evidence the lines of inquiry and give an overall evidence-based assessment of the research question. o Use case studies to highlight regenerative agriculture practices and business models for regenerative agriculture across the value chains TREYL focuses on. o Offer clear and actionable recommendations for Practical Action, IKEA Foundation, beneficiaries, and market actors/collaborators.
Stage 5-Stakeholder feedback and learning
The consultant will be required to develop:
▪ A power point slide deck summarizing the main findings, conclusions and recommendations from report presented to internal stakeholders at Practical Action and participants of the study (NOTE- an alternative format may be required for participant feedback)
▪ The consultant will develop a policy brief maximum 4 pages out of the main report ▪ Practical Action will publish the findings externally through Practical Action Publishing
Expected Deliverables
The following deliverables are expected from the consultant:
- Inception report containing the following:
• Approach of the study including framework for activities
• Work plan with detailed framework of activities
• Methodology to be applied
• Analysis framework
• Proposed content outline for the report, schedule, and any logistical propositions.
• Data collection tools
• Limitation of assessment
- A desk review document of evidence gathered from what the project already has gathered and deliver below drafts.
- 1 Journal article – 4 learning briefs including Business case for Regenerative Agriculture – 1 Policy brief
- Proposed data collection dates (subject to adjustment with lead evaluator):
- First complete draft report presented to PA
- Second complete draft report, incorporating initial feedback
- Validation of findings: Presentation of findings to stakeholders for validation by consultant– this will be organized by the project team
- Final report, incorporating second round of feedback and stakeholders’ validation feedback: Final report shall include:
• An executive summary that can stand alone as a self-contained summary report
• Evidence on impact of regenerative agriculture (highlighting but not limited to the lines of inquiry above)
• Documentation on status of project KPIs
• Recommendations on optimizing evidence and impact in the
• A journal article (ready to be submitted for peer review) on impact and scale up of regenerative agriculture
• Final Policy and Learning Briefs
- A power point slide deck summarizing the main findings, conclusions and recommendations from report presented to internal stakeholders at Practical Action and participants of the study (note- an alternative format may be required for participant feedback Delivery of cleaned dataset in SPSS format as well as raw dataset (Excel), final tools used, qualitative data transcripts
Administrative and logistical support
The Consultants will report to the Project Manager – TREYL with technical oversight by the M&E team.
The project team will provide day to day support during the assignment to support the actualization of this assignment and within stipulated timelines
Practical Action will also provide the following:
• All necessary program documents required.
• Support in organizing/mobilizing consultation meetings and forums to ensure that the survey is undertaken successfully
• Facilitate travel and accommodation for the lead & Co-lead consultant
The consultants on the other hand will:
• Recruit and train research assistants (if necessary)
• Pay research assistants based on reasonable market rates
• Facilitate field travel for the research team
Profile of potential consultant
An organization/individual with demonstratable experience evaluating large scale agriculture programs with a good understanding of regenerative agriculture
A good understanding of evaluation methodologies/frameworks for assessing transition from conventional to regenerative agriculture e.g., Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation or The economics of ecosystem and Biodiversity
Extensive and demonstrated experience in the use of mixed methods approaches (integrating quantitative and qualitative data), statistical analysis and interpretation of results
Experience and a good understanding of market system development including private sector actors’ role in achievement of development outcomes
Team members comprising agricultural economists, Youth experts, Policy and Gender experts who possess more than 10+ of experience with Masters’ and above level education, lead consultant with PhD level education
Have a versed understanding and extensive knowledge of the two counties geographically, interns of terrain, local population, and other details of the two counties, and has carried some related or similar work in the lake region.
Timelines
This consultancy will take place in the months of November and December 2022 with the final approved report submitted within a timeframe of 30 days. Final work plan duration shall be agreed with the selected consultant before signing of the agreement.
Terms of Engagement
Payment for the study shall be done in three tranches as indicated below
Tranche 1 (20% of the total cost): Upon successful submission of inception report
• Tranche 2 (30% of the total cost): submission and acceptance of the of 1st draft of the report
• Tranche 3 (50% of the total cost): submission and acceptance of the final report
Note that the payments will be done subject to the consulting entity meeting quality and timely delivery of stated task.
Furthermore, all reimbursable costs will be supported by payment vouchers including slips demonstrating payment of government tax.
How to apply
Interested consulting entities that have capacity to deliver this TOR are invited to submit a complete proposal to recruitment@practicalaction.or.ke with subject line TREYL Project Regenerative Agriculture Assessment to reach Practical Action on or before 2nd November 2022.
Guidelines for Submission of Expression of Interest A consulting entity that meets the above requirements and is available within the time limit indicated above should submit the following:
Proposal and capability statement with clear methodological approach (technical proposal)
Detailed financial proposal in Kenyan Shillings: If the team consists of several members, the professional fees should not just be a daily rate, but it should be based on clearly shown time allocation by each member of the team to the various activities.
Evidence of experience in similar work.
Annexed to the proposal should be CVs of the evaluators outlining previous evaluation experiences and accomplishment