Consultancy – Survey Research for Outcome Measurement Assignment Overview

We are searching for an experienced Consultancy – Survey Research for Outcome Measurement Assignment Overview at our Uganda facility. You are eligible for this position if you have demonstrated experience in survey research related to improved livelihoods for rural populations (including farmers) in Uganda, and in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning field. Please note that only applicants who are residents in Uganda or have the right to work in Uganda will be considered.

Project Overview:

The Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) is a 7-year and €134 million programme funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that aims to create a prosperous future for 230,000 young women and men in the Middle East, North Africa, Sahel & West Africa, and Horn of Africa regions. The Fund supports initiatives in 11 countries that offer youth, in particular young women, opportunities for work that is demand-driven and productive, offering a stable income and safe working conditions, and that is contributing to their personal development and social protection.

Private sector, civil society and knowledge institutions submitted proposals through Challenge Calls geared to scalable solutions for creating more and better jobs and income generating opportunities for youth. Solutions focus on an integrated approach that addresses the shortcomings on the demand side (jobs) and supply side (skills) and bridging the mismatch between these two in the labour market.

Assignment Overview:

CFYE’s implementing partner, Marula Proteen, is delivering a project designed to increase incomes of >7700 young coffee farmers in Kasese district in Uganda through provision of organic fertilizer (produced using black solider fly larvae) and Good agricultural practice (GAP) training. The project is co-funded by CFYE (https://fundforyouthemployment.nl/) and implemented by Marula Proteen (weareproteen.com) in partnership with AgriEvolve (agrievolve.com).

CFYE is seeking a researcher (lead researcher and team or firm) to design and carry out survey research that will enable Proteen to report on farmer outcomes as part of their annual reporting to CFYE, in line with the fund’s standards and requirements.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Objective: The objective of this assignment is design, carry out, analyse and report results of survey research with a representative sample of project beneficiaries, the results of which will be used to extrapolate outcomes for the full set of young farmers reached through the project.

The assignment will entail the following key activities:

– Become familiar with CFYE’s reporting (and MEL) requirements, the Proteen project design (interventions), context, timeline and its anticipated outcomes by reviewing project documentation and holding conversations with the project team and CFYE team.
– Develop a survey research methodology and tool(s) to capture project outcomes (improved income, farm productivity) and process-related data pertaining to the interventions (e.g. details about receipt and use of fertilizer, receipt of GAP training and application of its key elements)
– Design sampling framework and select a representative sample of beneficiaries, accounting for key project timeline constraints (growing seasons, intervention delivery timelines, and reporting timelines)
– Propose how survey results shall be used to extrapolate to the wider population of farmers reached through the project in Proteen’s outcome reporting
– Collect survey data, analyse and report on results

While the selected provider will lead on all of the above activities, the assignment will require working collaboratively, soliciting input and feedback from the CFYE and Proteen teams at each stage of the research to ensure its relevance, feasibility and suitability given the project context and CFYE requirements.

Deliverables:

You will be expected to deliver the following outputs during the period of the consultancy:

– A summary of the research design, including short background (summary), data collection and sampling approach, pre-tested/piloted survey instrument(s), analysis plan, and suggested extrapolation approach – by 15 October 2024
– First round of data: Submission of raw data from the research and report with a summary of analysed data – by 30th November 2024
– Second round of data: Submission of raw data from the research and report with a summary of analysed data – by 30th May 2025

Operational Arrangements:

You will report to the CFYE Country Lead in Uganda on contractual issues, and on a day-to-day basis, report to other CFYE team members as necessary.

Level of Effort:

This assignment will be conducted in phases and will take approximately 18-24 months to be completed as it may involve several rounds of data collection, analysis and reporting.

Required Qualifications:

– Lead researcher/research team with extensive experience designing and carrying out survey research (telephone or in person) in a Ugandan context, statistical sampling, well-trained enumerators and understanding of the local context of south-western Uganda.
– Research team with fluency in English and Lukonzo/Lusongora/Rutooro is preferred.
– Experience conducting survey research among rural youth farmers is an added advantage.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates can submit a proposal, including overview of the research team and proposed approach, with a breakdown of costs and timelines, and summary of relevant experience and CVs for the lead researcher and key team members not later than 22nd August 2024. All submissions must be in English.

Our company provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.