TechnoServe is working with the Embassy of Sweden in Rwanda to design and implement a multi-year program that aims to break the cycle of vulnerability, poverty, and gender inequality in some of Rwanda’s poorest and environmentally fragile districts in the Western and Southern Provinces. The program will use a market systems approach to catalyze systemic changes that result in sustainable, increased incomes for tens of thousands of poor people, particularly women, living in Western and Southwestern Rwanda. Regenerate Rwanda will apply an environmentally sustainable/regenerative business lens to reduce economic, environmental, and social barriers that keep poor women, youth, and men trapped in poverty and unlock opportunities for their full engagement in and benefit from economic opportunities.

To achieve its objective, Regenerate Rwanda will work in close partnership with a diverse range of market actors to support a portfolio of interventions within priority sectors or cross-cutting market functions. The focus of these portfolios will be identified in the Inception Phase of the program.        

General Requirements

3.1Scope of Work & Deliverables

3.2. Specific objectives

More specifically, you will:

Map the key market actors and assess current gender and youth dynamics at the household and enterprise level for the target value chains.

Conduct a minimum of 8 interviews and at least three FGDs per target group i.e. women and men, youth and adults, and a minimum of four key informant interviews for each of the above-mentioned value chains (with recorded notes).

Identify, rank, and prioritize a) key constraints limiting women’s and youth’s participation in the poultry sector (in relation to men and older adults); and b) opportunities to reach and benefit more women and youth.

Suggest potential interventions to address identified constraints and recommend high-priority interventions that will improve the performance of youth and women-owned businesses, strengthen gender-responsive business practices, and increase employment opportunities for women and youth.

Identify business cases in terms of the incentives for market actors to invest in the opportunities to reach and benefit more women and youth.

Conduct validation workshops with the Regenerate Rwanda team; develop an action plan to incorporate recommendations from gender and youth assessment detailing project owner, target beneficiaries, scope, resources, and monitoring tools to assess women’s and men’s participation, opportunities to improve business performance, and financial benefits throughout a project and mitigate unintended outcomes associated with women’s economic empowerment.

The assessment should build on learning from assessments conducted by TechnoServe to inform program design. The gender and youth assessment should take an intersectional approach, related to women’s and men’s household characteristics, asset portfolios, and market orientation. A strong understanding of the project’s design is important to understand the areas where the project will have influence and the appropriate strategies for advancing the economic empowerment of women and youth through a market systems development approach. The work will be done in collaboration with the Gender and Youth Lead, the MEL Manager, and the Market System Managers to work closely on the sector analysis and be able to identify the opportunities.

3.3. Key deliverables

The key deliverables include:

An inception report with a detailed description of how the consultant intends to comply with each of the specific objectives in terms of data collection, data analysis, interpretation, and planning, to be approved by

Interviews and single-sex FGDs with women and men, youth and adults in the value chain, as well as key informants (with notes)

Gender and youth analysis presentation/validation workshop with TechnoServe staff (preliminary findings),

Gender and youth analysis report

Propose a women’s economic empowerment dimensions framework as well as a youth economic empowerment dimensions framework which will be used during the intervention design and follow-up to analyze how women and men and young people are currently behaving in relation to the proposed intervention area, and how the interventions can be used to address different constraints and specifically to close the gap for women to benefit from the intervention.

Draft and final reports

Final strategy with prioritized recommendations describing concrete activities the project can implement for the greatest impact. The strategy should include a detailed gender and youth action plan.

A slide deck, presented to project staff, and potentially other stakeholders with findings and recommendations from the final report.

3.4. Research Questions

The assessment will leverage existing data and literature (e.g., project information, desk review completed to inform design) in addition to new information gathering conducted by the consultant to inform the analysis. Data collection and analysis shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

Review program data from other agriculture and entrepreneurship programs operating in the same regions

Review published sex- and age-disaggregated data, available research, and other data on patterns of women’s and men’s and youth’s participation in the targeted value chains, with a focus on data ‘beyond production’ and data on constraints/opportunities to increase equitable economic opportunities for women in the targeted value chain

existing tools from donors and implementing agencies regarding working with the private sector to increase gender inclusion in market systems development activities

Conduct single-sex interviews and focus group discussions with economic actors in the targeted regions.

Conduct key informant interviews with the private sector, government actors, and other stakeholders in the targeted geographies e.g., unions/cooperatives, commercial farms, processors, traders, producers, financial service providers, input providers, other service providers (logistics, transport, infrastructure, etc.), other NGOs

Conduct interviews with TechnoServe staff, Cordaid staff, AFR, and Inter. Alert.

Relevant questions the gender and youth assessment aims to answer, drawing on primary and secondary, are illustrated below:

Value Chain Participation – what barriers and opportunities arise from the dynamics that determine how women and youth participate in the value chain?

How do women and men (youth and adult) with different household characteristics and asset portfolios participate in the targeted value chains, at and ‘beyond production’ levels?

What barriers and opportunities exist for them to enter the value chain, especially beyond the production level, as formal/informal workers or entrepreneurs, in the targeted value chains? What are the root causes of these barriers?

What are the gender and youth-related implications of value chain governance and power dynamics, and how can they be addressed to promote more equitable and inclusive value chains?

What are the gender and youth-related implications of value chain upgrading and market linkages, and how can they be leveraged to promote gender and youth inclusion and empowerment?

How can value chain interventions be designed and implemented to address gender and youth-related constraints and leverage opportunities in the poultry and cross-border trade sectors?

Business Performance – what barriers and opportunities are there for women and youth to increase their incomes in this value chain?

What barriers and opportunities exist to increase 1) women and youth-owned businesses; 2) youth and women’s active membership and leadership in cooperatives; 3) women’s and youth employment by businesses, barriers, and their root causes to access information on markets and relevant certification/quality standards?

What barriers exist for women and men, at different nodes of the targeted sectors’ value chains, to access information on markets and to meet certification or quality standards?

What barriers do women and men, at different nodes of the targeted value chain, face to increase and strengthen relationships with market actors? What are the root causes of these barriers?

How do gender and youth dynamics affect access to finance, training, and other business development services, and what are the implications for business participation?

How can business development interventions be designed and implemented to address gender and youth-related constraints and leverage opportunities in the targeted sectors?

What are the gender and youth-related implications of business networks and partnerships, and how can they be leveraged to promote gender and youth inclusion and empowerment in the value chains?

Private sector and government engagement – what are the business constraints and business incentives for better engaging/serving women and youth?

To what extent, are private sector actors aware of the benefits and strategies to increase women and youth’s inclusion in the targeted sector (e.g., as employees and/or customers)?

What opportunities exist for the government and private sector to address the constraints faced by women and young people in the targeted value chains?

What opportunities exist at different levels of the targeted value chains and sectors for women and young to pursue employment or entrepreneurship activities?

How do gender and youth dynamics affect private sector investment and engagement, and what are the implications for market systems development?

How can private sector and government engagement interventions be designed and implemented to address gender and youth-related constraints and leverage opportunities in the target value chains. ?

What are the gender and youth-related implications of public-private partnerships, and how can they be leveraged to promote gender and youth inclusion and empowerment in the value chains?

Regenerative and Climate Resilience – What economic challenges do women and men (youth and adults) experience as a result of climate change and environmental degradation? and what kinds of regenerative solutions will increase women’s, men’s, and youth’s resilience to climate change and protect the environment?

How do women and men (adult and youth) in the targeted value chains currently manage natural resources and mitigate climate risks?

What are the key climate risks and vulnerabilities faced by women and men in the targeted value chains, how can the program support them in building resilience and promote regenerative agriculture practices that improve soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem services while also increasing productivity and profitability?

What are the opportunities for women and men to participate in climate-smart value chains that promote low-carbon and sustainable production and consumption patterns?

Strategies – what are some broader, programmatic strategies to positively benefit as many women and youth as possible?

How can Regenerate Rwanda mitigate risks, take advantage of opportunities and what are strategies to address unintended consequences of the WEE (like gender-based violence) to advance women and youth’s economic empowerment in the targeted sector via the activities of the project?

What considerations should be taken at a program administration level to reflect the importance of women and youth in our programmatic outcomes (e.g. team GESI action plan)?4. Methodology

The consultant will carry out this analysis under the supervision of the Mel Manager and Senior Gender and Youth Lead. The consultant will be expected to come up with a detailed methodology for conducting the survey, taking into consideration the local context of the program area. The consultant will develop appropriate tools that will be used during data collection and analysis s/he will be requested to propose an appropriate sampling methodology and size that is statistically valid and cost-effective. The proposed tools and sample size will be discussed and approved by the RGR management team before the commencement of the analysis.

The analysis will use a mixed-method approach consisting of both qualitative and quantitative data collection. The consultant will also make extensive use of the available data collected by project staff. This will include data from key informant interviews with different actors in the above-mentioned sectors/value chains and other data deemed necessary.

The consultant is expected to review the above background documentation as part of the desk review phase of the study. The study will be conducted, using participatory methods to collect qualitative, and quantitative data and triangulated for validation.

 

The following data collection methods will be given due consideration while designing the research methodology.

Primary data collection: a) focus group discussions (FGDs) with women, men, and youth b) Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with relevant actors and stakeholders (private actors, government institutions, and financial institutions).

Secondary data collection:

This will involve the review of specific program documents and other relevant literature

 Roles and responsibilities

Consultant

Develop an inception report, detailing the methodology- Actors to be interviewed, data collection methods, tools to be developed, timeframe for the analysis, and budget

Holds the overall management responsibility of the review, including designing and carrying out the analysis, drafting the final report, and debriefing the project team.

Organize a weekly meeting with RGR to provide weekly updates and seek input/feedback and advice.

Request approval in case of deviation from the agreed budget.

Prepare and submit draft and final reports

Regenerate Rwanda program

Provide all required background materials to the consultant in a timely manner.

Read and provide comments on the inception report including the proposed research methodology, data collection techniques, and the suggested target actors and value chains.

Providing. A work plan that details the methodology to be used, data collection instruments, sample strategy, and implementation plan within the agreed-upon timeframe.

Review and comment on deliverables.

Provide guidance where necessary.

Support logistics for the research team where necessary.

Facilitate contacts with key actors where necessary.

Support for logistics and planning of the field research.

Provide guidance throughout all phases of analysis.

Review and approve all deliverables and facilitate access to any documentation (or any person) deemed relevant to the analysis process.

Manage the budget (evaluate and approve any change in budget and costs)

Review, comment and approve reports submitted by the consultant (both draft and final reports).

 Qualification and experience

At the minimum, the consultant must possess the following:

Individual or private agency

Advanced degree in development studies, social sciences, and other fields that may be relevant.

Minimum of 7 years of working experience in social research and strong experience in livelihoods research.

Experience in the design and use of participatory methods for assessment and evaluation.

Proven and practical experience in conducting value chain analysis.

Recent similar studies conducted.

Strong skills in quantitative and qualitative data collection tools, data analysis, and report writing,

Experience working with non-governmental organizations, private actors, and government institutions.

Excellent organizing, facilitating, presentation, and communication skills.

Excellent report writing skills.

Prior work experience in Rwanda is strongly recommended.

Fluency in English and propose how you will handle the language barrier when dealing with farmers who can only speak Kinyarwanda.

The general condition of the consultancy

The consultant and RGR will agree on the remuneration and mode of payment prior to the start of the work. Charges related to taxes, mission allowances for field work, and secretarial fees are to be borne by the consultant. As part of this negotiation process, the consultant should propose the fee s/he wishes to charge noting that RGR will cover the transportation costs to and from the field and accommodation during the fieldwork.