Terms of Reference for the Rwanda Strategy Support Program Mid-term Evaluation
The Alliance is Recruiting a Consultant for IFPRI, Rwanda office
The Organization
The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future (http://alliancebioversityciat.org). The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is hosted by the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Rwanda.

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The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. Established in 1975, IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 50 countries. It is a research center of CGIAR, a worldwide partnership engaged in agricultural research for development.
Scope of Rwanda SSP
The IFPRI Rwanda Strategy Support Program (Rwanda SSP) is an initiative aligned with the Government of Rwanda's vision for accelerating agricultural transformation and rural development throughout the country. The program supports Rwanda’s forward-looking strategy for economic growth and transformation and, specifically, implementation of the 2018–2024 Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation (PSTA 4) through policy analysis, capacity development, and partnership. Rwanda SSP seeks to achieve these goals through: collaborative policy analysis to prioritize agricultural transformation, increase agricultural productivity, improve nutrition, strengthen food systems and the rural nonfarm economy, and foster broad-based economic growth and development for Rwanda; and, capacity development and knowledge sharing to undertake timely and relevant policy analysis, communicate actionable findings to policymakers and their development partners, and build linkages for knowledge sharing across research, government, civil society, and other stakeholder communities.

Objectives of the Mid-term Evaluation
The main objective of the mid-term evaluation of Rwanda SSP (the “Evaluation”) is to review the extent to which Rwanda SSP’s work conducted from December 15, 2020 to June 15, 2022 has met its objectives and goals as stated in Contract FED/2020/418-755 between the European Union Delegation to Rwanda (EU) and IFPRI. The evaluation will also provide recommendations for the remaining period, including potential updates to the logframe and activity matrix.
The assessment should answer the following specific questions:
• To what extent has the Rwanda SSP accomplished its goals, as outlined in the log frame of the EU Contract FED/2020/418-755 and as established for IFPRI SSPs?
• How effective is Rwanda SSP’s engagement with its partners, including but not limited to the Government of Rwanda, the donor community, and other sector stakeholders?
• Who are the key stakeholders engaged by the Rwanda SSP, including formal partnerships (MOUs, proposal development), and informal partnerships (cross-organization collaboration and attendance at events)?
• How are Rwanda SSP’s outputs being used? What policies, programs and strategies have been informed and how (keeping in mind the inception dates and duration of the program to date)?
• Who uses the outputs of the Rwanda SSP, including working papers and policy briefs?
• Who attends the outreach events and capacity development events organized by Rwanda SSP?
• What are the key use cases and impact pathways identified, and what can we learn from them? What are the promising use cases and impact pathways that should be explored or leveraged further?
• What should the priorities be for Rwanda SSP going forward in order to comply with the EU Contract FED/2020/418-755 and the original Rwanda SSP proposal?

Methods for the Mid-term Evaluation
The Evaluation may be conducted using a range of tools to collect data and information, as well as a range of methods to analyze the data and information. Examples include document analysis, website and citation analysis, and key stakeholder interviews. The choice of tools and methods should be appropriate to nature of the program and the objective of the Evaluation set forth above. The consultant(s) selected to undertake the Evaluation will be responsible for developing an appropriate methodology and workplan to undertake the Evaluation, which shall be subject to review and approval by IFPRI (approval will be based on the evaluation’s quality and representation of objective outputs by Rwanda SSP, and will not be based on the evaluator’s findings or conclusions). In the event that IFPRI does not approve, the evaluation will still be shared with the EU for their consideration and discussion. To the extent feasible and necessary, IFPRI will assist with the identification and collection of the downloads and citations of the literature as well as the generation of its statistical results.

Evaluator Requirements
The successful candidate will be required to have:
• Master’s Degree in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Development Economics, Public Policy, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of work experience in research, economics, or public policy.
• Successfully completed at least 2 qualitative mid-term or endline evaluations of similar programs, using methodologies similar to those listed above.
• Familiarity with MINAGRI and RAB policy documents, such as the PSTA 4.
• Experience conducting key informant interviews, reviewing program documents and contracts, and citing publicly available publications.

Deliverables
1. Workplan including a detailed methodology, list of documents to be consulted, list of people to be interviewed, and key informant questions guide, which is subject to IFPRI review and approval.
2. Draft Report that details the Evaluation objectives, methods, findings, and recommendations, which shall be subject to review and comment by IFPRI, the EU, and MINAGRI.
3. Final Report that details the Evaluation objectives, methods, findings, and recommendations, and responds to any and all comments provided by IFPRI, and which shall be subject to approval by IFPRI.
Timeline
The Evaluation shall be implemented in up to 20 days, and shall be conducted between August and October 2022, with the Final Report to be delivered by no later than October 31, 2022.

Submission Procedure
Applicants are invited to visit https://alliancebioversityciat.org/careers to get full details of the position and to submit their applications. Applications MUST include reference number Consultancy Ref: CON-RW-LC-2022-066 as the position applied. Applications should be saved as one document using the candidate’s last name, first name for ease of sorting. The CV should include at least two references, including the supervisor of the last occupied work position.
The Alliance does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing or training). The Alliance also does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.
Closing date for applications: 13th July 2022.
Please note that email applications will not be considered.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.