Call for Expression of Interest (EOI) - Consultant to assess progress and learning review for agriculture/rice development project (TRVC)

Under the close coordination and supervision of TRVC’s Team Leader and MEL Advisor, the Consultant will design and conduct the Assessment of the 1st and 2nd crop’s results and learnings. Crop results include quantitative and qualitative assessment that cover but not limited to farming area with sustainable approaches/practices, good agronomic and economic practices and outcomes/profit for SHFs, success stories, innovations, change of behaviour, women economic empowerment, disability inclusions, contract farming and other type of business linkages between SHF/Coops with private sector companies and other opportunities for farmers/coops and their communities.  Lessons learned identify areas that needs improvements from both agronomic and economic practices for the subsequent crops; challenges and barriers that prevent or hinder farmers and the Companies (herein named as Competitors in TRVC) to practice low carbon rice farming; or scaling to other rice areas/Coops/communities; reasons for farmers and or Competitors dropped out from 1st and 2nd crop seasons; and or uncertainties from farmers/Coops/Competitors on the modality of the results-based financing of TRVC.  

Key objectives include:

1. To design, conduct, and develop an evidence-based assessment of the Summer-Autumn 2024 and Winter Spring 2025 crop seasons in Dong Thap, An Giang, and Kien Giang provinces with both quantitative and qualitative data sets/evidence from key stakeholders participating in the TRVC project. The assessment report highlights key results, good practices, innovations, and failures to support project learning to inform contextual adjustment/refinement if needed and enhancement of efficacies and values for money.
2. To develop a learning review for the TRVC Project focused on the overall learning questions from the learning framework.

REQUIRED RESEARCH APPROACH

From the findings, produce success stories and factsheets to support the capitalization of early successes.

The Consultant is required to apply an inclusive and participatory data collection process, in line with gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) best practice, where project participant ownership in the project evolution is encouraged. Consent, confidentiality, and conformity with research ethics are mandated. Use of AI and secondary data without consent from SNV and reference sources is not acceptable.

DETAILED TASKS

Task 1. Desk study

• Conduct a desk-based review and provide an overview of current development projects/programs on low-emission/sustainable rice that have been implemented in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam.
• Review of TRVC project documents and project data (Theory of Change, relevant part of the technical proposal, MEL documents, Learning Framework) and enrolment data for Crop 1 & 2.
• Perform a desk study on the current status of interventions that farmers have committed to and planned for their fields, including the adoption of low-carbon farming practices.
• Conduct a desk-based analysis of companies' offering services and support to SHFs/Coops participating in Crop 1.

Task 2. Field study design and execution

Design the field study to collect the required information:

• Design research methodology, including sample sizes (for quantitative methods) and instruments
• Conduct data collection (quantitative and qualitative) with selected key stakeholders that include:

- Senior leaders/managers of nine competitors who are enrolling in Crop 1 and operating in An Giang, Kien Giang and Dong Thap.

- Sampled cooperative members working with the above companies (with GEDSI inclusive participation).

- Sampled rice farming smallholder farmers participating in the project (with inclusive participation).

The field study should address the below two end-of-program outcomes (EOPO) and overall learning questions from the TRVC learning framework.  

Task 3. Field study data collection and analysis

The consultant proposal should give details of how data collection processes will be implemented, managed, and quality assured. What resources will be required, and how will the data collection process be contextually appropriate and in line with do no harm principles? Details of how the consultant will comply with GDPR should be part of the proposal.

The consultant should submit an analysis approach as part of the proposal to ensure that all data collected has a purpose and clear use and will be handled properly.

Task 4. Develop a final report and presentation on key findings to present at the Annual learning workshop event

The consultant presents the assessment findings at the project's annual learning workshop event in a visually stimulating and interactive manner. This also includes the documentation of lessons learned, success stories, good practices, innovations, and failures of participating competitors and SHFs enrolled in Crop 1 & 2.