Short-term consultancy: Conducting qualitative research on a sustainable and collective investment innovation for small-scale farmers and community-led conservation groups Expected timeframe: February to June 2023

L Background

The CARE-WWF Alliance (hereafter, the Alliance) has been working in Tanzanie since 2015-First, near the Mtware Corridor in the Nachingwee District, and now in the Southam Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SACGOT) since 2018. In its central Tanzanian project in the Ndambara sub-catchment of the Great Ruaha River (In SADCOT's Themi Cluster), the Allance seeks to promote not only livelihood diversification and economic opportunity but also ecosystem service provision and biodiversity conservation. The Alliance's current project (2021-2023) was launched in 21 project villages of Iringa and Mufindi Districts between June and July 2021, with the objectives follow:

1.            Extend Informal savings groups and collective access to financial services to 5,000 farming families (22,500 Individuals), especially women.

2.            Increase sustainable Investment and production to improve small-scale farmer Income by 80% and food security by 20%.

3.            Improve ecosystem resilience and functions in production landscapes in Ndembera sub-catchment of the Great Rusha River.

4.            Strengthen public and private partnerships to improve small-scale producer access to extension, inputs, markets, financial services and benefits from ecosystem services.

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A key Innovation to achieve these outcomes is a new sustainable and collective investment model. Small-scale farmers, particularly women, often have limited access to finance, information, and decision-making power necessary to make investments to improve the land/soil that they farm or to restore/sustain other ecosystems/services critical to their livelihoods, such as watersheds. The CARE-WWF Alliance proposes to pilot, research, and adapt based on learnings an Innovative model for addressing this challenge. This savings and loan Innovation peaks to accelerate the access of small-scale farmers, particularly women, to finance in ways that promote ecologically sustainable Investments that sustain or Improve ecosystems critical to their livelihoods and conservation.

II. Objective

The aim of this consultancy is to lead qualitative research as part of an mbed-methods evaluation of the sustainable and collective Investment model that began to be rolled out in November 2022. A VSLA cycle is approximately one year long, so this research and analysis will happen mid-stream during implementation of the pilot's first cycle, with the work kicking off in February and the bulk of work falling between March and June 2023. The consultant's qualitative evaluation and analysis will support real-time adaptation of the model and recommended improvements to enable iteration, replication, and upscaling.

HI. Scope

The work will be implemented in close collaboration with CARE and WWF staff in Tanzania and the United States. Kick-off of the consultancy in February 2023 and will be conducted within 21 villages of Iringa and Mufindi Districts.

Expected deliverables

I.             Three qualitative research protocol(s) for semi-structured interviews (2) and focus group discussions (1)-co-developed with the CARE-WWF Alliance MEL team.

II.            Draft and final analytical summary of qualitative results (10-20 pages), the latter incorporating feedback from the team.

III.           Draft for submission of a peer-reviewed publication, co-authored with the WWF/CARE MEL team, which will include an Introduction, background, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion. The draft will be led by the consultant and reviewed (up to twice) by WWF/CARE staff in preparation for submission.

IV.          Annex with links to raw and analyzed data in the form of audio recordings, transcripts, research codes and any photos taken

V.            Essential (E) and desired qualifications (D)

VI.          (Please, visit our website for the detailed ToR)

VI. Application Instructions

To apply please send your soft copy detailed technical and financial proposal to procurement email@procurement@wwftz.org by or before 10:00am, Tuesday, 31st January, 2023 with heading "research on a sustainable and collective investment innovation for small-scale farmers' addressed to:

Secretary, Procurement Commities.

WWF: Kiko Street, Plot #252 off Mwai Kibaki Road Mikocheni

P. O. Box 63777, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Tel: +255 22 277 5348/2772455/270 0077 website; wwf.or.tz

The detailed TDR is available on request or through WWF website https://www.wwf.or.tz/jobs-and-opportunities/consultancies.and.tenders/ Evaluation of the consultancy applications will be done based on WWF procurement guidelines and that WWF Tanzania is not bound to accept any lowest or highest proposal/bid. Only Shortlisted candidates shall be contacted. WWF has a principle of zero tolerance on fraud and corruption, if you encounter such an Incident, then report it by sending an email to fool@wwftz.org