AGRA DEAD PROJECT EVALUATION

            
Background
The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is a partnership of The Rockefeller Foundation and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK Department for International Development (DFID) working with African governments, other donors, NGOs, the private sector and African farmers to significantly and sustainably improve the productivity and incomes of resource poor farmers in Africa.

AGRA’s vision is of a food secure and prosperous Africa achieved through rapid, sustainable agricultural growth based on smallholder farmers who are primarily engaged in the production of staple food crops in Africa. The main goals of AGRA by 2020 are to: i) Reduce food insecurity by 50 percent in at least 20 countries ii) Double the incomes of 20 million smallholder families and iii) Put at least 30 countries on track towards attaining and sustaining a uniquely African Green Revolution.

AGRA’s strategy operates across four programmatic areas. The four programmatic areas which work in an integrated manner across all three portfolios are the Seeds, Soil health, Market Access and Policy and Partnerships. Other areas such as water, extension, gender and youth will be incorporated into the four programs.

The Program for African Seed System (PASS) which started in 2007 funds agro-ecology based crop breeding by national and local research programs; coordinates with the CGIAR system to rapidly disseminate existing improved seed varieties; fosters the development of a vibrant, competitive seed sector; supports the development of national agro-dealer networks- village retailers who get farm inputs to remote farmers; partners with African universities to train the next generation of African agricultural scientists; and advocates for seeds regulatory frameworks that make high quality, affordable seed available to smallholder farmers.

PASS consists of four sub-programs that focus on different elements of the input supply value chain. These are Education for African Crop Improvement (EACI), the Fund for the Improvement and Adoption of African Crops (FIAAC), the Seed Production for Africa Initiative (SEPA) and the Agro-Dealer Development Program (ADP).

The Program’s objectives are organized in terms of the major results that are expected from each of its four sub-programs:
• EACI provides funding for the training of new generation of crop breeders and agricultural scientists upon which seed systems depend for growth and productivity. Training under this sub-program is conducted in nine (9) universities across seven (7) countries and has primarily focused on masters and doctoral level and has up to December 2010 successfully graduated about forty (40) students. These graduates are expected to join the critical mass of scientists developing improved seed varieties in research institutions across Africa.
• FIAAC funds crop breeding in Africa to improve African crop varieties and promote their adoption by smallholder farmers. FIAAC has facilitated the release and dissemination of over 154 improved seed varieties across 13 sub-Saharan African countries by December 2010 that is expected to boost the yield levels of smallholder farmers. These released improved varieties should reach the smallholder farmer through the activities of seed companies and agro-dealers.

• SEPA helps ensure that improved crop varieties are produced and distributed through private and public channels (including seed companies, publicly-supported seed programs and public extension) so that farmers can adopt these varieties. SEPA, through its support to small private seed companies has up-to-date supported the production and distribution of 25,000 MT of improved seed varieties across 13 sub-Saharan African countries.

• ADP provides training and credit to establish and support the growth of small agro-dealers, who are a primary conduit of seeds, fertilizers, and knowledge on their proper use, to smallholder farmers to increase their productivity and incomes. ADP has facilitated the training of over 9000 rural agro-dealers across 9 sub-Saharan African countries with the objective of delivering improved inputs to smallholder farmers in an affordable, efficient and effective manner.

Objectives of the evaluations
Over fifty (50) PASS supported projects ended by December 2010. The AGRA M&E Unit is seeking for consultants/firms to undertake evaluations of expired projects in six (6) randomly selected sub Saharan African countries. The objectives of the evaluations are to assess:
a) The extent to which project’s major objectives were achieved
b) How economically projects converted inputs into results
c) The status of project outputs /results and whether results has translated into benefits to the smallholder famer (if yes, how)
d) The likelihood of continued, long term benefits from project results

Scope
The country based evaluations will assess the performance of expired projects in six (6) randomly selected countries. The evaluations will deal with the question of whether the expired projects have efficiently and effectively delivered on agreed outputs/results and how these results (if any) have moved along the uptake pathways towards addressing the productivity needs of the smallholder farmer. Additionally, the evaluations will assess the benefits (direct or indirect, positive or negative) from project outputs and the sustainability of project results.
Country Number of Expired Projects Sub-programs
EACI FIAAC SEPA ADP
Ghana 3 1 - 2 -
Nigeria 5 2 1 2 -
Kenya 12 - 7 4 1
Uganda 7 1 5 1 -
Tanzania 11 1 5 3 2
Malawi 3 - 1 1 1

Key Deliverables
The consultants/firms will review key documents produced by grantees, program officers and other partners; such documents shall include but are not limited to the background program document, grant proposals, project progress and final reports, consultancy reports, and other documents related to PASS. The consultants will also review relevant literature related to the assignment and carry out data collection using agreed methodologies with the AGRA M&E Unit to obtain information that meets the objectives outlined above.

The consultants will be required to submit to AGRA’s M&E unit:
• Inception Report which should be delivered not later than 14 days from the date of signing contract
• Draft reports (a draft report will be required for comment team prior to finalization);
• Oral presentation to the AGRA management, PASS team and M&E Unit when required;
• A master copy of the final report suitable for reproduction
• Presentation of the final report, including recommendations
• Soft copies of the final report
Reporting
During the course of the evaluations, the consultants/firms will be required to report regularly on progress.
Management
The consultants will report directly to the Director- Monitoring and Evaluation. The PASS M&E Program Officer will facilitate and coordinate the evaluations by the consultants/firms.
To ensure objectivity and credibility of the evaluations, the assessment will be conducted by external consultants/firms who have had no prior commitment or major contribution to the PASS program.
Timing
The evaluations are expected to be completed within a 90 - day period.
In-house Resources
Access to files, databases, contacts for grantees, financial records and other program related files depending on the consultant’s requirements will be availed. Access to program Director and staff will be guaranteed.
Specifications of the Consultant Teams
The consultants will be selected on the basis of their proven experience, qualifications and ability to deliver a quality product in a timely and efficient manner. Minimum qualifications and experience of the team members will include:
• MSc in Agricultural Economics, Social Sciences, or related field and at least 5 years of relevant experience (leader);
• 5 years experience in survey fieldwork (data collection, validation, entry and analysis)
• Proven track record in conducting evaluations in sub-Saharan Africa;
• Experience in leading teams in field (training, field logistics, human relations, teamwork)
• Demonstrable ability, experience and the capacity to undertake the assessment in different countries;
• Excellent writing skills, with publication record in one discipline related to assignment
• Demonstrable analytical skills;
• Past related experience in sub-Saharan Africa; and
• Excellent English communication skills.