Summary
Date Posted: Friday, May 05 2023, Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Conservation of Natural Resources and Food security through Strengthening and Consolidation of Sustainable Agriculture in the Zambian component of KAZA TFCA Project
(BENGO III Project).

About WWF
WWF (The World Wide Fund for Nature) is an International Non-Governmental Organization that was born from a drive to conserve wildlife and wetlands in the country. Our mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. In that context, WWF Zambia is looking for qualified individuals or firms to plan and conduct the End of Project Evaluation for the BMZ funded project “Conservation of natural resources and Food security through Strengthening and Consolidation of sustainable agriculture in the KAZA area of Zambia”

Expectations
The Final Evaluation should use both quantitative and qualitative methods to ascertain the progression of the project towards meeting the intended outcome and impact. It should also assess what factors enhanced and/or limited the achievement of project targets as well as documentation of the results achieved and recommendations/lessons learned for future projects and programming. In addition, it is expected that the evaluator should conduct a theory-based evaluation. The staff of Seed grower’s associations, Community Resources Boards, WWF and beneficiaries involved in the project will have the opportunity to have their voices heard and will contribute to the evaluation. This will make the external evaluation credible and unbiased.

Project Description and Details
I. Title: BENGO III- Conservation of Natural Resources and Food Security through Strengthening and Consolidation of Sustainable Agriculture in the KAZA area of Zambia
II. Duration: 60 months (1st January 2019 – 30th December 2023)
III. Location: Zambia, Western Province, Sioma Ngwezi Game Management Area
IV. Partners: Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of fisheries and Livestock, Department of national parks and wildlife, Mufulani and Sesheke West CRBs, Barotse Royal Establishment (Mwandi and Kaunga Mashi Kutas).
V. Budget: 877,3490 EUR
VI. Primary Donor: Engagement Global gGmbH
VII. Secondary Donor: WWF Germany
Project Aim
BENGO III project is being implemented in the Silowana complex, domiciled in the South West part of Zambia. The aim of the project is to contribute towards enhanced income security, food security and resilient cultivation systems among small-scale farmers as well as towards improved sustainable resource conservation in the KAZA TFCA protected areas of southwest Zambia. In addition, the project also aims to ensure that by 2023, at least 3,656 smallholder households in the Silowana complex are marketing sustainably produced agricultural products through self-governing cooperatives and seed grower’s associations.

The project outcomes:
– Outcome 1: Two CRBs have sufficient human, technical and financial capacity to represent the interests of municipalities and support them in the management of CA-based community enterprises.
– Outcome 2: A new seed producer association has been established and embedded into the CRBs together with the existing SGAs in order to contribute to the strengthening of Conservation Agriculture in the project region
– Outcome 3: At least two new community cooperatives are able to market their CA-based agricultural products
– Outcome 4: 1,300 further small farmers in the Silowana complex are able to implement CA methods including a reduction of shifting cultivation.
– Outcome 5: The M&E system documents the strengths and weaknesses of agro-ecological agriculture in the project and makes them available to the target groups and stakeholders for adaptive management and political dialogue processes.
The project is nearing 5 years of implementation of the following activities:
– Activity 1.1: Analysis of CRB training needs
– Activity 1.2: CRB capacity building
– Activity 1.3: Strengthen CRB administrative structures
– Activity 1.4: Support CA advisory service for small farmers
– Activity 1.5: Dissemination of GMP
– Activity 2.1: Establishment of the seed association in Sesheke
– Activity 2.2: Training of seed growers
– Activity 2.3: Support of the coordinated certification process
– Activity 2.4: Strengthening the administrative structures of SGAs
– Activity 2.5: Building the motivation of SGAs to support the community advisory service
– Activity 2.6: Training of selected small farmers in CA activities (training, certification)
– Activity 3.1: Setting up of cooperatives
– Activity 3.2: Development of business plans
– Activity 3.3: Capacity building of cooperatives
– Activity 3.4: Advice to cooperatives
– Activity 4.1: Trainer training (ToT)
– Activity 4.2: Implementation of Farmer Field Schools (FFS)
– Activity 4.3: Participation in district agriculture fairs
– Activity 4.4: Promotion of improved silos to reduce post-harvest losses
– Activity 5.1: Training small farmers in the use of the new M&E App
– Activity 5.2: Implementation of the data synchronization routine
– Activity 5.3: Presentation of monitoring results

Objective
The objective of this final evaluation’s is to provide an overall external assessment of the performance and the results of the project. The evaluation should focus on assessing the project intervention’s relevancy, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and, where possible, impact. The final evaluation will cover the 60 months of the project and all the activities carried out in the context of the project.
Scope of Works
The scope of work for the consultancy will include, but may not be limited to:
a. Review all relevant sources of information, such as the project documents, logical framework, monthly reports, annual progress reports, internal evaluation midterm evaluation report and any other materials that the evaluator considers useful for this evidence-based assessment;
b. Develop an evaluation matrix with evaluation criteria, the related evaluation questions (and, where needed, sub-questions), the data sources required to answer the questions, the data collection, and data analysis methods. The evaluation should be based on the following five criteria of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability as defined below;

i. Relevance: Appropriateness of the project strategy to the actual needs and priorities of the target groups/beneficiaries taking into the account the circumstances. Is the project strategy appropriate and logical and does it work directly toward attaining the objectives?
ii. Efficiency: Measures the outputs – qualitative and quantitative – in relation to the inputs. How well are the means/inputs and activities converted into outputs? Are the activities implemented in line with the plans? Are they implemented and the outputs delivered in a cost-efficient manner?
iii. Effectiveness: Contribution of the project results to the achievement of the project objectives. To what extent are the specific objectives achieved / are likely to be achieved? What are the major factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of the objectives?
iv. Impact: The positive and negative changes produced by the project, directly or indirectly, intended or unintended. Main effects resulting from the project on the local social, economic, environmental and other development indicators. What is the project’s likely contribution to the overall objective?
v. Sustainability: Analyze to what extent the effects and results of the project are likely to last beyond its implementation period. What was put in place by the project to ensure the sustainability of the expected project outcomes? Collect lessons learned and good practices and express recommendations for the partners and stakeholders.
The evaluation must provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable, and useful. The evaluator is expected to follow a participatory and consultative approach ensuring close engagement with the local organizations, experts, project consultants, the project team, BENGO III management team, final beneficiaries, and other key stakeholders;
c. Prepare an evaluation report providing descriptive overviews, laying out the facts and lessons learned, providing conclusions and recommendations, and finalizing the report upon feedback from the project team.
d. Conduct a meeting with the project partners to validate the evaluation findings and recommendations.
Methodology
The consultant is requested to propose a methodological approach but the evaluation should at the minimum include desk research, semi-structured interviews, an inception report, a draft and final evaluation report as well as a power point presentation with key findings.
a. Desk research: should include a review of all the material and documentation developed within the project, the reports of local teams, beneficiaries and consultants, the tools created or adapted, including the monitoring and evaluation ones, etc. The consultant(s) should collect all quantitative data from the log frame and a list of activities, number of participants, number of supports, etc.)

b. Key Informant Interviews/Focus group discussions: The consultant(s) should carry out interviews/group discussions with the project implementing staff and all partners as well as representatives of the target groups/beneficiaries.
Deliverables and Time Frame
Below are deliverables and suggested timeframes;
Submit an inception meeting report, including agreed evaluation approach, outline of the report, timeline, workplan etc on 15th August 2023.
Submit the first draft report/first findings (23rd October 2023) in English of up to 30 pages, including a table of contents, a brief introduction, the objectives and the methodology, and evaluation of the project based on the criteria mentioned above (relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, sustainability), observations, lessons learned and conclusions as well as a list of recommendations and appendix (e.g. acronyms, list of interviewees, ToRs, methodology, schedule, etc.).
1 final report in English including recommendations and a presentation to WWF (up to 30 pages) before 15th of November 2023.
1 presentation: The consultant(s) will finally make a 1h30 presentation to the project partners, reviewing the main conclusions and recommendations of the evaluation. This presentation will then be used by the project to present the results to external stakeholders
Overall, the evaluation requires 30 working days spread over the period of August – December 2023
Supervision and Reporting
The identified consultant(s) will be required to work closely with the WWF Zambia Interim Silowana Complex Project Coordinator based at the WWF Zambia Sesheke Coordination Office. The majority of the required work will be carried out independently with the participation of project staff.
Selection Criteria
Applicants must meet the following conditions:
i. A university degree or professional experience in a field related to the project (Agriculture, M&E)
ii. A Master’s degree in a related field will be an added advantage
iii. At least 7 years of experience in external evaluation, including for KFW, EU or international funded projects;
iv. Availability and ability to work independently and on a flexible schedule.
Data protection
In carrying out the evaluation of this project, the evaluator must respect the following confidentiality rules:
I. All data relating to this project are confidential.
II. The information is only accessible to those whose access is authorized.
III. The BENGO III project manager authorize the external expert to list the data in paper or electronic media intended to carry out the activities entrusted to him/her. However, the BENGO III project managers does not give the evaluator any right to use, disclose or publish the data or results obtained in the course of his/her activity.
Application Submission Process
You can apply individually or as a team of evaluators. In either case your application should consist of the following:
i. 1-page expression of interest, highlighting relevant experience and knowledge of the context, daily rate and availability for travel to Project Area;
ii. A technical proposal detailing your approach to evaluation of the project, including methodology proposal (maximum 5 pages).
iii. A detailed work plan and financial proposal
iv. An updated CV(s)
v. Contact details for 2 references


Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 84

Level of Education: Associate Degree

Job application procedure
Submit application by emailing the above compressed in one folder to wwfcareers@wwfzam.org  with ‘External evaluation of the BENGO III project’ in the subject line. The CV/s must highlight the candidate’s technical strengths and sufficient experience and knowledge in Monitoring and Evaluation. An added advantage would be experience working with a limited budget.
Communication, clarifications and submissions about this consultancy should all be via email to: wwfcareers@wwfzam.org.  Only successful bidders will be contacted.
DEADLINE: 14th May 2023 by 17:00hrs.



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