IFPRI is seeking a qualified individual/organization/firm within the Agri-food Innovation and Resilience (AIR) Unit to provide research support for various activities under the CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes (MFL) Program. This consultancy is for applicants based in India and will be required to travel within India for field support at various MFL project locations.
Background:
The Multifunctional Landscapes (MFL) Program envisions diverse and healthy landscapes that are managed holistically to support sustainable and diverse eco-agrifood systems, resilient livelihoods, and healthy diets while remaining within planetary boundaries. In this vision, landscapes are co-created and managed by diverse stakeholders who co-generate technological, socioecological, policy, and institutional innovations, underpinned by inclusive governance and effective planning. The program is currently operating in 9 countries, including in India in Mandla, Madhya Pradesh and Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. In India, we work with and through grassroots partners, government stakeholders and market and value chain actors.
Scope of work:
Activity 1: Impact evaluation of the interventions conducted under MFL SP
The main objective of this activity is to understand the impact of various interventions to be carried out under the MFL science program in India. The interventions include and are not limited to, an RCT experiment which tests the impact of varied extension modes on adoption of agroecological practices, understanding nutrition profile of adopters of community nutri-gardens and agroecological homestead gardens, and various interventions on efficient water management. For this assessment, a questionnaire is already being developed which will be rolled out for data collection soon in the next 1 month. The survey will serve as a baseline assessment of key outcomes against various interventions. Location of survey: Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh and Mandla, Madhya Pradesh.
The consultant will be involved in assisting the IFPRI team in survey coding, enumerator training, coordinating with data collection partner for field management in both the sites, monitoring on-field data collection, ensuring that data is collected in accordance with IFPRI’s standards, conduct data cleaning, generate a cleaned dataset for both sites which shall be used for further analysis, and support in conducting basic descriptive analysis.
Activity 2: Value chain analysis of key crops in Jhansi, and identification of entry points for agroecology
The main objective of this activity is to identify major crops that are grown by farmers in Jhansi and undertake a value chain analysis of these crops. This would involve getting familiar with the context, understanding the agriculture profile of the region, identifying key crops grown in the region with existing value chains. It would be also desirable to identify crops that have untapped potential to be developed into prosperous value chains.
Based on the final crops selected, the consultant will be expected to conduct a mapping the status of the full value chain of that crop, from production to consumption, such as who produces, what are the distribution channels, who are the final consumers, what are the different ways of consuming the crop (that is if there is any value addition along the value chain), profitability analysis, etc. The consultant should be able to identify the major stakeholders that play a role in these value chains, such as those supporting the collection & aggregation activities, sale, awareness generation, market integration, policy formulation and other activities related to these value chains, and a description of their roles. A final component of the analysis would involve understanding the interlinkages with agroecology. This would involve a current assessment of how the VCs are linked to the principles of agroecology, identification of entry points for agroecology in improving the sustainability of these value chains and behavioral changes of the value chain actors required to develop prosperous value chains and explore enabling and hindering factors in relation to these changes.
Activity 3: Assessment of presence and scope of self-help groups in Jhansi
During recent field visits in villages in the Jhansi region, it was observed that women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are either weak, inactive, or not present in many villages. There is a need to understand the reasons for this situation and explore possibilities for reviving old SHGs or creating new ones. In this assignment, the consultant will conduct field-based research to understand the status and relevance, and identify opportunities, challenges, and possible ways to strengthen women’s collective action through SHGs in selected villages in the Jhansi region.
The consultant will be expected to understand the current situation of women SHGs in the selected villages, including whether SHGs existed earlier and their present status. Meet local government stakeholders (such as block- and village-level officials), village leaders, and other relevant actors to understand past and current efforts related to SHGs. Conduct field visits, organize key informant interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) with women farmers and community members to understand their experiences, needs, and interest in women groups/SHGs, key barriers to forming or sustaining SHGs, possible opportunities for reviving inactive groups or creating new ones. Identify examples of other successful village groups or collective efforts (formal or informal) that may provide lessons for women SHGs. Explore how different government departments and stakeholders can work together to strengthen SHGs in the region. Consult senior government stakeholders and relevant departments to understand existing schemes, support systems, and collaboration opportunities. Identify major constraints and practical opportunities for strengthening women SHG networks in the region.
Deliverables:
Intellectual property:
All data, analysis, reports, and outputs produced under this assignment will be the property of IFPRI. The selected consultants/organization/firm may use the findings for academic and policy purposes with due acknowledgment to IFPRI and the MFL-SP.
Duration of Contract Maximum 5 months (10 months cumulative level of effort) from receipt of signed contract and will be based on activities. The total duration of the contract is expected to be 10 months. However, the contract will be incrementally funded, and any commitment of funds beyond 2026 is contingent upon the availability of funding by the donors and satisfactory performance of activities.
Level of effort: Activity 1 (3 months), Activity 2 (4 months), Activity 3 (3 months)
Required Qualifications:
For Individuals:
• Master’s degree or PhD in economics, development studies, data science, rural management, or a closely related field.
• Minimum 2 years of demonstrated experience in field-based research, applied quantitative research, program implementation, or community engagement in rural settings, and/or with community-based organizations, women’s collectives, rural livelihoods, agriculture, climate resilience, public service delivery, or social protection programs.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct qualitative research and field documentation, including interviews, focus group discussions, observation notes, feedback synthesis, and field reports.
• Demonstrated ability to organize, clean, and analyze survey or field data, and interpret findings; exposure to statistical and programming languages such as STATA/R
• Strong writing skills, including the ability to prepare field notes, meeting summaries, implementation updates, and analytical memos for research and program teams.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate effectively with multiple partners, including research teams, implementation partners, technology teams, field staff, and community intermediaries.
• Comfort working with AI and digital tools and basic data systems, including Excel or Google Sheets, online forms, project trackers, dashboards, and documentation platforms.
• Fluency in spoken and written English and Hindi is compulsory
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly within Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and spend time in field settings.
For Firms/Organization: All key team personnel are required to have a Master’s degree or PhD in economics, development studies, data science, rural management, or a closely related field in addition to the above qualifications
Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience with monitoring and evaluation, impact evaluation support, survey implementation, including use of tools such as SurveyCTO, ODK, or Kobo Toolbox, field supervision, or mixed-methods research.
• Working knowledge of STATA, R or similar statistical software for data cleaning and analysis.
• Strong Hindi language skills, including ability to understand local terms, field expressions, and dialect variation relevant to rural users.
Other Requirements:
• Consultant may be required to visit IFPRI-New Delhi office to work with the Delhi team, when not travelling for fieldwork
• Consultant will be required to travel to rural and semi-urban field locations in Madhya Pradesh (Mandla) and Uttar Pradesh (Jhansi) and participate in meetings, trainings, field observations, interviews, and workshops.
• Consultant is required to have close visual acuity to perform activities such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing computer terminal; extensive reading.
Application for Individuals: Please upload your latest CV with your online application; any report or research paper first- authored by you or writing sample and a cover letter detailing relevant experience. Applications will be considered if daily rate in INR is included for consideration or IFPRI rate will be applied.
For Firms/Organizations: Please submit a technical/financial proposal with CVs of technical staff; a financial budget with staff daily rates, direct/indirect costs, other fees included etc. for consideration.
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*We are unable to respond to all applications, only the selected consultants/firm/organization will be contacted*
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty. Founded in 1975, IFPRI is a CGIAR Research Center. IFPRI's vision is "A World Free of Hunger and Malnutrition."
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