Livestock Pilot Baseline Consultant – Mercy Corps

Background:
The purpose of this consultancy is to establish a baseline measurement for a Livestock Pilot‘s projected objectives, results and indicators. A clear survey methodology, including tools, will also be established for monitoring purposes as well as for use during the endline assessment.

Purpose / Project Description:
Mercy Corps recently launched a Livestock Pilot as part of the agency’s USAID funded Growth, Health and Governance program in Karamoja, Uganda. The goal of the 24 month pilot is to identify interventions that can later be scaled to increase productivity and competitiveness of the Karamoja livestock sector, thereby building resilience capacities (Absorptive, Adaptive and Transformational). With this goal there are three strategic objectives:
SO1: Increase livestock productivity and household incomes
SO2: Improve household food security/nutrition from livestock production
SO3: Lay the foundation for a strong enabling environment for the livestock sub-sector
Resilience, gender and youth will be cross-cutting issues throughout each SO. Also embedded across the SOs is a focus on climate-smart agriculture and sustainable natural resource use, noting the importance of bio-diversity and the critical issues surrounding water resources and use.
Activities are implemented in the Karamoja sub-counties of Kalapata and Loleila in Kaabong District, and Kacheri and Renegen sub-counties in Kotido District, and two sub-counties of Amudat and Karita in Amudat District, and Namalu and Nabulatuk in Nakapiripirit District, as well as in the emerging livestock trading nodes of Moroto, Amudat, Kaabong and Kotido Towns.
Mercy Corps is a secular INGO that has worked to alleviate poverty and oppression in transitional environments since 1979. Operational in Uganda since 2006, Mercy Corps implements programs designed to promote, good governance, peace, food security, and economic development across Northern Uganda.

Consultant Objectives:
Mercy Corps seeks a consultant who can design and conduct the baseline survey for the Livestock Pilot in close collaboration with the Livestock Adviser, team members, and Mercy Corps M&E staff. The purpose of this is to:
• Finalize the baseline survey design and tools adopting a mixed-method quantitative and qualitative approach;
• Oversee and conduct the baseline survey;
• Produce a baseline report for internal and external communication;

Consultant Activities:
• Define key research questions to be answered, geographic & beneficiary universe and targets
• Finalize and design the proposed methodology, sample size, survey protocols and questionnaire
• Train field supervisors and enumerators
• Supervise and actively participate in data collection
• Compile, review and analyze data collected
• Finalize and submit a baseline report to Mercy Corps based on the survey findings

Consultant Deliverables:
• Tools for the baseline survey, including key research questions and survey;
• Baseline report in an agreed format based on the data collected and an updated indicator matrix and associated baseline numbers;

Timeframe / Schedule:
Activity
Date
Travel to Kampala
14th August 2016
Travel to Moroto
15th August 2016
Develop survey tools & define research questions
16-19th August 2016
Translation of tools
20th-21st August 2016
Train Enumerators & Staff
22nd-23rd August 2016
Data collection
24th-31st August 2016
Compile, review and analyze data
1st-4th September 2016
Travel to Kampala
5th September 2016
Draft report
6-15th September 2016
Submit report to Mercy Corps
16th September 2016
The Consultant will report to:
Tebeje Kibru, Livestock Adviser
The Consultant will work closely with:
Livestock Pilot team, Martin Oloka, M&E Manager, Enumerators

Qualifications
• Technical expertise in data collection and survey design
• Four year university degree in social or biological sciences that includes statistical methods and analysis
• Knowledge of and experience with USAID Feed the Future Indicators including gross margin
• Strong participatory facilitation skills
• Five years previous relevant experience, including designing and conducting baseline and/or endline assessments, development of M&E systems, program startup M&E activities, evaluation of livestock/food security/agricultural/market systems programs, technical assistance, consultancies, etc.
• Fluency in English with highly professional report writing capabilities (samples will be requested)
• Experience with livestock/market systems development programs strongly preferred
• Experience in Uganda, in particular Karamoja, preferred
• Cultural sensitivity Locally based consultants are encouraged to apply.

HOW TO APPLY:
How to apply: Submit your application by email to: ugconsultant@mercycorps.org Submission should include;
1) Qualifications & Experience (including CVs)
2) Approach to the SoW
3) References from previous (similar) work
4) Cost proposal

[yuzo_related]