Consultant: Agriculture/Agribusiness Qualitative Evaluation Specialist

Abt Associates’ International Economic Growth (IEG) Division’s AgDevCo evaluation team is seeking a local consultant to serve as the Agriculture/Agribusiness Qualitative Evaluation Specialist and assist with qualitative research in Tanzania at two to three key points over the next five years.(*Each consulting engagement will last 1 to 3 months).

To be considered for this consultancy position, please send your CV and cover letter via email detailing your specific qualifications and relevant skills and expertise to abtevalrecruiting@gmail.com.

Background:
Abt Associates serves as the external evaluator for investments made by the African Agricultural Development Company (AgDevCo) in five African countries. An important evaluation task is to assess the relevance, effectiveness and performance of AgDevCo’s model for catalyzing rural development and filling a critical gap in agribusiness finance. The evaluation must answer questions about how investments affect smallholder farmers, investee firms, and the value chains in which these investee firms operate.

Tasks will include:

• Assist in the development of qualitative data collection instruments
• Conduct qualitative interviews with diverse respondents, including: agribusiness managers and staff; farmers; and local investors involved in agricultural input and service, trading, processing, and consumption nodes of agricultural value chains
• Assist in qualitative data analysis under the supervision of the Qualitative Lead
• Provide translation for the Qualitative Lead and other members of the Abt team
• Provide logistical support to the Qualitative Lead and other members of the Abt team, including identifying respondents, arranging interviews, and securing transport as needed

Qualifications:

• Masters in agricultural economics, economics, rural sociology, agribusiness, or related discipline with at least five (5) years of experience
• 2-3 years of experience conducting qualitative research (key informant interviews, focus groups, small-sample surveys, participant observation, etc.) in Tanzania
• Conceptual foundation in agricultural economics, subsector analysis, value chain analysis, structure-conduct-performance framework (or paradigm), industrial organization (of agriculture/agribusiness), and/or experience in conducting research addressing agribusiness, rural livelihoods, agriculture, and/or private-sector development issues
• Demonstrable understanding of approaches to ensure rigor and scientific validity of data collected through qualitative methods
• Excellent written and communication skills in English
• Excellent grasp of MS Office products required (Excel, Word, Power Point)