Terms of Reference (TOR) for an Independent Endline Evaluation of the “catalyzing Market Prospects for Horticulture Smallholder Farmers and Small and Medium Enterprise in Rwanda” Project 2020-2025

Terms of Reference (ToR) for an Independent Endline Evaluation of the “Catalyzing Market Prospects for Horticulture Smallholder Farmers and Small and Medium Enterprise in Rwanda” Project 2020-2025

Funded by the European Union December 2024

 1. Background

Tearfund is an Christian international relief and development agency working globally to end poverty and injustice, and to restore dignity and hope in the world’s poorest communities. Tearfund operates in more than fifty countries around the world, working with a network of local partners, churches and communities, speaking out on behalf of poor people, campaigning for justice and raising the profile of key poverty issues, as well as building the resilience and capacity of local communities to develop and respond to disasters.

Tearfund in Rwanda, in partnership with the African Evangelistic Enterprise (AEE) have successfully secured funding from the European Development Fund, to implement a 5-year (Feb 2020 – Feb 2025) project “Catalyzing Market Prospects for Horticulture Smallholder Farmers and Small and Medium Enterprise in Rwanda”. The project aims to develop horticulture value chains that supply safe, high-quality products to local, regional and international markets, and increase wealth creation for 30,000 smallholder farmers, select traders, processors and exporters in four districts namely; Bugesera, Rwamagana Kayonza and Gasabo. The project targets to improve production and market accessibility across selected fruit and vegetable value chains namely chili, pineapple, gooseberry, onions, garlic, red cabbage, french beans and cauliflower. However the Value chain analysis conducted in year 2 of the project, July 2021, recommended the project to drop 4 value chains (Gooseberry, Garlic, red cabbage and Cauliflower) and focus on other 4: Chili, French beans, Onions and Pineapple). Additionally, starting in the middle of year 4, (May 01st – July 31st/ 2023), with consultations with farmers and other stakeholders, the project started to grow 4 additional value chain crops, namely, tomatoes, cucumber, sweet pepper and african eggplant.

2.  Purpose

The project implementation began in February 2020 and will be completed by June 2025. The overall objective of the endline evaluation is to assess the extent to which the outputs and activities implemented so far have contributed to the achievement of the project objectives. This evaluation will also document any learnings which would be incorporated in the current implementation period and inform future project design. This evaluation will focus on the project cycle (3rd Feb 2020 – 15th June2025) of implementation period and is therefore scheduled to begin in Feb 2025.

The purpose of this end-line evaluation is to assess project milestones against the project impact, outcomes and output indicators highlighted below;

The Overall Objective: Well developed horticultural value chains that supply safe, high-quality products to local, regional and international markets, and increase wealth creation in Rwanda.

• Percentageincrease in value of Rwandan horticultural exports

Specific Objective: Increased productivity of horticultural value chains that generate employment opportunities and increase household income for smallholder farmers.

• Percentageincrease in average household income from horticultural value chains for smallholder farmers, disaggregated by value chain.

Target group(s): 30,000 smallholder horticultural farmers, 16 buyers (8 local traders’ associations,3 processors and 5 exporters) 300 farmer promoters, 100 commercial trade facilitators and TVET institutions.

Outcome 1:  Improved access to local, regional and international markets

• %increase in average annual sales volumes reported by farmers (disaggregated by value chain),
• %increase in annual sales volume of horticulture value chains exported (disaggregated by value chains)

Outcome 2: Improved productivity of smallholder farmers and the horticultural sector.

• %increase in average yield per acreage reported by producers (disaggregated by value chain)
• Percentage increase in average acreage under horticulture production (disaggregated byvalue chain)

Outcome 3: Strengthened networks, partnerships and associations in the horticulture sector in Rwanda.

• %of horticultural value chain actors participating in the established networks and associations (disaggregated by thematic area, e.g. finance, input, markets, processors, etc.)

Output 1.1. Smallholder farmers trained on standard operating procedures, quality control and market information system and linkages developed

• #of smallholder farmers trained on horticulture quality control and market compliance
• %of horticulture value chain actors using the promoted market information system (disaggregated by type of actor)
• #of person trained on Global Good Agriculture Practices (GGAP) certification

Output 2.1. Strengthened crop production services (producer groups, input supply linkages, extension services), facilitate adoption of improved and climate change adapted crop production practices for selected horticultural crops.

• # ofsmallholder farmers benefiting from farmer promoters’ technical support (disaggregated by gender)
• #of producer groups strengthened
• %of farmers who adopt at least 4 of 8 improved climate resilient practices
• #of export farms coded to ensure the quality of produce (disaggregated by value chains)

Output 2.2. Improved post-harvest handling practices, processes and technologies adopted to reduce post-harvest losses and add value to selected horticultural crops.

• %of smallholder farmers adopting improved post-harvest handling practices, processes and/or technologies to reduce post-harvest losses and add value disaggregated by practices
• %decrease in post-harvest losses incurred by smallholder farmers by value chains

Output 2.3 Practical solutions developed to integrate women and youth into horticulture value chains for employment and incomes

• %of women and youth participating in selected horticulture value chain (disaggregated by women and youth)
• #of women and youth with income generating activities as results of practical actions developed by the project

 Output 3.1 Agri-financing solutions, Public-Private-Producer Partnerships and a national horticulture network strengthened to support smallholders and horticulture sector actors.

• %of smallholder farmers participating in agri-financing
• %of producer groups linked to public/private partners and national horticultural network (disaggregated per thematic area)
• #of horticulture value chain actors participated in National, regional and international events (Exhibitions, conference)

3.  Scope of evaluation

The endline evaluation will seek to assess the following issues;

Main objective:

• Achievementof the project against the impact, outcome and output indicators as listed in the logframe and the M&E framework

Specific objectives:

• Planned and non-planned outcomes and impact of the project on the farmers who participatedin the project and the community in proximity of area of implementation, on buyers and exporters, and other stakeholders directly or indirectly affected by the
• Whatworked and what did not work in the implementation strategies
• Qualityand quantity of project activity deliverables achieved,
• Validityof project objectives and assumption made during the project design,
• Stakeholders’cooperation and involvement for sustainability of project interventions,
• Lessonslearnt, best practices and challenges that affected the project’s
• Assessthe sustainability of the project’s interventions and outcomes
• Recommendationsfor future similar initiatives and for sustainability of project’s

In addition to the above, the Endline evaluation shall also assess the project status against the OECD-DAC criteria as follows;

• Relevanceof the project – establishing the extent to which the project is suited to the priorities and policies of the target group, the partners, and the donor.
• Effectivenessof the project delivery – establishing the degree to which the project has been able to achieve the objectives as outlined in the project document and the factors affecting effectiveness in delivery.
• Efficiencyof the project delivery – establishing how available inputs have been utilized with the highest possible effect, – the quality of programme management and the factors affecting efficiency
• Impactof the project, examining what impact the project is having on both direct and indirect beneficiaries.
• Sustainabilityof the project – measuring whether the benefits of the project are likely to continue after the project and the factors likely to affect the project’s sustainability.
• Coordinationand coherence of project implementation, examining how the project is been integrated with the activities and priorities of other agencies and organisations (including local and national government)

4.  Approach and Methodology

The Endline Evaluation will adopt a consultative and participatory approach using both quantitative and qualitative methods of enquiry to facilitate analysis and triangulation of data.

This will include;

• A project briefing meeting with Tearfund Rwanda tokick-start the endline evaluation and an inception report detailing the evaluation methodology, the sampling techniques and schedule of activities
• Desk review of relevant project documents- project proposal, baseline survey report, Value chain analysis reports and progress reports for secondary data analysis
• Primary data collection and analysis – this will include individual interviews/questionnaires, Focus Group Discussions and Key Informant Interviews with target beneficiaries, AEE Field Officers, Farmer Groups (FGs) Representatives, Farmer Promoters, Commercial Village & Trade Facilitators (CVTFs), project staff, government authorities, exporters and other key relevant stakeholders.
• Submission of draft endline evaluation to Tearfund (and partners) for comments and feedback
• Debriefing meeting with Tearfund and Partners to present the findings of the endline evaluation, and discuss emerging issuesand recommendations from the findings
• Submissionof the final report incorporating feedback from all the stakeholders

Reference will be made to the current Project Logframe for consistency and coherence in indicator definition.

5.  Assignment timeline

The endline evaluation will start on 20th January 2025 with the date of submission of final report on

30th April 2025. The specific timeline will be discussed with the consultant.

6.  Stakeholders

The Endline Evaluation will involve Tearfund, AEE project staff members, government ministries and agencies involved in horticulture production and marketing including Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB), National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (RICA), Ministry of Agriculture (MINAGRI), the Ministry of Finance (MINECOFIN) and the Ministry of Commerce (MINICOM). Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) institutions, the Youth Engagement in Agriculture Network (YEAN), Rwanda Youth in Agribusiness Forum (RYAF), University of Rwanda – College of Agriculture, Animal sciences and veterinary Medicine (UR-CAVM) and Horticulture in Reality Corporation (HoReCo), Smallholder farmers (producer/farmer groups), buyers, farmer promoters, produce traders, processors, exporters, District and Sectors officials including agronomists, and other NGOs working in the field of empowerment as relevant to the project.

The report will be shared with the European Union Delegation in Rwanda and disseminated to various project stakeholders. Hence, it should be of high quality and in excellent written English.

7.  Deliverables

These include:

An inception report detailing the desk review, the approach, methodology and workplan to be used to meet the consultancy objectives. The report (maximum 15 pages excluding annexes) shall include among others, sampling technique, sample size and data collection procedure.The report shall be submitted for review and approval by Tearfund within (two weeks) after the signing of the contract before commencement of the work. The detailed inception report should comprehensively demonstrate the technical approach (and data collection tools in the annex: specifically, consent forms, quantitative survey tools and qualitative guides) that will effectively and efficiently address the evaluation questions within the consultancy timeframe.

DraftEndline Evaluation report – including the following sections

• ExecutiveSummary
• Introduction/Background
• Purposeand objectives of the Endline Evaluation
• Methodology- reflecting the link to the ToR and justification for any deviation from the ToR
• Analysisof the findings
• Achievementsof the project against the Log frame milestones, and OECD DAC criteria
• Conclusion
• Recommendationsfor future stakeholders (Specific, actionable and prioritized)
• Lessonslearnt
• Sustainabilityanalysis of the
• Annexes- including ToRs, data collection tools, photos, list of interviewees, list of sample FGs and villages
• FinalEndline Evaluation report incorporating feedback from all stakeholders
• Summaryof the Endline Evaluation report (maximum 5 pages)
• Fullset of data collected (both raw and cleaned).
• Anyfield photographs of the project sites and primary beneficiaries (including selected stakeholder meetings) and audio recordings of the interviews will be collected.

8. Qualification and required experience for the assignment

The consulting firm should have a track record of conducting similar research projects. The consulting firm should have the lead consultant and the co-lead consultant with at least the experience below:

• Lead consultant: Minimum of 6 years of working experience in development projects, specifically for the Agriculture related evaluations and a master’s degree in social development studies, economics, agriculture economics, social studies and other related
• Co-Lead: minimum of five years of experience in monitoringand evaluation, with a master’s degree in a relevant field.

The team in general should have the following experience:

• Strong experience in evaluating development projects and in particular livelihoodsand food security programmes.
• Strongexperience in action research, and conducting
• Strongskills in quantitative and qualitative data collection, data analysis and report writing,
• Knowledgeand skills in SPSS and STATA use and practical application in social research is
• Priorwork experience in Livelihoods or Food security in Rwanda is strongly

9. Applications process

The submitted documents shall include the following document clearly labeled:

• CoverLetter expressing interest and suitability for the
• Technicalproposal indicating the approach, methodology, sampling techniques, workplan
• Financialproposal indicating budget in Rwandan 
• UpdatedCVs with relevant experiences, formal education and 3 referees for the lead consultant and the co-lead consultant.
• Onesample evaluation report for recent similar assignments
• Certificatesof successful completion for recent similar assignments
• ValidTax clearance Certificate provided by RRA and RSSB certificate in case you are applying as a consulting firm.

10.  Application deadline

Applications should be submitted by 17:00 GMT on 03rd January 2025 to the Tearfund Rwanda’s email: rwanda-procurement@tearfund.org with subject “EU Horticulture Project_Endline Evaluation 2025’’

Applications will be assessed based on the technical quality (70%) and the proposed budget / value for money (30%). For technical quality, the following will be considered: Experience and qualifications of bidder/team, strength of proposed methodology, work plan and schedule of activities.

Tearfund reserves the right to negotiate the timeline and budget with the bidder before offering a contract.

Note: Late and incomplete applications will not be considered.