External Evaluator

Terms of Reference External Evaluator   The evaluator will be responsible to conduct an external evaluation of the project ‘Improved livelihoods for small-scale farmers in Akkar, North Lebanon’, funded by the European Union and implemented by Mada Association. The action aims at improving the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in Upper Akkar, by addressing the problems of poor access to information, unsustainable and inefficient agricultural practices, and inefficient marketing channels. The project has three main components with different sets of activities: 1) Capacity Building on cost-efficient and sustainable agricultural practices, 2) Development of sustainable water management systems and practices, and 3) Capacity building to link farmers to markets and market stakeholders. The project targets the villages of Akkar Atika, Fneideq, and Meshmesh, where the resident populations are of 17,000, 24,000, and 16,300 people respectively, and where one of the major economic activities is agriculture, mainly apple production in addition to vegetable production. Capacity building sessions are also open to the farmers from smaller surrounding villages, who suffer from similar problems, including general economic regression, lack of water sources, mismanagement of the agricultural sector, pollution, and the continuous increase in the number of Syrian refugees. The overall objective of the action is to improve the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in Akkar through more efficient and sustainable agricultural practices.  The specific objective is to increase the capacities of farmers to apply sustainable agricultural practices for higher productivity and to explore better marketing opportunities. MAIN WORK INTERFACES Internal interfaces -    Project Director -    Project Coordinator -    Technical advisors -    Field Coordinator -    Administrators   External interfaces -    Farmers -    Municipalities’ representatives -    Local stakeholders   PURPOSE OF Evaluation   Two external evaluations were foreseen to be carried out in the course of the project: one interim evaluation in the middle of the project and one final evaluation by the end of the project. The responsibility of the evaluator is to conduct the interim evaluation as a first phase. The main purpose of the interim evaluation is to help the project team identify adaptations and adjustments to be made if needed. The following outputs are expected: -          To assess the methodologies adopted and propose changes to the project approaches and methodologies to better fullfill the objectives. -          To review the indicators and monitoring plan following the logical framework of the project.   The final evaluation will assess the relevance, performance and management of the project. The final evaluation includes: -          Assessment of the impact of the project activities on the beneficiaries and their communities. -          Suggestions for improvement of the project’s sustainability. -          The Evaluation also identifies/documents lessons learned and makes recommendations that project team and stakeholders might use to improve the design and implementation of other related projects and programs. Deliverables   A document presenting the interim and final evaluation methodology will be submitted by the evaluator(s) to be reviewed by the Project team for selection. For both evaluations, the External Evaluator will be expected to submit the following reports: -          Draft reports will be submitted to the Project team for review and comments to be discussed during a meeting with the evaluator. -          A final version of the reports will be submitted at the end of the evaluation, including all assessments and recommendations, based particularly on the lessons learnt. -          At the end of the final evaluation, the evaluator is expected to conduct with the project team a restitution session with local stakeholders to share the feedback and recommendations. Language: The reports will be submitted in English. Deadlines of submission (Interim Report): Reports Date of submission Draft Interim Report 21st of February 2016 Final Interim Report 1st week of March 2016   Profile   The evaluation will be carried out by one External Evaluator meeting the following requirements: -          5 years’ experience in evaluation of development project -          Knowledge and experience in agriculture, livelihood and poverty alleviation programs in Lebanon -          Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic; French is an asset. -          Ability to commute to remote areas within Lebanon.   TIMEFRAME   The Interim Evaluation should take place in the month of February 2016 whereas the final evaluation should take place in February 2017. PAYMENT CONDITIONS The maximum budget proposed for the whole evaluation is of 8,970 Euros (eight thousand nine hundred and seventy Euros).   SELECTION CRITERIA   Criteria The selection will be based on the following criteria: -          Proposed methodology -          Proposed budget -          Experience in evaluation of similar projects -          Timeframe of the evaluation   REQUIRED DOCUMENTS   Documents to be sent to apply for the consultancy before January 23th, 2016 at the following address: mada@mada.org.lb   -          Curriculum Vitea -          Methodology of work including workplan (tasks and timeline) and detailed budget (interim and final evaluation) Only short listed candidates will be contacted.