Market Research Analysis

1. Project Description:

The project will answer the lack of recent available data by quantitatively assessing the impact of the financial and economic crisis on the agricultural and food markets. The survey will offer an analysis of the challenges and obstacles of these markets and will provide recommendations for emergency and medium-term interventions to participate in the recovery of the Agri-food sector. There is an urgent need to tackle the consequences of the multiple crises that put Lebanon in a situation of emergency on several levels, including food security. However, the lack of recent available data on the impact of the financial and economic crisis within the food system is preventing the identification of development priorities and the design and implementation of effective and adapted programs. Therefore, this project aims to inform future development priorities and areas of interventions/assistance in the agri-food sector through the production of the “Agri-Food Market Survey 2021”.

2. Duties and Responsibilities:

The Market Research Analyst will support FTL in overseeing and supervising the implementation of the Survey according to the proposal. The Analyst will first perform a literature review that will show the available data concerning the most affected agricultural sub-sectors during the 2020/2021 Lebanese crisis. After FTL’s approval of the literature review, a data collection phase will follow, in which the Market Research Analyst will prepare the data collection tool based on the gaps that were identified during the literature review, train the data collectors and supervise the data collection process. The Market Research Analyst will submit a value chain analysis for the 2 prioritized agri-food sub-sectors: it will include the major shocks/barriers/bottlenecks facing key actors in the value chains, as well as the coping mechanisms adopted by various actors, that will comply with FTL’s requirements.

The analysis will also include list of identified opportunities within the sub-sectors with a weighing matrix to prioritize them, and recommendations that will shape future development interventions and assistance. 

The specific responsibilities of the Market Research Analyst will include the following:

a. Value Chain Analysis

i. Market assessment of 2 agri-food sub-sectors, namely plant production and animal production, with an emphasis of 2 value chains under each sub-sector (to be determine by FTL). The Market Research Analyst will start a market survey that will follow the below steps:

• Collect quantitative data from actors present in the 2 sub-sectors to measure changes in supply and demand of the major food value chains. The key actors are input suppliers, post-harvest facilities, wholesale markets & traders, importers & exporters of agriculture products, financial institutions, key producers, food system actors’ associations & NGOs, and consumers.
• Outline the impact on marketing channels (both formal and informal markets) of agriculture and food products.
• Assess changes in volumes and sales of the marketed agriculture and food products (covering the 3 statuses: locally produced, exported, and imported products), changes in products specifications, types and quality of marketed food products, changes in sourcing (local farmers/importing countries), and changes in export destinations/new export market opportunities.
• Assess food losses and wastes along the main value chains caused by disruption of markets, power outages, fuel crisis.
• Assess the impact on post-harvest, transport, and logistics and marketing infrastructure (storage facilities, packaging and cooling houses, packaging companies, and small industries of agricultural and agro-processed food packaging materials, transport, and logistics for domestic market and export, wholesale and retail markets, agricultural cooperatives…).

ii. Analyze major bottlenecks and challenges

• Analyze major shocks/barriers/bottlenecks facing key actors of the agri-food supply chain (for local markets and export) of the selected sub-sectors
• Analyze coping mechanisms adopted by the various actors

iii. Analyze trends, price patterns, market interventions, and consumer behaviors

• Analyze price patterns and price variations of major agri-food products within 2 prioritized sub-sectors
• To the extent of available data, assess financial losses /profits of major actors involved in these 2 sub-sectors
• Assess the consumer behaviors based on cultural habits, preferences, and outline the shift to new behaviors
• Review and assess the effectiveness of market interventions implemented in the agri-food sector in response to these crises
• Analyze trends/ projections on expected future changes in the agri-food supply chain (products supply, demand, prices, consumer preferences, market opportunities)

b. Recommendations

i. Identify opportunities: Based on the market survey and analysis, FTL, with the help of subject matter experts, will identify all opportunities within each selected sub-sector.

ii. Develop a selection criteria list and score opportunities: Develop a selection criteria list that will be used to score each opportunity of each selected sub-sectors to prioritize based for example on the quick market impact, ease of intervention, ease of production, and others.

iii. Develop weighting matrix: When scoring is done, a bubble chart will be created using the agriculture on an axis, the consumers, and the total score of both.

iv. Develop the impact assessment report that will summarize all the steps of the projects, how we reached the selected opportunities, and develop a list of recommendations on how to move forward

3. Deliverables:

The Market Research Analyst will be responsible to submit during the project the following deliverables (as agreed on the assigned schedule):

• Literature review.
• Analysis report based on the literature review as well as on the quantitative survey, which will include:

• Methodology
• Value Chain Analysis, including Bottlenecks and Challenges
• Recommendations on Future Development Priorities, including Areas of Interventions / Assistance, including List of Identified Value Chain Opportunities and a weighing Matrix of the Selected Opportunities

• Weekly meetings with FTL team to discuss project updates and activities