About IFDC   IFDC is a public international organization active in 27 countries in Africa, Asia, and America.

IFDC uniquely approaches the global issues of food security and poverty by bridging the gap between research and impact, combining science-based innovations, holistic market systems development, an enabling policy environment, and strategic partnerships to assist farmers and countries to identify and scale sustainable agricultural solutions, including improved nutrient use efficiency.

These approaches are needed to boost soil health and crop productivity while reducing the environmental impact of fertilizer use.

IFDC translates research into action by using locally driven, environmentally sound, and impact-oriented solutions.

With our partners, we seek to close the yield gap, eradicate global hunger, safeguard the soil on which our lives depend, and generate economic resilience for farming households and the countries in which they live.

     Responsibilities   BRIGHT Project seeks services of a Markets expert to focus on Market Integration and Monitoring & Evaluation, with the aim of ensuring that the BRIGHT project delivers cohesive and measurable outcomes across all components of the project.

The duties of the consultant include:     Review the current market access strategies with a focus on how they align with the Participatory Integrated Plans (PIP) approach and other components such as sustainable land use, climate-smart agriculture, and financial inclusion; Identify barriers that limit smallholder farmers’ ability to participate in market activities (e.g., lack of storage, immediate cash needs, low production capacity, access to financial services, transportation) and recommend inclusive solutions that enable more farmers to engage in markets;   Ensure that market initiatives are rooted in the participatory, farmer-led processes established through the PIP approach including making sure that market interventions are relevant to the needs identified by farmers during PIP sessions; Conduct a reflective analysis of the risks and economic viability for new market interventions to ensure that initiatives are adaptable within the project’s resilience goals; Develop innovative market products and approaches that link to other components of the project such as PIP approach, sustainable land use, and nutrition interventions; Contribute to the monitoring and evaluation(M& E) plan for the project by integrating all project components (market, sustainable land use, finance, nutrition, etc.) into a cohesive M& E system that tracks progress and allows for adaptive management; Contribute to development of clear and inclusive indicators that measure the success of market interventions, particularly regarding smallholder farmer participation, financial inclusion, and resilience-building; Track inclusive impact of the project by ensuring that M& E systems not only track quantitative outputs (e.g., market sales, income increases) but also qualitative aspects (e.g., farmer empowerment, decision-making capacity, inclusion in markets); Ensure alignment of goals with the objectives of the project by tracking outcomes and aligning them with the project’s broader goal of building resilience at the household and community levels.

  Deliverables for the consultant The market expert (consultant) will be expected to deliver the following at the end of the assignment   Market Strategy Report:   Develop a comprehensive report outlining recommendations to strengthen market access for smallholder farmers, including barriers to market participation, inclusive solutions, and proposed interventions; M& E plan contribution; Provide an integrated M& E plan that captures all the streamlined activities/components, with clear indicators and mechanisms for tracking progress, adaptation, and results; Risk and Economic Analysis Report; Prepare a reflective analysis of current and proposed market interventions, assessing risks and economic viability, and providing recommendations for inclusive success; Final Project Integration Plan: Provide a detailed plan on how market interventions and other project components will be aligned, tracked, and reported, ensuring that all activities contribute to the BRIGHT project’s overall goals and objectives.

  Reporting and Work Relationships   The Market Linkages Expert will report to the Project Lead of the BRIGHT Project and collaborate closely with the M& E and Markets team plus other project technical specialists.

  Location   This is a national recruitment with a duty station at the IFDC Fort portal field office in Uganda.

  Benefits   The consultant will be provided with Airtime, Internet access, transport to operate in the field and per diem when traveling around regions as per the IFDC standard policies.

  Consultancy Duration and Fee   A total of USD 10,000 fixed package as the consultant fee for the four months of work with IFDC.

  Diversity Clause   IFDC is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion, and offers equal employment opportunities based on ability, performance, and potential.  Equal opportunity is integral to the recruitment and selection practices at IFDC.

IFDC recognizes the value in recruiting employees with different backgrounds, knowledge, experiences, perspectives, and beliefs.  IFDC recognizes and values the contribution of people with a diverse background in capabilities, experience, and perspectives.

Diversity encompasses gender, age, experience, education, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and cultural backgrounds as well as other dimensions such as lifestyle and family responsibilities.

  About BRIGHT Project   The BRIGHT Project is a farmer-centred initiative focused on integrating smallholder farmers into sustainable value chains, enhancing food security, increasing incomes, and improving resilience to climate change.

At its core, the project uses the Participatory Integrated Planning (PIP) approach to ensure that interventions are demand-driven and directly beneficial to farmers.

However, challenges remain in ensuring that market-related components are fully aligned with other project activities, fully rooted and in smallholder farmer marketing and value chain needs and their monitoring and evaluation are streamlined across all components to enhance impact and adaptability.

  The BRIGHT project operates in a complex farming system that requires interventions in markets, sustainable land use, nutrition, financial inclusion, and resilience-building.

To improve coherence between these components and maximize the project’s effectiveness, we seek an expert to enhance market linkages up to M& E, and ensure that all project initiatives are adaptable, inclusive, and measurable.

Required Skills Required Experience At least 7 years of experience in market systems development, particularly in the context of smallholder farming and rural economies; Experience in Monitoring & Evaluation, with a focus on resilience-building projects; A strong understanding of inclusive market development, power dynamics in rural settings, and participatory approaches such as the PIP approach; Ability to develop and integrate M& E frameworks across multiple thematic areas(component) of a project; Experience working in complex farming systems and managing adaptive projects that require flexible M& E approaches.