Background
AGRA is a not-for-profit organization working with African governments, other donors, NGOs, the private sector, and farmers to improve the productivity and incomes of resource-poor smallholder farmers in Africa. AGRA aims to catalyze an inclusive agricultural transformation in Africa by increasing incomes and improving food security for millions of smallholder farmers. For more information about AGRA, please visit www.agra.org.
Improving policy response to shocks that affect food and nutrition security requires that governments and all partners can make informed decisions based on reliable and timely evidence on early warning and monitoring indicators. The current landscape of agricultural Market Information System (MIS) in Africa includes uncoordinated initiatives by private, public, and development partners across the AGRA focus countries. These different MIS have some common characteristics, in that, they are typically lagged over long timeframes and geographic coverage often falling short of what is required to perform a suitable analysis for strategic decision-making. This is often the challenge faced by the AGRA Food Security Monitor (FSM). The current sources of data for the FSM include primarily from FAO, WFP, FEWSNET, Relief web, and some few secondary literature sources, etc. Unfortunately, these sources have the same limitations enumerated above.
As AGRA pursues its 2030 strategy to contribute to an inclusive agricultural transformation through a food system approach, AGRA seeks to strengthen its data collection and analytics function to enhance evidence-based decision making. In this regard, AGRA seeks to pilot the collection of staple food and fertilizer price data through its Village-Based Agent (VBAs) and Agro-dealer networks to strengthen its monthly Food Security Monitor.
In line with this, AGRA is seeking to complement its existing data sources and address some of the identified challenges through a project designed to enhance the AGRA MIAS. As part of this effort AGRA seeks to recruit Part-Time Burkina Faso-Country MIS Analysts, who, among other things, will be responsible for building relationships with VBAs/Agrodelaers for the collection of staple food and fertilizer prices as well collating policy and measures impacting price, production and trade of agri-food products and transmission to AGRA HQ in Nairobi.
Objectives
The objective of this assignment is for the incumbent to assist AGRA in coordinating its MIS initiative at country level through building relationships with VBAs and agro-dealers to assist in collecting market information data on different commodities and markets in Burkina Faso and validating the data before transmitting it to AGRA’s database.
Scope of Work
The Analysts will be responsible for:
i. Establishing and managing a strong and collaborative relationship with AGRA’s network of Village Based Agents (VBAs), Agro-Dealers, off-takers or market players with the aim of them assisting in collecting and transmitting the data of staple food and fertilizer prices on a weekly basis.
ii. Validating the data which is transmitted by VBAs, Agro-Dealers, off-takers or market players ensure its accuracy before submitting to AGRA HQ. In the event of any data being misleading or inaccurate, ground truth and update it before transmission to AGRA HQ.
iii. Monitoring the agri-food landscape in the country to collect any policy, regulation, or measures as well seasonal factors, weather and market shocks that impact on the prices, production, and trade of agrifood products. This will include providing analytical support in consolidating and translating policy decisions and produce a short monthly report of these emerging policy, regulation, or measures.
iv. Support knowledge management and thought leadership in AGRA through the identification of methodologies and systematization of approaches to consolidation and translation and provide support for production and dissemination via appropriate channels. iv. Support development, structuring, and occasional implementation of strategic partnerships in collaboration with the resource mobilization, technical, and incountry teams.
Qualifications and Experience
The ideal consultant should possess the following qualifications and experience:
I) A bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Economics or related field.
ii) A proven past records of working with data, digital data capturing tools and ability to engage stakeholders.
iii) Ability to use MS excel to perform basic analytics. Familiarity with qualitative and quantitative techniques of data analysis, familiar with data entry software packages (ODK, Survey CTO, Epi Info, etc) desired.
iv) Have demonstrable ability to write concise technical reports.
v) Excellent English writing and communication skills are required; French proficiency will be an added advantage
vi) Demonstrated understanding and familiarity with Africa’s policy and political economy landscape including policy issues related to food security, agricultural, rural development, poverty, and economic growth, etc.
