TERMS OF REFERENCE

Co-conduct Implementation Research on Two Agricultural Programmes in the Terai of Nepal

We are inviting applications from agricultural departments actively engaged with farmers and agricultural households in the Eastern Gangetic Plains or the Terai region of Nepal.

Background

Policies are key to holistic sectoral development in any economy. There is an understood gap between the design and implementation of policies in the Global South, including agricultural policies and programmes. This gap not only leads to poor returns on funds spent but also highlights intra-sectoral dissonance that fails to create lasting positive change in society.

This study is part of a larger multi-country comparative analysis of the implementation of farm and non-farm agricultural initiatives in the Eastern Gangetic Plains (EGP). For the analysis, two agricultural diversification programmes each in Bangladesh, India and Nepal are examined through primary qualitative data. The aim is to understand how the selected programmes are supposed to work and to identify the exact nodes of leakage in their Theory of Change (TOC).

The study is situated in the EGP of Nepal, where the ACIAR-funded RUPANTAR project remains active, specifically the Terai. Its findings might help provide tailored policy suggestions to government stakeholders on two active and key agricultural programmes in Bangladesh. The findings also add to the wider understanding of how to tailor agricultural policy delivery within heterogeneous contexts and institutional irregularities.

I. Objective

This survey will include two or three villages where the selected agricultural programmes have already been implemented. Ideally, the villages will be located where the ACIAR (Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research) funded project, RUPANTAR, remains active, to align the study and its suggestions with the overall work conducted under the project.

The survey instrument will collect data on the actual implementation of the programmes and the underlying assumptions that build the associated Theory of Change (TOC) for each. We plan to collect data from all stakeholders involved on two key nodes of programme implementation: inputs and activities. These include policymakers, local bureaucrats, regional implementation bodies, field extension agents and beneficiary farmers. Qualitative data will be collected through in-person interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs).

The aim of this sub-study is to identify the factors limiting effective implementation of two agricultural diversification programmes in the Terai of Nepal.

II. Scope of Work

The collaborator will actively co-engage with IFPRI in identifying and interviewing the villages and stakeholders to be surveyed for the study. This includes translating survey instruments, conducting short in-person stakeholder surveys (less than 30 minutes) and FGDs using CAPI, cleaning the translated data and sharing the data with IFPRI within 14 days of the start of the survey. Villages will be selected by IFPRI and the collaborator collectively.

The scope of collaboration is expected to be approximately for a duration of 45 days. Ideally, data will be collected by the end of November 2026, and all deliverables will be submitted to IFPRI by 15^th December 2026.

III. Institutional Qualifications

The institution engaged for this assignment should demonstrate the following:

• Established expertise in agricultural research and analysis, agricultural economics, and regional policy integration.
• Proven track record of conducting policy research and analysis relevant to developing regions including India, with particular focus on the Eastern Gangetic Plains.
• Experience in organizing farmer interactions, agricultural data collection, and capacity strengthening workshops involving farmers, rural communities and government stakeholders.
• Existing institutional relationships with RUPANTAR is ideal, and experience collaborating with CGIAR centers or similar international research organizations is preferred.
• Strong networks with government policymakers, research institutions, and stakeholder communities in India and the broader region.
• The institution must be based in Nepal and legally registered with the relevant government authorities.

IV. Deliverables

1) Translated word questionnaire considering adjustments to the context of Terai of Nepal

2) Translated CAPI program

3) Logistics manual

4) Pretest report

5) Data collection completed with ~35 stakeholder interviews/ FGDs

6) Data cleaning completed and all data cleaning revisions completed

7) Certified financial report

V. Quality Control

• The collaborator will share backcheck results alongside data delivery, flagging any discrepancy for review before final sign-off.
• Final payment is contingent on IFPRI's review and acceptance of the delivered data and backcheck report.
• Relevant experience: A track record of conducting large-sample farmer surveys.
• Enumeration capacity: Trained researchers/ social scientists with fluency in Bengali and experience in collecting primary data.
• CAPI experience: Demonstrated prior use of CAPI-based data collection and the ability to share data with IFPRI concurrently as collection proceeds, rather than only at the end of the survey.
• Local familiarity: Given the compressed timeline, a collaborator with survey experience in the EGP of Nepal, ideally, the Sunsari district in the Terai region is preferred.

Interested firms are invited to apply for this advertisement, submitting complete company details as per the eligibility criteria, along with a detailed budget proposal and the CV of the lead consultant.