Background

Decisions on how to invest scarce resources in CGIAR-NARES genetic innovation systems have been predominantly supply-driven and therefore potentially out-of-sync with the demands of smallholders, consumers, and agro-industry stakeholders. The turnover of improved crop varieties developed by CGIAR and its NARES partners (National Agricultural Research and Extension Services) has been slow. Whilst there is a clear need for demand- and data-driven processes to guide genetic innovation systems, efforts to advance this remain incomplete and fragmented within CGIAR. Current product profile design is strongly biased towards agronomic and stress-tolerance traits, with little systematic identification and integration of traits that may contribute to social impact more broadly defined.

The CGIAR research initiative on Market Intelligence therefore aims to maximize CGIAR and partners’ returns on investment in breeding, seed systems and other initiatives based on reliable and timely market intelligence that enables stronger demand orientation and strengthens co-ownership and co-implementation by CGIAR and partners. This includes (i) collecting data to map global and regional challenges across CGIAR’s five impact areas, translating them into regional market segments and priorities for genetic innovation; (ii) designing new-generation, gender-intentional target product profiles for each market segment using market intelligence; (iii) generating behavioral intelligence on what drives farmers, consumers and private-sector decisions to adopt new varieties and identifying cost-effective inclusive strategies for accelerating varietal uptake; (iv) developing pipeline investment cases by estimating the potential impact and return on investment across CGIAR’s five impact areas of the portfolio of breeding pipelines serving the market segments and developing recommendations for the portfolio optimization and prioritization; and (v) developing tools for institutional scaling and monitoring, evaluation, learning and impact assessment (MELIA).

To better understand the potential impacts of this approach for impactful breeding, IFPRI is planning to conduct a study aiming to better understand whether varieties whose development was informed by the MI innovations of the types listed above have greater impacts on farmers and consumers in the 5 CGIAR impact areas. Experiments have been implemented in Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda by MI’s Work Package 3 (Behavioral Intelligence), which induce random variation in whether farmers were encouraged to adopt a range of different varieties. These varieties likely vary in the degree to which their development was informed by MI innovations. The goal of the study at hand is to analyze whether promoting new varieties has stronger impacts on varietal turnover and indicators in the five CGIAR impact areas when (a) a variety was developed using relatively more market intelligence, and (b) a variety’s product descriptors are closer to the current target product profile for that market segment. IFPRI is hiring a consultant to coordinate the scoring of these varieties in terms of the extent to which market intelligence was used in their development.

In applying to this consultancy, please include a proposed work plan along with a financial proposal specifying an estimated number of days for the consultancy, and a daily rate.

Scope of work

1. Develop and implement a scoring system that quantifies the extent to which promoted varieties in WP3 have been developed using market intelligence. This scoring will be based on the processes used in the breeding pipeline at the time a variety was being developed, which will be uncovered through interviews with relevant / knowledgeable scientists in those breeding pipelines.
2. Develop and implement a scoring system that assesses how close the traits of a variety are to those of the Target Product Profile (TPP) for the corresponding market segment developed under MI Work Package 2. Notably, the TPPs are a key piece of market intelligence being generated by the initiative, and hence should be a suitable benchmark for assessing the market intelligence of a variety.

The varieties to be included are listed below, with an indication as to whether they were tested in the regional breeding field trials:

1. Maize (tested): Ukamez, ADV2308, KH500-43A, Sawa, Tembo 73, Duma 419, Mituke, Sungura, Tosheka 401, SAMMAZ 51, SAMMAZ 52, Bazooka
2. Sorghum (not tested): Seredo, ADV 7431
3. Beans (tested): Angaza, Faida, Nyota
4. Cowpeas (not tested): M66; (tested): SAMPEA 19, FUAMPEA 3
5. Teff (not tested): Eba, Bora, Boset, Quincho
6. Wheat (not tested): Deka
7. Green gram (not tested): Virat (IPM 205-7)
8. Groundnut (not tested): Dharani (TCGS-1043), Kadiri-Lepakshi 1812
9. Sweet Potato (tested): Narospot 1, Ejumula, Joweria (not tested), New Dimbuka (not tested)

Required qualifications

• PhD in plant breeding, agriculture, horticulture or a related field.
• Strong knowledge of how market intelligence and target product profiling will have been used in crop breeding prior to the introduction of the Market Intelligence initiative
• More than 7 years’ experience in supporting CGIAR breeding programs strategically and programmatically.
• Demonstrated ability to engage with multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary breeding teams in both CGIAR and National Agricultural Research Centers (NARES).
• Fluency in oral and written English, and at least intermediate level in both French and Spanish.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Value for money, as determined by the technical and financial proposal (work plan specifying how candidate would approach the activity, estimated days and daily rate).

Preferred qualifications

• Strong track record in project management and coordination, as demonstrated by the candidate’s CV.
• Demonstrated ability to co-author and publish papers, as demonstrated by a strong track record of peer-reviewed journal publications.

Application deadline: June 4, 2024