Background

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), under the Area of Work “Market Intelligence” in the CGIAR program Breeding for Tomorrow, generates behavioral, social and economic intelligence to foster increased adoption and turnover of improved varieties. Previously, IFPRI coordinated field experiments for meta-analysis across 5 countries for a wide range of crops, testing alternative strategies to promote new varieties. Specifically, by means of a 2×2 factorial design, the team evaluated effects of trial packs and a consumer-oriented intervention on adoption of varieties promoted through the experiment.

In this context, IFPRI is recruiting a consultant to analyze existing follow-up survey data from Kenya, and coordinate a new experiment, to generate evidence on how to accelerate varietal turnover and increase technology adoption among men and women smallholder farmers in Kenya. The consultant will analyze treatment effects using state-of-the-art econometric methods for factorial designs in impact evaluation. In parallel, the consultant will contribute to a new experiment that evaluates the effects of bundling the seeds of new improved varieties with complementary products and services, such as soil testing, fertilizers, credit or insurance.

The work will be conducted between March and November 2025. The position is remote but may require occasional travel to Kenya. Applicants are requested to submit a CV, a writing sample, financial proposal (number of days and daily rate), and samples of code to demonstrate their data processing (e.g., data cleaning, data merging) and impact evaluation skills.

Scope of work

• Q1 2025: Finalize datasets for analysis: merge in datasets from previous rounds, as well as weather and soil moisture data, and prepare data for sharing with meta-analysis team.
• Q1-Q2 2025: Estimate treatment effects using the Kenya follow-up dataset, following best practices for impact evaluation and particularly the most recent state-of-the-art methods for evaluating impacts from randomized trials with factorial designs.
• Q2 2025: Produce slide decks with findings using LaTex, and present study findings in webinars, seminars and/or conferences.
• Q3 2025: Co-author a discussion paper based on the findings, incorporating any feedback received from presentations, and publish the paper as an IFPRI Discussion Paper.
• Q1-Q2 2025: Together with partners in Kenya, design an experiment to analyze gendered barriers to technology adoption faced by smallholder farmers in rural Kenya, and prepare the study protocols and pre-analysis plan required for IRB approval and trial registry.
• Q3 2025: Coordinate implementation of the experiment, including developing research instruments, training field staff, monitoring data collection, and data cleaning.
• Q4 2025: Data analysis and producing a knowledge product based on the experiment, which will be finalized and published before the end of the year.

Required qualifications of the consultant / survey team leader

• MSc Degree in Agricultural Economics, Development Economics, Applied Economics, Applied Econometrics, or a related field
• Having completed PhD-level courses in applied econometrics, development economics, and agricultural economics
• Demonstrated professional experience applying impact evaluation methods using statistical software packages such as STATA or R.
• Demonstrated experience working with international organizations as development economist
• Demonstrated knowledge of gendered barriers to agricultural technology adoption in Africa south of the Sahara
• Demonstrated project management skills
• Experience in building trust and good relations with interviewees and communities.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Preferred qualifications

• Previous experience working with and merging multiple rounds of survey data
• Demonstrated experience evaluating effects of strategies to accelerate varietal turnover
• Geographical proximity to Kenya

Application Deadline: February 27, 2025