(FOA)-Improving
the Measurement of Market Systems Resilience in Kenya
(USDA-FAS-10960-0700-10-20-0007); March 31, 2020
Agency
US
Department of Agriculture – Foreign Agricultural Service
(FAS)
Description
The
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS),
Global Programs (GP) seeks the provision of technical assistance to improve its
understanding of market system resilience. Specifically, USDA/FAS and
USAID/Kenya and East Africa (KEA) seek to support exploratory research to
develop, field test, refine hypotheses, and draft indicators and tools for
measuring critical factors that enable market systems to adapt and transform in
the face of shocks and stresses. As such, it will support the U.S. Government’s
Feed the Future aim of improving agricultural market system resilience leading
to more secure economic opportunities for vulnerable populations facing shocks
and stresses in northern Kenya.
Field
level data collection should take place in one county in Northern Kenya and one
county in Eastern Kenya, to be selected by USDA based on ongoing U.S. government
programming. USDA will ensure that there are no security concerns with the
county to be selected, and will consider recommendations from the applicant.
Data collection should involve mixed methods (e.g. focus groups, individual
interviews and/or mini surveys) with approximately 70-100 market players and
20-30 experts/key informants. Applicants should plan for approximately 50
percent of the effort to be primary data collection and approximately 50 percent
of the effort to be desk reviews, analysis, and writing. Following the
hypothesis that resilient market systems have capacities that enable the systems
to adapt and transform over time in the face of shocks and stresses, the
outcomes of this research will be to:
·
To
improve USG’s body of knowledge on the effects of shocks and stresses on market
systems (e.g., their magnitude, interactions, frequency, whether their impacts
are permanent or temporary);
·
To
improve USG’s body of knowledge on the effects of shocks and stresses on market
systems (e.g., their magnitude, interactions, frequency, whether their impacts
are permanent or temporary);
·
Further
develop operational definitions of proactive characteristics1 of agricultural,
livestock and dairy market systems in Kenya;
·
Refine/validate
indicators and protocols for measuring proactive characteristics of market
systems;
·
Develop
sub hypotheses based on existing hypotheses to guide future research on market
systems resilience in Kenya, and develop market systems resilience measurement
tools based on the research findings;
·
Identify
innovative but practical ways to apply the tools in program design,
implementation and evaluation.
Announcement
Number
Closing
Date
March
31, 2020
Link
to Full Announcement
https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=323853
Contact
Information
Melissa
Yeakley
202-644-4814