1.     Project background and context

The beekeeping subsector contributes to income diversification strategy, employment, poverty alleviation, and the national economy by exporting honey and beeswax and enhancing the production of pollinated dependent exportable crops, such as coffee. Ethiopia has diverse agro-ecological conditions and biodiversity resources suitable for beekeeping agriculture, making it the leading honey and beeswax producer in Africa. Despite this, the sector is characterized by low honey and hive products production. The country produces 150,257 tons of honey (CSA, 2020), 30% of its potential (500,000 tons). The low adoption of yield-enhancing technologies, pesticide application, deforestation, quality challenges, lack of standards, limited value addition, inadequate business skills and production knowledge gap, limited support services, and limited promotion and market access are among the constraints affecting the performance of the sub-sector and its contribution to livelihoods and economic growth.  

To support farmers and government efforts to mitigate these and other challenges, the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), in partnership with the World Trade Organization (WTO)-Enhanced Integrated Framework Trust Fund (EIF-TF)- designed and implemented the Scaling up Quality Honey Production and Fair-Trade project in Ethiopia. The project is implemented in 8 woredas of the Amhara Region in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. The project has a budget of US$ 2.6 million and started in January 2018 and is expected to end in December 2022.  

The Scaling up Quality Honey Production and Fair Trade in Ethiopia (2018-2020) project is a response to the challenges of inadequate trade advisory services, underdeveloped honey value chains, inadequate business skills and knowledge, limited access to affordable trade financing and poor promotion and marketing for non-commodity value chains in Ethiopia. The Project is implemented in 8 woredas in three Zone of Amhara Region: East Gojjam (Sede, Machakel and Dejen), West Gojjam (Sekela, North Mecha) and Awi Zone (Guangua, Ankesha and Dangila). The project also provided technical support and oversight for youth enterprises established by the YESH project in four other woredas (Awabel, Hulet Eju Enesie, Dembecha and Burie). The direct project beneficiaries are about 3,000 youths (30% young women). 

The project aims to contribute to income, employment creation, and export diversification leading to long-term sustainable growth in the wealth of small-scale beekeepers through value additions, integrating the sector with forest conservation and crop production, infrastructure support, and capacity development of actors along the value chain.

1.1.  Objectives of the Project

The project aims to improve the honey sector and contribute to income and employment creation, export diversification leading to long-term sustainable growth in the wealth of small-scale beekeepers and forest conservation in the project area. It has the following five specific objectives:

1.     Establish standards for various types of Ethiopian honey and hive-based products through infrastructure support, marketplace development, standardization of honey, branding, and organic certification.

2.     Increase bee floral resources through participatory tree plantation to improve bee biodiversity and enrich the ecosystem.

3.     Enhance trade promotion and marketing for selected value chains through organic certification and fair trade

4.     Promote pollination services and strengthen the integration of apiculture with crop production and animal husbandry in smallholder farms.

5.     Monitor and evaluate the project activities, report writing, and socio-economic livelihood mappings to show the impact of the technology adoption.

2.     Purpose of the evaluation

The final evaluation aims (i) to assess the quality of design and implementation arrangements; (iii) to assess progress and gaps in achieving planned outputs and outcomes and risks affecting the implementation of the project; and (iii) to identify lessons and opportunities from project implementation and draw recommendations to sustain project results after the project has been completed. The evidence generated by the evaluation could also help mobilize resources for the second phase of the project or similar project formulation.

3.     Scope and objective of the Evaluation

The evaluation will assess the results achieved during the project implementation periods. It will cover all eight project intervention districts. The evaluation aims to generate robust information the audience could use to make decisions, act or add to their knowledge that boosts the project's sustainability. It has the following specific objectives:

1.     To assess the project’s contributions to establishing standards for various Ethiopian honey and hive-based products through infrastructure support, marketplace development, standardization of honey, branding, and organic certification.

2.     To evaluate the project’s contributions to increasing bee floral resources through participatory tree plantation to improve bee biodiversity and enrich the ecosystem.

3.     To examine the contribution of the project in building capacities of regional and national stakeholders in honey and hives products marketing and the entire honey value chain.

4.     To assess the role of the project in promoting pollination services and strengthening the integration of apiculture with crop production and animal husbandry in smallholder farms in the intervention areas.

5.     To identify and document challenges and lessons learned and provide recommendations to enhance the performance of the sub-sector by addressing constraints along the value chain.    

To achieve these objectives, the evaluation will address key evaluation questions organized around six evaluation criteria outlined in section 5 below. The evaluators are welcome to adjust and fine-tune the EQs.

Please find link to the detailed TOR -

 https://www.ethiojobs.net/docs/ToR_For_Final_Evaluation_Of_EIF_Project_Final.pdf

·       At least a master’s degree in social sciences including in M&E, agribusiness, economics, and agricultural economics, development evaluation, etc.

·       At least 10 years of proven experience in development project evaluations in developing countries; preferably a good understanding of the Ethiopian context in general and the apiculture sector in particular

·       Knowledge of evaluation of capacity development activities  

·       Knowledge and skills in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and data analysis

·       Be skilled in undertaking evaluations particularly in trade related programs and projects;

·       Good knowledge of trade, market, and value chain concepts, particularly aid for trade, and development issues;

·       Good writing skills in English

·       Adherence to good evaluation practices and ethical principles.

·       Consultants shall present two previous evaluation reports related to rural development projects, preferable about the beekeeping sub-sector