Call for Expression of Interest in Conducting Research Under the Concern Worldwide Multi-Country Research Programme on Food Systems for Food Security

With funding from Irish Aid, Concern Worldwide is embarking on a multi-year research project to examine the barriers to economic improvement and livelihood strengthening within food systems in Burundi, Liberia, and Niger.

The objectives of this research will be to:

• Understand what is preventing SMEs from providing smallholder farmers and micro business owners living in extreme poverty with the goods, services, and market opportunities they need to strengthen their livelihood strategies and improve the return on their assets within the food system.
• Understand the terms on which integration into food systems supply chains can empower those living in extreme poverty and strengthen livelihood strategies and security, particularly for women. Understand how adverse incorporation into food supply chains, which can perpetuate the cycle of poverty and undermine livelihood security, can be avoided.
• Identify potential solutions to the barriers that prevent SMEs from engaging with micro businesses. These potential solutions should build on the learnings from the research into the barriers to engagement and the terms in which market inclusion can empower those living in poverty by ensuring a gender equity lens and consideration of ethical terms of trade.
• Develop a set of evidence-based programme recommendations to drive economic improvements for food systems actors living in extreme poverty, particularly women, that can be piloted by the country programmes.
• Assess whether the pilot of the proposed solutions increases access to goods and services for micro businesses, empowers or disempowers women within food systems supply chains, and contributes to a reduction in multidimensional poverty, and identify any unintended consequences.

The expected project timeline is from December 2024 to December 2027.

Further details on the research questions and approach can be found in the tender document at Supply chains jobs-near-me.org Concern Worldwide

Concern invites potential research partners to submit an expression of interest in leading this research programme over a period of three years. Integral to a successful bid will be the inclusion of national research partners in Burundi, Liberia, and Niger and the elaboration of a research approach based on co-creation and joint analysis between the research partners at all stages of the work.

Required Experience/Qualifications of the Research Team

• Demonstrated expertise/published peer reviewed research in the field of food systems, SMEs and market inclusion, and its relevance to poverty reduction and the strengthening of livelihood strategies and security
• Expertise in food system SMEs and micro businesses and their working relationships would be desirable
• Prior record of seeing research projects through to completion as Principal Investigator and in subcontracting and working effectively with national research partners
• Prior experience of working in partnership and co-creating research with research institutions, ideally in Burundi, Liberia and Niger or in similar contexts.
• Experience using in-depth qualitative methods and participatory approaches, particularly in complex and fragile contexts
• Experience analysing policy contexts, the stakeholders involved, and contributing alternative policy proposals/recommendations
• Demonstrable experience of disseminating research to different audiences and influencing policy and practice
• Experience of managing teams and research partnerships in complex contexts
• Affiliation with recognised academic/research institute
• Ability within the research team to work through French; each team member’s level, if any, of French should be detailed within the proposal

Applicants should submit a proposed budget not exceeding €550,000, inclusive of any applicable overheads, VAT, travel, and dissemination costs, and should note that this will be a competitive process.