The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is looking for Consultant to conduct data collection for an agri-food system survey in North Bangladesh, 2022 in Rajshahi or Rangpur

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is looking for Consultant to conduct data collection for an agri-food system survey in North Bangladesh, 2022 in Rajshahi or Rangpur

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is seeking a qualified survey firm to conduct fieldwork for an agri-food system survey in Bangladesh under the CGIAR Initiative, “Transforming Agri-Food Systems in South Asia” (TAFSSA). The survey aims to do the following :

• Understand the energy-water-food nexus in North Bangladesh
• Characterize the irrigation markets
• Understand the impact of weather and price shocks on irrigation practices
• Compare the shock mitigating capacity of different energy sources of irrigation

The data will be collected at the household and village level using pre-tested questionnaires and survey instruments. The survey will be conducted in January 2023 in the North Bangladesh divisions of Rajshahi or Rangpur. The survey will include interviews with the heads of rural households and key informants at the village/ward level. The survey will sample rural populations and the primary sampling unit (PSU) will be villages. PSUs will be selected from National Census or Electorate data from division, using a Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) sampling strategy. In the first stage of sampling, villages will be selected at random, with a probability proportional to the number of households that reside in the given PSU. In the second stage, an equal number of households will be selected randomly from each PSU. Prior to the main survey, a household listing for each sampled village will be carried out to identify eligible households. A key concern of the sampling strategy will be to ensure adequate variation in energy sources of irrigation within a village. The sample is expected to include 35 villages comprising a total of 600 households from one division (either Rajshahi or Rangpur). The final sampling approach and eligibility criteria of households will be determined in consultation with the selected survey firm and will account for budget and contextual considerations.

JOB RESPONSIBITIES

In coordination with IFPRI, the survey firm will be responsible for the following:

1. Survey preparation

•  Provide experienced enumerators and supervisors as required to carry out household, key informant interviews in locations that are selected by the IFPRI (in collaboration with IWMI) researchers and the survey firm.
•  Participate in survey design and preparation, which will include:
•  Developing safety protocols and procedures for conducting enumerator training and data collection during the pandemic. Identifying and ensuring availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other supplies needed to mitigate risk of exposure to COVID-19 for all staff and study participants. Conducting COVID-19 tests of all study staff before enumerator training begins and once during each month of data collection.
•  Obtaining local IRB, including approval and appropriate clearance/authorization documents to conduct fieldwork during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Providing sampling expertise, including observations and clients’ selection.
• Providing questionnaire translation services. (English to Bangla)
• Pre-testing the survey questionnaires with 2-3% of the total sample.
• Preparing Computer-Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI) forms for data collection.
• Provide all logistics for enumerator training
• Conduct enumerator training
• Conduct household listing for 100-150 households per village

2. Data collection and data entry

•  Conduct household surveys in households selected by IFPRI
•  Conduct key informant interviews
• Document in appropriate detail and keep records of field activities. Field activity records should be developed to update the number of eligible households interviewed.
•  Design computerized data input system with logical checks, and provide data entry, cleaning, and documentation services.
• Periodically share progress of data collection and data entry (electronically).

3. Data cleaning

•  Ensure data completeness and validity.
• Prepare all household and key informant datasets with labels of variables and values in English.
•  Provide responses to queries from IFPRI (in collaboration with IWMI) in relation to data processing or cleaning, as needed.

Consultancy duration

This is a 4-month consultancy, to take place from December 2022 – March 2023

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. Established in 1975, IFPRI currently has more than 500 employees working in over 70 countries, and works with a wide range of partners. It is a research center of CGIAR, the world’s largest agricultural innovation network.