Aga Khan Foundation (AKF)
Agan Khan Foundation
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ABOUT AGA KHAN FOUNDATION (AKF)
The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), established by His Highness the Aga Khan in Switzerland in 1967, is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). In Kenya, since 1974, AKF works with partners to improve the quality of life by promoting and developing innovative solutions to development challenges. AKF responds to local priorities by developing and implementing effective programming, measuring, and documenting results, and sharing its lessons with governments, donors, and development actors to influence policy and practice.
PROGRAMME OVERVIEW
The Aga Khan Foundation is implementing MAENDELEO, a Regenerative Farming Initiative in Kirinyaga County. aimed at improving smallholder farmers livelihoods. The initiative focuses on capacity strengthening of farmers in regenerative farming practices through farmer field schools and on-farm support.
The overall principle is to co-develop with smallholder farmers simple solutions (aka SIIIMs: Small Integrated Innovative & Impactful Modules), that are accessible to farmers easy to adopt regenerative practices. The overall goal is to strengthen climate-resilient livelihoods, sustainable food systems, and improved nutrition among smallholder farming households through regenerative agriculture in target counties in Kenya. The specific objectives of the programme includes:
Objective 1: Increase smallholder farmers productivity, income, and autonomy
Objective 2: Reduce smallholder farmers operating costs and labour
Objective 3: Strengthen smallholder farmers socioeconomic and climate resilience
Objective 4: Improve smallholder farmer household food security and nutrition
Objective 5: Restore farm natural capital (soil, water, air, biodiversity)
PURPOSE OF THE CONSULTANCY
The purpose of this consultancy is to assess and quantify the economic benefits, costs, returns, and livelihood impacts associated with the adoption of regenerative farming practices promoted under the initiative in Kirinyaga County. The study will generate robust evidence on the economic viability and sustainability of regenerative agriculture interventions and provide actionable recommendations for programme improvement, scaling, investment prioritization, influence policy and practice.
Specifically, the Foundation intends to assess whether adoption of regenerative farming practices contributes to improved farm productivity, reduced production costs, increased profitability, improved household incomes, enhanced resilience to climate variability, and broader socio-economic benefits for farming households and communities. To support evidence-based programming and scaling of regenerative agriculture approaches, the Foundation seeks to engage a qualified consultant or consulting firm to undertake a comprehensive Economic Benefits Analysis of the initiative among target farmers in Kirinyaga County.
OBJECTIVES OF THE CONSULTANCY
Overall objective of the consultancy
To conduct a comprehensive economic benefits analysis of the regenerative farming initiative among target farmers in Kirinyaga County. The evaluation will adopt the before and after evaluation design where the adopting farmers will be required to recall the pre-adoption status and compared with non-participating farmers.
Specific objectives of the consultancy.
The consultant shall:
Assess the extent and level of adoption of regenerative farming practices among participating farmers.
Analyze changes in:
Agricultural productivity and yields of the main crops and horticulture produce being grown;
Farm input costs with breakup in fertilizer, pesticide, seed and labor costs
Household agricultural net income;
Farm profitability and gross margins;
Household food security and dietary diversity;
Climate resilience and risk reduction.
Assess farmers’ perceptions of economic gains, risks, barriers, and incentives associated with regenerative farming.
Identify gender, youth, and socio-economic dimensions influencing economic outcomes and adoption patterns.
Generate lessons, recommendations, and strategic insights for scaling regenerative agriculture programming in Kenya.
SCOPE OF WORK
The consultancy shall cover target farmers participating and non-target farmers in the regenerative farming initiative within selected wards/communities in Kirinyaga County.
The consultant will be expected to:
Review programme documents, data, training materials, monitoring reports, and existing assessments;
Design an appropriate analytical framework and methodology;
Undertake quantitative and qualitative data collection;
Conduct household economic analysis;
Analyse production, profitability, labour, and market linkages
Assess environmental-economic linkages where relevant;
Produce high-quality analytical report
KEY EVALUATION QUESTIONS
The analysis should respond to the following indicative questions:
Farm location:
Total farm size and whether owned or rented
Household size / number of people live and depend on the farm.
Five main crops of the farm and current hectarage
Type and number of livestock (cattle, goats, sheep, poultry, bees, fish, etc)
When the farmer started the regenerative transition in their farm (month, year).
Which factors have convinced the farmer to adopt regenerative farming.
What regenerative farming practices the farmer has adopted.
Whether the farmer was using synthetic chemical fertilizers before the MAENDELEO Initiative.
Whether the farmer was using synthetic chemical pesticides before the MAENDELEO Initiative.
Whether farmer is still using synthetic chemical fertilizers.
Whether farmer is still using synthetic chemical pesticides.
Whether the farmer is considering going back to synthetic chemical inputs.
Ranking in order of importance at least any five main benefits experienced from the transition to regenerative farming.
Key challenges faced in adopting regenerative farming.
METHODOLOGY
The consultant is expected to propose a rigorous mixed-methods approach, including but not limited to: Desk review, Household surveys, Key informant interviews, Focus group discussions, cost-benefit analysis, gross margin analysis, enterprise budgeting, comparative analysis, case studies, and farmer success stories.
The methodology should incorporate:
Gender-sensitive and inclusive approaches;
Participatory methods;
Appropriate sampling strategies;
Ethical data collection standards;
Data quality assurance mechanisms.
The consultant should clearly indicate:
Sample size determination
Sampling procedures;
Analytical tools and software;
Limitations and mitigation measures.
EXPECTED DELIVERABLES
The consultant shall provide the following deliverables within the specified timelines:
No Deliverable Description Timeline
1 Inception Report Detailed methodology, work plan, sampling framework, tools, and 1 week
analytical approach
2 Data Collection Tools Survey questionnaires, interview guides, and data collection protocols 2 weeks
3 Draft Report Preliminary findings, analysis, and recommendations 6 weeks
4 Validation Workshop Presentation of findings to stakeholders 7 weeks
5 Final Report with power Revised final report incorporating stakeholder feedback 8 weeks
point presentation
6. Clean Dataset and Raw and cleaned data, codebooks, analytical models Upon completion
Analysis Files
EXPECTED CONTENTS OF THE FINAL REPORT
The structure of the final report should include:
Executive summary
Introduction and background
Design and Methodology
Study objectives
Study sample and sample determination.
Data collection procedures
Data Analysis procedures
Findings
Socio-economic profile of farmers
Adoption of regenerative farming practices
Economic and livelihood analysis
Gender and inclusion analysis
Resilience and sustainability outcomes
Summary of key findings and lessons learned
Conclusions
Recommendations
Annexes
DURATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The assignment is expected to be completed within a period of eight (8) weeks from the date of contract signing.
CONSULTANT QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
The consultant or consulting firm should possess the following qualifications:
Lead Consultant
Advanced degree in Agricultural Economics, Development Economics, Agribusiness, Rural Development, Environmental Economics, or related field;
At least 7 years of demonstrated experience conducting agricultural economic analyses, impact evaluations, or cost-benefit studies;
Strong expertise in regenerative agriculture, climate-smart agriculture, agroecology, or rural livelihoods;
Proven experience in quantitative and qualitative research methodologies;
Experience working with donor-funded agricultural programmes;
Strong analytical, report writing, and presentation skills;
Experience working in Kenya, preferably in smallholder agricultural systems.
Additional desirable attributes
Knowledge of Kirinyaga County agricultural systems;
Gender-responsive research expertise;
Data analysis proficiency using software such as STATA, SPSS, R, or similar;
Excellent stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills.
REPORTING AND MANAGEMENT
The consultant will report to the Programme Director at the Aga Khan Foundation, Kenya.
The Foundation will:
Provide relevant programme documentation;
Facilitate introductions to stakeholders and communities;
Recruitment and management of enumerators;
Support logistical coordination where necessary.
The consultant will be responsible for:
Training of enumerators
Field data collection logistics;
Data quality assurance;
Ethical compliance;
Timely delivery of outputs.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Interested consultants/firms are requested to submit:
Technical proposal including:
Understanding of the assignment by articulating the proposed methodology and approaches that will be adopted.
Qualifications and experience of the composition of team members who will be involved in the assignment and their roles, their CVs and relevant experience.
Company/Consultant Profile – at least three professional references for similar assignments undertaken.
Financial proposal: Detailed budget with daily rates and level of effort (days) for each activity in the form of professional fees and field operational costs, and applicable taxes.
Contact details of the lead consultant (email, telephone and physical address)
EVALUATION CRITERIA
No Criteria Weight
1 Understanding of the TOR and methodology 35%
2 Relevant experience and technical capacity 30%
3 Qualifications of key personnel 20%
4 Financial proposal and value for money 15%
Total 100%
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
All data, reports, tools, and materials produced under this consultancy shall remain the property of the Aga Khan Foundation and may not be shared or reproduced without prior written authorization.
SAFEGUARDING, ETHICS, AND INCLUSION
AKF is committed to advancing gender equality and inclusion through our programming and operations. AKF requires all employees to review and abide by the AKF Gender Equality Policy. AKF recognizes the importance of safeguarding and is committed to ensuring it manages a wide range of risks such that beneficiaries, staff, other associates, and the organization are kept safe from harm. In this regard, the Consultant is expected to:
The consultant shall adhere to:
Research ethics and informed consent procedures;
Confidentiality and data protection requirements;
Child and vulnerable persons safeguarding standards where applicable;
Relevant Kenyan legal and institutional requirements.
To learn more about us, please visithttps://the.akdn
How to apply
Interested consultants are requested to submit an expression of interest in the form of a technical and financial proposal which should include:
Submit your bid via email to: [email protected] by Close of Business on 23rd September 2026 at 5pm EAT with the email subject line ‘Maendeleo Regenerative Farming Economics Benefits’. Bids that will be received after this timeline WILL NOT be considered. Please note that only shortlisted consultants will be contacted on or before 5th October 2026
“The Aga Khan Foundation reserves the right to reject any or all the applications without assigning any reason thereof and shall not be bound to accept the lowest, highest, or any application received.”
Job details
Country
Kenya
Source
Aga Khan Foundation
Type
Consultancy
Career category
Monitoring and Evaluation
Years of experience
3-4 years
Theme
Agriculture
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