Section 1 – General Information 

Section 2 – Scope of Procurement

2.1. Introduction to offerors:

CNFA is an international agricultural development organization that specializes in the design and implementation of sustainable, enterprise-based agricultural initiatives. CNFA implements the Feed the Future Rwanda Hinga Wunguke Activity in Rwanda (Hinga Wunguke), a USAID-funded $28M program implemented over 5 years (January 2023-January 2028) to increase incomes and improve nutritional outcomes by sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and strengthening domestic consumption of and markets for safe, nutritious food products (raw and processed).

The activity applies a market systems development (MSD) approach to strengthen private-sector engagement through co-investments and partnerships to improve agricultural productivity, markets, farmer incomes, and nutrition. Hinga Wunguke has four complementary Intermediate Results (IRs) referred to as activity components: 1) Sustainably Increase Agricultural Productivity; 2) Access to Finance for Farmers and Agribusinesses Increased, 3) Improve Producers’ Market and Nutrition Outcomes, and 4) Strengthen the Enabling Environment to Foster Market Driven Agriculture. 

2.2. Scope of Work:

Hinga Wunguke will engage an Agri-Digital Market Specialist to conducting a Digital Market Accessibility assessment of existing agri-digital market information platforms. The objective is also to conduct a market actors’ journey mapping (market actors digital footprint) to gain a deeper understanding of SME and farmer needs as well as their user experience for digitalization, identifying pain-points and bottlenecks of ICT solutions, and proposing solutions that lead to wider access to market and other information for agricultural stakeholders. In addition, for each identified IT application, there is a need to show what would potentially be required to bring all existing IT applications, or at least their functions and objectives, consolidated into a larger and more coherent system to for allow for better analysis.

It should be noted that those ICT solutions would involve the private sector, MINAGRI, RAB, NAEB, or other public institutions and potentially lead to an activity related to the consolidation of agriculture-related systems into a larger and more comprehensive one. Therefore, this assessment needs to uncover the following main points: 1) Limitations for Farmers and Buyers, ii) Journey Mapping of Market Actors, and iii) Proposing a Sustainable Business Model to Enhance Sustainable Market Information Access.

2.2.1. Background and Rationale:

Agriculture is a critical sector that plays a pivotal role in the economy of Rwanda, contributing significantly to food security and livelihoods. Traditional agricultural markets often suffer from inefficiencies, including information asymmetry, lack of transparency, and limited access to markets for smallholder farmers. In addition to this, the sector involves a diverse set of stakeholders, including farmers, agribusinesses, government agencies, financial institutions, and technology providers. Mapping these actors and understanding their roles and interactions, especially in the digital context, are crucial for designing effective digital solutions that cater to their specific needs.

The recently-conducted Hinga Wunguke market system assessments found that access to markets and market information is challenging for producers (farmers and firms). This limits their ability to negotiate better prices, affecting their selling and buying capacity. Insufficient market information leads to mistrust among actors, therefore causing a lack of mutual benefits between buyers and rural producers (farmers and firms). The findings from the Rwandan national agricultural survey confirm this; it indicates that only 4.2% of farmers have access to regular market information or contract farming.

Digital platforms have the potential to address the above constraints, but their effectiveness needs to be assessed to ensure they meet the diverse requirements of all stakeholders. Over the past few years, there has been a notable shift towards digitization in the agriculture sector, with the emergence of various digital market platforms. Despite these advancements, the challenges of accessing market information have not been resolved particularly for rural farmers. Therefore, there is a need for a comprehensive understanding of the current digital market information landscape to identify gaps, challenges, and opportunities within the digital agricultural market.

In this context, the assessment will provide a holistic understanding of existing digital agricultural market platforms, identify key players and their business models and provide actionable recommendations for more efficient, transparent, reliable, and sustainable digital market information platforms that serve actors with relevant agricultural market information. 

2.2.2. General objective of the assessment:

The overarching goal of the "Digital Market Accessibility Assessment" is to conduct a thorough examination of the digital landscape within the agricultural market in Rwanda. This entails an in-depth journey mapping of the digital footprint, emphasizing the assessment of current digital market platforms and the overall digital experience of actors in the agricultural value chains. The primary aim is to identify and understand limitations that hinder farmers' and buyers' access to crucial market information. The assessment further seeks to propose sustainable and innovative business models that foster enhanced information access, with a specific focus on addressing the unique challenges faced by rural farmers. Through this comprehensive approach, the consultancy aims to contribute to the development of a more inclusive and efficient digital market ecosystem in Rwanda's agricultural sector. 

2.2.3. Specific objectives of the assessment:

1. Identify and understand the digital experience of market actors in the agricultural market, including farmers, cooperatives, agro-dealers, processors, aggregators, suppliers, distributors, and consumers.
2. Assess the level of technology adoption within the agriculture sector in Rwanda.
3. Identify key touchpoints and map the journey of market actors and digital channels that are crucial in the agricultural Market value chain.
4. Develop insights into how market actors in the agriculture market interact with digital platforms which lead to the formulation of effective communication strategies and engagement campaigns to reach and connect actors in the agricultural market value chain.
5. Understand which digital tools, platforms, or applications are commonly used (if at all) and explore opportunities for introducing new technologies that could benefit stakeholders.
6. Identify opportunities for optimizing the supply chain through digital solutions. This could involve streamlining logistics or enhancing communication between different actors in the agricultural ecosystem.
7. Explore the potential for expanding market access through digital channels, including e-commerce platforms, while assessing the feasibility and benefits of creating and/or scaling up online marketplaces for agricultural products.
8. Analyze the digital landscape to identify any gaps or challenges related to existing policies and regulations, while providing insights to Hinga Wunguke and policymakers for refining or developing regulations that address the digital aspects of the agriculture market.
9. Create and implement working data collection models that ensure consistent data availability and reliability, through recommending an effective data collection model that will maintain a robust foundation of accurate and timely information, supporting informed decision-making across the agriculture market value chain.
10. Conduct a thorough assessment of existing agricultural digital market platforms, enabling the development of actionable insights and recommendations for improvement, while analyzing existing digital market platform business model and the cost of accessing information. This will be done by assessing the functionality, content relevance, features, and usability of existing agricultural digital market platforms.
11. Analyze farmers perception toward access and use digital market information, willingness to pay, and their preferred convenient market accessibility modalities.
12. Propose a sustainability model that promotes access to digital market information, ensuring the long-term viability of digital platforms for all actors in the agriculture market value chain. This is critical for fostering continued access to digital market information, thereby supporting the economic growth and resilience of the agricultural sector in Rwanda. 

2.2.4. Assignment Tasks: 

            2.2.4.1. Map the Agri-digital Market Actors and their geo-locations:

1. Identify, categorize, and analyze key actors within the agricultural value chain.
2. Map the geolocation of digital actors to understand spatial distribution and assess accessibility to digital services.
3. Identify key touchpoints and map the journey of market actors through digital channels crucial in the agricultural value chain.
4. Analyze the roles, interactions, and dependencies of identified market actors.
5. Create a detailed map of touchpoints used by actors to interact with agricultural services through various digital tools, including mobile apps, websites, call centers, and other channels.
6. Develop a visual narrative illustrating the end-to-end digital linkage within the agriculture market.
7. Identify patterns, trends, inefficiencies, and gaps in digital processes within the agriculture market. Analyze data for areas of innovation and improvement.

2.2.4.2. Assess Agri- Digital Market Platforms:

1. Identify and assess existing agricultural digital market platforms, considering factors such as features, content relevance, accessibility, user interface, and adoption rates.
2. Evaluate functionality and effectiveness of digital market platforms, including e-commerce solutions.
3. Evaluate the technological infrastructure supporting platforms, including scalability, security, and data privacy.
4. Conduct a gap analysis to identify challenges and opportunities within the agricultural digital market ecosystem.
5. Assess the cost implications of accessing market information through digital platforms, considering affordability for different stakeholders.
6. Provide strategic recommendations for enhancing existing platforms, developing new solutions, and addressing identified gaps.
7. Assess how producers/farmers and buyers access market information through digital platforms, identifying challenges and opportunities for improvement.
8. Evaluate the friendliness, convenience, and usability of digital platforms, particularly for rural farmers.
9. Evaluate existing practices that encourage and promote access to market information platforms.
10. Evaluate pricing strategies and cost of accessing information.
11. Evaluate the type, quality, and relevance of market information on existing platforms.
12. Collect feedback from stakeholders through surveys, interviews, or focus group discussions.
13. Propose appropriate digital solutions and recommend the most effective and affordable market information platforms for rural farmers, addressing identified gaps and challenges.
14. Design and propose a sustainable business model for digital market information platforms, considering affordability, convenience, and rural-farmer friendliness.
15. Recommend ICT market actors, appropriate platforms and propose recommended solutions that lead to wider access to market and other information for agricultural stakeholders. 

2.2.4.3. Conduct a Stakeholder Management and Validation Session to share assessment findings:

1. With Hinga Wunguke support, conduct stakeholder management outreach (interview sessions, questionnaires, focus group session etc.) to engage and validate findings with relevant stakeholders.
2. Present findings, highlighting insights, challenges, and recommendations to stakeholders at a workshop to be organized and funded by Hinga Wunguke. 

2.2.4.4. Submit the Final Assessment Report:

1. Mapping report of agri-digital market actors with geolocations
2. Final assessment report of existing agri-digital market information platforms with recommendations 

2.3. Deliverables and Deliverable Schedule: 

• Geographic Code Compliance: 

Items offered must comply with USAID Geographic Code 935. For a list of Source/Nationality countries approved within this USAID Geographic Code, refer to ADS Chapter 310, Source and Nationality Requirements for Procurement of Commodities and Services Financed by USAID. Contact CNFA with any questions regarding Geographic Code compliance.