Terms of Reference for a Comparative Affordability Assessment of Agroecological and Conventional Nutritious Foods Tender at Sight and Life Rwanda

Kigali Heights, Third Floor, West Wing, Kigali-Rwanda 

Email: SAL_Rwanda@sightandlife.org

Office number (+250) 788 380 191 

Project name: Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE)

Assignment: A comparative affordability assessment of agroecological and conventional nutritious foods in Rwanda

Assignment date: March- 30 June 2026 

Location: Rubavu and Rusizi

Terms of Reference

1.About Sight and Life 

Sight and Life (SAL) is a Swiss-based charitable foundation and a leading name in nutrition science and research. For 40 years, SAL has delivered evidence-based innovative solutions to eliminate all forms of malnutrition in women, adolescents and children. With over 35 years of work in bringing life-saving research, knowledge, commodities, and services to the most vulnerable populations, SAL combines evidence and innovation to drive greater impact. Through the local offices in Asia and Africa and teams across multiple countries, we are working to deploy evidence-backed innovative social business models that holistically address issues of hunger, micronutrient deficiencies, poverty, and climate change. Sight and Life Rwanda is registered at the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) with headquarters in Kigali Heights Complex, Gasabo 

District, Kigali City. For more, visit www.sightandlife.org

2.About the NICE project

The Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE) project is part of the Global Food Systems portfolio of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. The NICE project aims to improve nutrition and reduce poverty among vulnerable city populations. It operates in secondary cities, focusing on increasing the supply of and demand for nutritious foods produced locally using agroecological practices, as well as on cross-cutting issues related to food systems’ governance, gender, and social inclusion (leaving no one behind). More information about the NICE project is available on the NICE website, nice-nutrition.ch.

The cities involved in Bangladesh are: Dinajpur and Rangpur, in Kenya: Busia and Bungoma, in Rwanda: Rubavu and Rusizi, in Senegal: Bambilor and Kaffrine. 

The project is implemented in inter-linked four workstreams: 

1. The first workstream promotes good governance of food systems through the strengthening of multisectoral platforms at the city level. The platforms and their members facilitate access to vulnerable city populations to ensure they are reached by the project’s interventions.
2. The second workstream relates to increasing the availability, accessibility and affordability of nutritious foods that are locally produced using agroecological practices.
3. The third workstream focuses on the use of consumer insights to conduct interventions grounded in behaviour science principles contributing to increased knowledge, demand and use of nutritious local foods for healthy meals. The health and education sectors are also engaged.
4. The fourth workstream facilitates learning and linkages between the cities, across the workstreams, and countries.

Agroecology (AE) is increasingly promoted as a pathway towards sustainable, nutritious, and resilient food systems. However, evidence on the affordability of agroecologically produced food relative to conventional alternatives, particularly for urban and peri-urban consumers in Rwandan contexts remains limited. This consultancy supports an empirical assessment of the affordability of the NICE project’s promoted agroecologically produced nutritious food value chains (VCs) in Rwandan, with a focus on Rubavu and Rusizi Districts. 

3.Objectives of this consultancy 

The overall objective of this consultancy is to design, analyze, and report a rigorous affordability assessment comparing NICE-promoted agroecologically produced nutritious food value chains and conventionally produced equivalents in Rubavu and Rusizi, Rwanda. Specifically, the consultant is required to:

1. Develop a robust analytical and sampling design 
2. Define clear variables, indicators and affordability metrics 
3. Design and digitize a household/market survey questionnaire 
4. Conduct household and market surveys for data collection 
5. Conduct data cleaning, validation, and statistical analysis 
6. Produce policy-oriented narrative reports 
7. Generate and publish at least two peer-reviewed journal manuscripts 

4.Scope of work 

Geographic scope: Rubavu and Rusizi districts, Rwanda. 

Products: Eggs, fish, cabbages, carrots, onions, passion fruits and tomatoes

5.Consultant responsibilities 

The Consultant shall be responsible for the following tasks: 

1. Designing and developing a sampling framework for affordability assessments of the food value chains
   specified under Section 4 (Scope of work). 
2. Defining relevant affordability variables and indicators for the study. 
3. Designing, digitizing, and finalizing data collection questionnaires, subject to approval by the Client. 
4. Conducting field surveys and all associated data collection activities in accordance with the approved methodology. 
5. Cleaning, managing, and securely storing all data generated under this assignment, in accordance with applicable data management and confidentiality requirements. 
6. Conducting data analysis and calculating the agreed affordability indicators. 
7. Synthesize key findings and recommendations into a policy brief. 
8. Preparing and submitting a minimum of two (2) peer-reviewed academic journal articles based on the study findings, in coordination with the Client and subject to authorship and publication terms agreed in writing. 

6.Timing, duration and deliverables 

The work will be undertaken between March and June 2026. The timeline for each output/deliverable expected from this consultancy is contained in the table below: 

7.Requirements 

The service provider is required to respond to the TORs with both technical and financial proposals of not more than 10 pages detailing how the activities will be carried out, methodology and schedule of activities/ work plan.

Previous relevant experience and CVs for the team leader and members assigned for this assignment should also be submitted. 

8.Reporting 

The consultant will report directly to the NICE project manager for Rwanda and will work closely with the global Lead for the NICE project Outcome 2 of the NICE project. 

9. Copyrights

All outputs remain the intellectual property of the NICE project. 

10.Application instructions

Qualified bidders are requested to submit their applications to SAL_Rwanda@sightandlife.org with the subject
line: comparative affordability assessment of agroecological and conventional nutritious foods in Rwanda not later than March 10th at 6.00 PM Kigali time.

Please note that only short-listed bidders will be contacted. SAL Rwanda is an equal opportunity employer. All applications will be treated according to the merit of the candidate and with strict confidentiality.

11.Disclaimer

The Applicant shall bear all costs associated with or relating to the preparation and submission of its Proposal, including but not limited to preparation, copying, postage, delivery fees, expenses associated with any demonstrations or presentations which may be required by the Applicants, or any other costs incurred in connection with or relating to its Proposal. All such costs and expenses will remain with the Applicant, and the NICE project shall not be liable in any manner whatsoever for the same or for any other costs or other expenses incurred by an Applicant in preparation or submission of the Proposal, regardless of the conduct or outcome of the Selection Process.