TERMS OF REFERENCE

Consultancy to Develop Financial Tools for Farmers

ABOUT AGRIFOP

Agribusiness Focused Partnership Organization (AGRIFOP) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) established in Rwanda in 2012 and registered under Rwandan law (REG. No 014/NGO/2015). The organization was founded to provide support for rural smallholder agricultural development and to serve the public interest by modernizing the agricultural sector. Its mission is to support rural smallholder agricultural development through capacity building, consultancy, and market development, ultimately improving food security and rural livelihoods. The core objective is to transform subsistence farming into a knowledge-based, value-creating sector that contributes to the national economy in a sustainable and resilient manner.

AGRIFOP acts as a vital bridge between agro-dealers and smallholder farmers. By teaching agro-dealers how to effectively communicate technical information about crop nutrients and modern seed varieties, they ensure that farmers have the knowledge needed to increase yield and improve the quality of their harvest.

CONSULTANCY BACKGROUND

The Agribusiness Focused Partnership Organization (AGRIFOP) in partnership with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is implementing the High Iron Bean (HIB) Value Chain Development Project in 25 five sectors of target districts in Western Province of Rwanda. The project seeks to improve productivity, market access, value addition, business linkages, employment opportunities, and incomes for targeted smallholder farmers, youth, producers, cooperatives, SMEs (agrodealers, seed multipliers, aggregators), and other market actors. It will start with enhancing farmers’ adoption of improved HIB seeds, strengthening local seed systems, and promoting nutrition-sensitive agriculture. The intervention targets bean farmers, farmer cooperatives, seed multipliers, and agro-dealers operating in selected Food Basket Sites (FOBASI) across Rutsiro, Nyamasheke, Rusizi, Karongi, and Nyabihu districts.

A key challenge affecting smallholder farmers, cooperatives, and farmer groups is limited financial literacy and weak farm financial management systems. Many farmers lack practical tools for budgeting, record keeping, savings tracking, enterprise profitability analysis, loan management, and business planning. This limits their ability to make informed business decisions, access financial services, manage risks, and sustainably grow their agricultural enterprises.

Strengthening farmers’ financial management capacity is essential for improving productivity, profitability, market participation, and resilience. To support this objective, the project seeks to develop practical, user-friendly, and context-appropriate financial and accounting tools tailored to the needs of smallholder farmers and farmer organizations engaged in the High Iron Beans value chain. 

AGRIFOP invites qualified consultants to submit proposals for the development of financial and accounting tools for farmers.

PURPOSE OF THE CONSULTANCY

The purpose of this consultancy is to develop practical, simplified, and farmer-friendly financial and accounting tools that will strengthen financial literacy, record keeping, enterprise management, and financial decision-making among farmers, cooperatives, and farmer groups participating in the HIB value chain. The tools should be suitable for use by smallholder farmers with varying literacy and numeracy levels and adaptable for training and extension purposes. 

OBJECTIVES OF THE CONSULTANCY

The specific objectives are to:

1. Assess the financial management and record-keeping needs of farmers and farmer organizations within the HIB value chain.
2. Develop simplified financial and accounting tools tailored to smallholder farming systems in Rwanda.
3. Design practical templates and guides for farm budgeting, record keeping, savings, loan tracking, and profitability analysis.
4. Integrate financial literacy, business management, and market-oriented farming principles into the tools.
5. Ensure the tools are user-friendly, gender-responsive, and adaptable to low-literacy contexts.
6. Facilitate stakeholder validation and finalize the tools based on feedback received. 

The consultant is expected to work closely with AGRIFOP technical teams to ensure that all tools are practical, participatory, gender-sensitive, and aligned with national agricultural standards.

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

The consultant/firm shall submit the following deliverables:

DURATION

The consultancy is expected to be completed within 25 working days from the date of contract signing.

DUTY STATION

The consultancy will be conducted in Rwanda with a combination of desk review, field consultations, and stakeholder meetings.

REPORTING AND SUPERVISION

The consultant/firm will report directly to the CEO, AGRIFOP or another designated team member.

The client organization will provide:

• Relevant project documentation
• Technical guidance
• Coordination support
• Access to stakeholders where necessary

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The consultant should possess:

• Advanced degree in accounting, finance, agribusiness, agricultural economics, business administration, rural development, or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years’ demonstrated experience in financial literacy and farmer business development, development of financial management tools, agricultural enterprise development, cooperative financial systems, adult learning and training materials development.
• Proven experience working in Rwanda,
• Strong knowledge of smallholder farming systems, agricultural finance, rural financial inclusion, simplified accounting systems, Rwanda cooperative and agricultural systems
• Excellent report writing and communication skills in English and Kinyarwanda. 

The firm should demonstrate:

• Relevant institutional experience
• Availability of qualified personnel
• Experience in agricultural finance and capacity building
• Proven experience developing farmer financial management tools 

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Interested consultants/firms should submit:

1. Technical Proposal Including:

• Understanding of the assignment 
• Proposed methodology and approach 
• Workplan and timelines 
• Team composition and roles 
• Relevant experience and references 

1. Financial Proposal Including:

• Detailed budget breakdown 
• Professional fees 
• Applicable taxes 
• Any reimbursable costs 

Supporting Documents

• CV(s) of key personnel 
• Company profile (for firms) 
• References of similar assignments 
• Sample previous work (optional) 

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

Ethical Considerations

The consultant/firm shall:

• Ensure originality and technical accuracy of content 
• Use inclusive and non-discriminatory language 
• Respect intellectual property rights 
• Ensure the manual is practical and culturally appropriate 
• Maintain confidentiality of project information

Ownership of Deliverables

All documents, tools, datasets, and outputs produced under this consultancy shall remain the property of the client organization. The consultant shall not share or reproduce any materials without prior written authorization.

Application Deadline

Interested candidates should submit their proposals no later than 28 May 2026 4:00 Pm to:
Email: info@agrifop.org