Consultancy terms of reference

End Evaluation and Learning Review of the Fish Farming Project Phase II

Improving Coastal Communities’ Livelihoods through Agroecological Aquaculture for Resilient Food Security and Ecosystem Conservation

Organization: SWISSAID Tanzania
Assignment type: Independent end evaluation and learning review consultancy
Geographic coverage: Selected project sites in Lindi and Mtwara regions, Tanzania
Project period reviewed: January 2024 to December 2026
Estimated duration: Approximately 40 working days
Application deadline: On or before 25 August 2026
Submission email: [email protected]

Background

SWISSAID Tanzania has been working with coastal communities in Lindi and Mtwara to promote sustainable fish farming, seaweed farming, mangrove conservation, and improved coastal livelihoods. The Fish Farming Project Phase II builds on SWISSAID’s long-term experience with coastal communities that depend heavily on fisheries, seaweed, mangroves, and coastal ecosystems for food, income, and resilience.

The project aims to improve livelihoods through sustainable aquaculture and mariculture, including milkfish, tilapia, seaweed, and related value chains. It also supports ecosystem conservation, especially mangrove protection and restoration, because healthy coastal ecosystems are essential for fish breeding, climate resilience, biodiversity, and long-term community wellbeing.

The project is implemented through a PUSH–PULL–POLICY approach:

• The PUSH component supports improved production through training, fingerlings, pond management, demonstrations, and technical services.
• The PULL component focuses on income generation, value addition, business planning, product development, and market access.
• The POLICY component strengthens local governance, including Beach Management Units, Village Natural Resource Committees, bylaws, mangrove conservation, seasonal nursery closures, and district-level ownership.

The project has achieved important progress, especially in freshwater tilapia production, seaweed value addition, group business planning, and local governance. However, it has also faced challenges, including climate-related shocks, flood damage, delayed access to quality fingerlings, weak milkfish production performance, limited technical follow-up, and partner performance gaps.

Freshwater tilapia production performed strongly, while milkfish production remained below target due to climate exposure, fingerling constraints, and pond management challenges.

This end evaluation and learning review will help SWISSAID Tanzania and its partners understand what has worked well, what has been difficult, what results are likely to continue, and what lessons will inform future coastal livelihood, aquaculture, mariculture, and ecosystem conservation programming.

Purpose of the evaluation

The purpose of this assignment is to conduct an independent end evaluation and learning review of the Fish Farming Project Phase II.

The evaluation will provide a clear and practical assessment of the project’s achievements, challenges, lessons learned, and sustainability prospects. It will examine how far the project has contributed to:

• Improved aquaculture and mariculture production
• Income generation
• Food security
• Household resilience
• Ecosystem conservation
• Gender and youth inclusion
• Local ownership

The evaluation will also generate practical and forward-looking recommendations to inform final-year implementation, phase-out planning, future project design, partner engagement, and the scaling of successful models.

Specific objectives of the evaluation

The evaluation will:

• Assess the relevance of the project in relation to the needs of coastal communities, fish farmers, seaweed farmers, women, youth, local government authorities, and ecosystem governance actors.
• Evaluate the extent to which the project has improved diversified aquaculture and mariculture production, including milkfish, tilapia, seaweed, and related livelihood options.
• Assess the project’s contribution to household income, food security, nutrition, and livelihood resilience.
• Examine how well the PUSH–PULL–POLICY approach has linked production, market systems, and ecosystem governance.
• Review the effectiveness of technical support, fingerling production and distribution, farmer training, on-farm learning, demonstrations, and extension services.
• Analyse key challenges affecting milkfish and tilapia production, including climate shocks, pond management, fingerling availability, feeding practices, technical capacity, and partner performance.
• Assess progress in seaweed value addition, business planning, product development, market linkages, and income opportunities, especially for women-led groups.
• Review the project’s contribution to mangrove rehabilitation, seasonal nursery closures, BMU/VNRC collaboration, bylaw enforcement, and district-level ownership.
• Assess how meaningfully women, youth, students, farmers, fishers, seaweed producers, and local governance actors have participated and benefited.
• Provide practical recommendations for sustaining and scaling successful models beyond the current project period.

Scope of the evaluation

Time scope

The evaluation will cover the implementation period of Fish Farming Project Phase II from January 2024 to December 2026, with strong attention to progress made in 2024 and 2025 and the likelihood of achieving final project targets by the end of 2026.

Geographic scope

The evaluation will cover selected project sites in Lindi and Mtwara regions, including:

• Freshwater fishponds
• Saltwater milkfish ponds
• Seaweed farming areas
• Mangrove restoration sites
• Seasonal nursery closure areas
• Group business sites
• Relevant community or school demonstration sites

The evaluation will include selected locations in Lindi Municipal, Mtama District, Mtwara Rural, and other relevant project areas.

Thematic scope

The evaluation will focus on the following thematic areas:

• Aquaculture and mariculture production: The evaluation will assess milkfish, tilapia, seaweed, pond management, stocking, harvesting, production performance, technical training, farmer adoption, and climate resilience.
• Fingerling supply and technical services: The evaluation will assess the effectiveness of fingerling production, distribution, acclimatization, access to quality seed, technical support, and the role of FETA, SoAF, District Fisheries Offices, and other actors.
• Farmer learning and adoption: The evaluation will review how farmers have applied knowledge gained through training, demonstrations, peer-to-peer learning, technical follow-up, and group-level support.
• Food security and resilience: The evaluation will assess how the project has contributed to household food security and resilience, especially in the context of climate shocks, production losses, income instability, and market challenges. Household survey results show that food security remains an important area for analysis and learning.
• Income generation and market development: The evaluation will assess business planning, value addition, packaging, product development, pricing, market access, profitability, and income from fish farming, seaweed, honey, and related products.
• Gender, youth, and inclusion: The evaluation will assess participation and benefits for women, youth, students, farmers, fishers, and seaweed producers, including their roles in production, value addition, leadership, business planning, governance, and decision-making.
• Ecosystem conservation and governance: The evaluation will assess mangrove rehabilitation, seasonal nursery closures, BMU and VNRC functionality, bylaws, enforcement, collaboration with district authorities, and the role of Tanzania Forest Services.
• Sustainability and scaling: The evaluation will assess whether project results are likely to continue through farmer groups, seaweed groups, BMUs, VNRCs, District Fisheries Offices, TFS, local government structures, markets, and community ownership.

Key evaluation questions

Relevance

• To what extent did the project respond to the needs and priorities of coastal communities in Lindi and Mtwara?
• How relevant was the project’s focus on fish farming, seaweed farming, mangrove conservation, and community-based coastal governance?
• How well did the project align with national priorities on fisheries, aquaculture, food security, climate resilience, blue economy, and ecosystem conservation?
• Was the PUSH–PULL–POLICY approach appropriate for addressing production, market, and governance constraints?
• How relevant were the project partnerships with District Fisheries Offices, FETA, SoAF, LANGO, BMUs, VNRCs, TFS, and local government authorities?

Effectiveness

• What key results were achieved under each project outcome?
• To what extent did the project improve milkfish, tilapia, and seaweed production?
• Why did freshwater tilapia perform better than milkfish, and what lessons can be drawn?
• How useful were trainings, demonstrations, technical support, and extension services?
• How effective were FETA, SoAF, LANGO, District Fisheries Offices, BMUs, VNRCs, TFS, and other partners in delivering their roles?
• To what extent were group business and production plans developed and used?
• How far did the project contribute to improved income, food security, and livelihood resilience?

Efficiency

• Were project resources, time, partnerships, and technical support used efficiently?
• What factors delayed implementation or affected performance?
• How did climate shocks, fingerling constraints, pond damage, partner performance, procurement, funding flows, or coordination challenges affect implementation?
• How well did the project adapt to emerging challenges?
• Did the project deliver value for money in relation to production, income generation, ecosystem conservation, and governance outcomes?

Income generation and market development

• To what extent did the project contribute to increased income for fish farmers, seaweed farmers, women, and youth?
• How effective were seaweed value addition, product development, packaging, and market linkages?
• What market barriers remain, including pricing, processing, aggregation, transport, packaging, buyer linkages, and market information?
• How sustainable are the supported business and production plans?
• Which value chains have the strongest potential for growth and scaling?

Ecosystem conservation and governance

• What contribution did the project make to mangrove restoration, protection, and co-management?
• How effective were seasonal nursery closures in protecting fish breeding areas and supporting milkfish production?
• How well did BMUs, VNRCs, TFS, and district authorities work together?
• What progress was made in bylaws, enforcement, awareness creation, and district-level ownership?
• What governance gaps remain for sustainable fisheries and mangrove ecosystem management?

Gender, youth, and inclusion

• To what extent did women and youth participate meaningfully in project activities?
• Did women and youth benefit from income opportunities, value addition, leadership roles, and decision-making?
• What barriers limited women’s and youth participation in higher-value roles?
• How can future programming strengthen women’s and youth leadership in aquaculture, mariculture, markets, and coastal governance?

Sustainability and scaling

• Which project results are most likely to continue after project funding ends?
• Are farmer groups, seaweed groups, BMUs, VNRCs, District Fisheries Offices, TFS, and district structures ready to sustain the work?
• Which models have the strongest potential for scaling, including freshwater tilapia, milkfish, seaweed value addition, mangrove co-management, business planning, and demonstration models?
• What risks may affect sustainability, and how will SWISSAID and partners address them?
• What practical steps are needed for phase-out and long-term ownership?

Evaluation methodology

The consultant will use a participatory and mixed-method approach. The evaluation will combine document review, interviews, focus group discussions, field visits, observation, institutional assessment, market and value chain review, and stakeholder consultation.

The methodology will be practical and inclusive, allowing different stakeholders to share their experiences, including farmers, women, youth, seaweed producers, fishers, local leaders, technical partners, government actors, and SWISSAID staff.

The consultant will triangulate findings from different sources to ensure that conclusions are evidence-based, balanced, and useful for decision-making.

Desk review

The consultant will review relevant documents, including:

• Fish Farming Project II proposal
• Project logframe and M&E framework
• Annual and interim reports
• Household survey and FIES results
• Production and distribution records
• Partner reports from FETA, SoAF, LANGO, District Fisheries Offices, BMUs, VNRCs, and TFS
• Training materials and technical guides
• Business and production plans
• Product inventory and value addition reports
• Mangrove rehabilitation and seasonal nursery closure records
• Policy, bylaw, and District Development Planning documents
• Gender, youth, and safeguarding documents
• Financial and budget information, where relevant for efficiency analysis

Key informant interviews

The consultant will conduct interviews with:

• SWISSAID Tanzania management, programme, finance, and M&E staff
• District Fisheries Officers
• FETA representatives
• SoAF/UDSM researchers and technical staff
• LANGO and other implementing partners
• BMU and VNRC leaders
• Tanzania Forest Services representatives
• Local government officials
• Project steering committee members
• Fish farming group leaders
• Seaweed group leaders
• Market actors, processors, and buyers
• School representatives where school ponds or Eco-School activities are involved

Focus group discussions

The consultant will conduct focus group discussions with:

• Milkfish farmers
• Freshwater tilapia farmers
• Seaweed farmers
• Women’s groups
• Youth and students
• Community members around mangrove areas
• BMU and VNRC members
• Groups involved in business planning and value addition

Field visits and observation

The consultant will visit selected sites, including:

• Saltwater milkfish ponds
• Freshwater tilapia ponds
• Seaweed farms
• Seaweed processing and value addition sites
• Mangrove restoration areas
• Seasonal nursery closure sites
• School or community demonstration ponds
• Group business and production sites
• Local governance or BMU/VNRC operational areas

Field observation will assess the quality, use, maintenance, sustainability, and visibility of project-supported infrastructure, tools, practices, and governance systems.

Institutional and partner capacity assessment

The consultant will assess the capacity and performance of key project partners and local institutions, including their roles, coordination, technical support, accountability, documentation, gender responsiveness, and sustainability.

Market and value chain assessment

The consultant will review the performance of selected value chains, including fish, seaweed, honey, and other related products.

The assessment will include analysis of:

• Production
• Processing
• Packaging
• Pricing
• Market access
• Buyer relationships
• Profitability
• Barriers to scaling

Ecosystem governance assessment

The consultant will assess the effectiveness of local governance mechanisms, including BMUs, VNRCs, bylaws, seasonal closures, mangrove restoration, TFS collaboration, district support, enforcement, and community ownership.

Expected deliverables

The consultant will submit the following deliverables:

Inception report

The inception report will include:

• Consultant’s understanding of the assignment
• Refined evaluation questions
• Evaluation matrix
• Methodology
• Sampling approach
• List of stakeholders to be consulted
• Data collection tools
• Workplan and timeline
• Limitations and mitigation measures

Data collection tools

The consultant will develop and submit:

• Key informant interview guides
• Focus group discussion guides
• Field observation checklist
• Document review matrix
• Aquaculture production assessment tool
• Market and value chain assessment tool
• Ecosystem governance and mangrove conservation checklist
• Partner and institutional capacity assessment tool
• Gender, youth, and inclusion checklist
• Sustainability and scaling assessment framework

Draft evaluation report

The consultant will prepare a draft evaluation report presenting key findings, analysis, conclusions, lessons learned, and recommendations.

The draft report will be shared with SWISSAID Tanzania and selected partners for review and feedback.

Validation presentation

The consultant will prepare and present a PowerPoint summary of the key findings, conclusions, lessons learned, and recommendations to SWISSAID Tanzania and relevant partners.

Final evaluation report

The consultant will prepare the final evaluation report after incorporating feedback from SWISSAID Tanzania and relevant stakeholders.

The final report will be clear, evidence-based, analytical, practical, and useful for decision-making.

Final report structure

The final report will include:

• Cover page
• Table of contents
• Acronyms and abbreviations
• Executive summary
• Introduction and background
• Purpose, objectives, and scope of the evaluation
• Methodology
• Project context and implementation journey
• Key achievements
• Findings by evaluation criteria
• Thematic analysis, including:
  • Aquaculture and mariculture production
  • Fingerling supply and technical services
  • Income generation and market development
  • Seaweed value addition
  • Ecosystem conservation and governance
  • Gender, youth, and inclusion
  • Sustainability and scaling
• Challenges and lessons learned
• Conclusions
• Recommendations
• Annexes, including:
  • Evaluation matrix
  • Data collection tools
  • List of people consulted
  • List of documents reviewed
  • List of field sites visited
  • Detailed workplan
  • Additional evidence tables or supporting documents

Duration and proposed timeline

The assignment will take approximately 40 working days, including preparation, data collection, analysis, report writing, validation, and finalization.

The proposed allocation of working days is:

• Document review and inception preparation: 5 days
• Inception meeting and finalization of tools: 4 days
• Field data collection and stakeholder consultations: 10 days
• Data analysis and synthesis: 5 days
• Draft report preparation: 6 days
• Validation presentation: 1 day
• Final report preparation: 5–9 days

The exact timeline will be agreed with SWISSAID Tanzania during the inception phase.

Required expertise and qualifications

The consultant or evaluation team will have:

• At least a Master’s degree in fisheries, aquaculture, marine sciences, agriculture, environmental management, rural development, monitoring and evaluation, development studies, or a related field.
• Proven experience in evaluating fisheries, aquaculture, mariculture, food systems, climate resilience, natural resource management, or livelihood projects.
• Good understanding of fish farming systems, including milkfish, tilapia, seaweed, pond management, fingerlings, feeding, and value chains.
• Experience in market systems, value addition, business planning, income-generation analysis, and livelihood assessment.
• Experience with community-based natural resource management, mangrove conservation, BMUs, VNRCs, bylaws, or coastal governance.
• Strong understanding of gender equality, youth inclusion, safeguarding, and participatory approaches.
• Experience working with NGOs, government institutions, research institutions, farmer groups, fishers, seaweed producers, and local communities.
• Excellent facilitation, analytical, and report-writing skills.
• Fluency in English and Kiswahili.

Management and coordination

The assignment will be managed by SWISSAID Tanzania. The Head of Programs (HoP), Senior Programme Coordinator, M&E Advisor, project team, and finance team will provide guidance, documents, and logistical support where needed.

SWISSAID Tanzania will facilitate introductions to partners, local government actors, farmer groups, seaweed groups, BMUs, VNRCs, TFS, FETA, SoAF, LANGO, District Fisheries Offices, and other relevant stakeholders.

The consultant will maintain independence, objectivity, confidentiality, and professional standards throughout the assignment.

Roles and responsibilities

SWISSAID Tanzania

SWISSAID Tanzania will:

• Provide relevant project documents and background information.
• Facilitate introductions to partners and stakeholders.
• Support field logistics where necessary.
• Review and provide feedback on the inception report, tools, draft report, and final report.
• Organize validation or feedback sessions.
• Ensure the evaluation process remains independent and useful for learning.

Consultant

The consultant will:

• Prepare the inception report and evaluation tools.
• Conduct document review, interviews, focus group discussions, and field visits.
• Analyse data and triangulate findings.
• Prepare and present the draft report.
• Facilitate validation of findings.
• Prepare the final report.
• Ensure confidentiality and ethical handling of information.
• Submit all deliverables on time and to the required quality standard.

Ethical considerations

The consultant will conduct the evaluation ethically and respectfully. This will include:

• Obtaining informed consent from all respondents.
• Ensuring voluntary participation.
• Protecting the confidentiality of respondents.
• Avoiding harm or unrealistic expectations.
• Ensuring safe and respectful participation of women, youth, farmers, fishers, students, and vulnerable groups.
• Presenting findings objectively and accurately.
• Clearly distinguishing evidence-based findings from assumptions, perceptions, or opinions.

Proposal submission requirements

Interested consultants will submit a technical and financial proposal that includes:

• Understanding of the assignment
• Proposed methodology and evaluation approach
• Proposed sampling strategy
• Proposed workplan
• Team composition and roles
• CVs of key team members
• Relevant experience and references
• Financial proposal, including professional fees, travel, accommodation, communication, taxes, and other related costs
• Examples of similar assignments, where available

Submission deadline and contact email

All proposals must be submitted by email to:

[email protected]

Deadline for submission: On or before 25 August 2026.

Late submissions may not be considered.

RFQ/Tender Information and Attachments

For comprehensive information regarding this RFQ/tender, we invite you to download the attachments provided below. These documents contain all the necessary details, including specifications, requirements, and submission guidelines. Please review them carefully to ensure you have all the pertinent information needed to participate.

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