Terms of Reference for Implementing Partner for the Power of Diversity Project

1. Background

SWISSAID Tanzania has secured funding from the Crop Trust through the Power of Diversity Funding Facility to implement a project entitled “Strengthening Value Chain Coordination and Consumer Awareness for Bambara Groundnut and Sweet Potato Leaves in Tanzania.”

The project will run from October 2026 to March 2029 and seeks to strengthen demand-driven development of two neglected and underutilized species (NUS): Bambara groundnut and sweet potato leaves through market coordination, consumer awareness, agroecological production systems, participatory guarantee systems (PGS), women’s economic empowerment, youth engagement, and market systems innovation.

The intervention will be implemented primarily in Dodoma and Singida regions and will complement ongoing initiatives including BOLDER (World Vegetable Centre), CROPS4HD and AgroEcoNUS+, creating synergies across production, market development, financial inclusion, and policy engagement. SWISSAID is seeking a qualified Tanzanian organization to serve as an implementation partner.

2. Objective

To identify a technically competent and legally compliant Tanzanian organization capable of supporting implementation of project activities related to:

• Agroecological production systems.
• Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS) promotion specifically Bambara groundnuts and sweet potato value chains.
• Market systems development through the participatory market chain approach (PMCA).
• Agroecology products consumer awareness and behavior change campaigns.
• Gender equality and inclusion in agroecology and food systems.
• Monitoring, evaluation, learning and reporting.

3. Scope of work

The selected partner shall work closely with SWISSAID Tanzania to plan, coordinate, and implement project interventions in the target regions and communities. The partner will be expected to provide both technical leadership and field-level implementation support, ensuring that project objectives, outputs, and outcomes are achieved in accordance with approved workplans, budgets, donor requirements, and SWISSAID policies and standards.

The partner will be responsible for the implementation of agreed project activities, including but not limited to the following:

A. Community mobilization and producer organization

• Identify, mobilize, and engage farmers, producer groups, women’s groups, youth groups, traders, processors, and other relevant value chain actors in the target locations.
• Facilitate the establishment, strengthening, and capacity development of farmer organizations and producer groups involved in Bambara groundnut and sweet potato production and marketing.
• Build and maintain effective collaboration with Local Government Authorities (LGAs), dealers, extension services, private sector actors, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders relevant to the project.
• Facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogue and coordination platforms aimed at strengthening collaboration and addressing bottlenecks within the selected value chains.

B. Agroecological production support

• Provide technical support to farmers and producer groups on agroecological approaches that enhance productivity, resilience, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable natural resource management.
• Promote climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable production practices for Bambara groundnut, sweet potato leaves, and other relevant neglected and underutilized species (NUS) in Singida, Manyoni, Bahi and Chamwino districts.
• Support farmer learning processes through demonstration plots like Bihawana in Dodoma, farmer field schools, peer-to-peer learning, exchange visits, and practical field-based extension approaches.
• Facilitate documentation, promotion, and scaling of indigenous knowledge and local innovation related to production, seed management, processing, and utilization of NUS crops.
• Support on-farm conservation and community-based management of agricultural biodiversity and associated genetic resources.

C. Value chain and market systems development

• Conduct value chain assessments, stakeholder mapping, and market analyses to identify opportunities and constraints affecting production, processing, marketing, and consumption of the target crops.
• Facilitate market systems development through participatory market chain approach (PMCA) interventions that improve coordination, efficiency, and competitiveness of the selected value chains from existing initiatives like CROPS4HD, BOLDER, and AgroEcoNUS+.
• Support producers and producer organizations to improve market readiness, product quality, aggregation, packaging, storage, and business management practices.
• Identify and facilitate relationships between producers, aggregators, processors, traders, retailers, institutional buyers, and other market actors.
• Promote inclusive business models that increase participation and benefits for women, youth, and marginalized groups.
• Support development of commercially viable enterprises and income-generating opportunities within the target value chains.

D. Consumer awareness and demand creation

• In collaboration with the SWISSAID team, design and implement consumer awareness and behavior change initiatives using SuLiA and COM-B approaches to increase knowledge, appreciation, adoption, and consumption of Bambara groundnut, sweet potato leaves, and other nutrient-dense indigenous foods.
• Develop and implement promotional campaigns targeting consumers, schools, local markets, food vendors, restaurants, institutional buyers, and relevant public audiences.
• Organize fairs, exhibitions, food festivals, cooking demonstrations, tasting events, media engagements, and other awareness-raising activities that promote the nutritional, economic, and environmental benefits of NUS crops.
• Support the development and dissemination of communication materials, success stories, and awareness products that contribute to increased demand and market visibility.

E. Gender equality and inclusion

• Ensure meaningful participation (at least 60%) of women and youth in all project activities and decision-making processes.
• Identify and address barriers limiting women’s and young people’s participation in production, value addition, enterprise development, and market engagement.
• Facilitate access to business development services, entrepreneurship support, financial literacy, and market opportunities for women and youth-led enterprises.
• Promote leadership and representation of women, youth, and other less privileged social groups within producer organizations, value chain platforms, and community-level structures.

F. Monitoring, learning and reporting

• Develop and maintain robust systems for activity tracking, performance monitoring, data collection, and reporting.
• Collect high-quality quantitative and qualitative data based on the project’s monitoring framework and donor requirements.
• Contribute to baseline studies, outcome monitoring, reviews, evaluations, case studies, and learning exercises.
• Document lessons learned, innovations, best practices, and evidence of impact for knowledge sharing and project learning.
• Participate in periodic planning, reflection, review, and learning meetings organized by SWISSAID.
• Prepare and submit timely technical, financial, and narrative reports as per agreed reporting schedules.
• Participate in project planning, budgeting, review, coordination, and donor engagement processes as requested by SWISSAID.
• Maintain accurate project records and supporting documentation for audit and verification purposes.
• Contribute to the achievement of project outcomes, indicators, and targets through proactive implementation, adaptive management, and continuous improvement.

4. Required qualifications and experience

Interested organizations must demonstrate:

Institutional capacity

• Legally registered local non-government and non-profit making organization operating in Tanzania Mainland.
• Minimum 5 years of proven experience implementing agroecology development programmes.
• Presence and operational capacity in Dodoma and/or Singida regions is highly desirable.
• Must not be currently supported by or implementing any SWISSAID project.

Technical expertise (mandatory)

Applicants must demonstrate substantial technical expertise and a proven track record in designing and implementing agricultural and rural development programmes that contribute to resilient, inclusive, and sustainable food systems.

Particular preference will be given to organizations with demonstrated experience in agroecology, neglected and underutilized species (NUS), and market systems approaches that create sustainable livelihood opportunities for smallholder farmers, women, and youth.

Programme management

• Experience managing donor-funded projects.
• Strong planning, financial management, and reporting systems.
• Demonstrated MEL capacity.
• Ability to work with local government authorities and private sector actors.

5. Compliance requirements (mandatory)

Applicants must submit:

1. Certificate of Registration.
2. Valid Tax Identification Number (TIN).
3. Tax Clearance Certificate (if applicable).
4. NGO Compliance Certificate (where applicable) or recently submitted annual returns.
5. Most recent audited financial statements (last 2 years).
6. Organizational profile.
7. Anti-fraud, financial, procurement, code of conduct, human resource, safeguarding, and conflict of interest policies.
8. Evidence of statutory compliance with all applicable Tanzanian laws and regulations.
9. At least three references from recent donors or funding partners.

Failure to provide any mandatory compliance documentation may lead to disqualification.

6. Expected deliverables

The selected partner will be expected to deliver:

• Annual implementation workplans.
• Quarterly technical reports.
• Quarterly financial reports.
• Activity reports and supporting documentation.
• Beneficiary databases and monitoring data.
• Success stories and learning products.
• Contribution to annual reviews and evaluation activities.

7. Application requirements

Interested organizations should submit:

1. Expression of Interest (maximum 5 pages).
2. Technical proposal demonstrating understanding of the assignment.
3. Organizational profile.
4. CVs of key personnel.
5. Relevant organizational experience and project references.
6. Statutory compliance documents listed above.

Interested organizations should submit their expression of interest through [email protected] before Thursday 8th October 2026, 17:00pm.

8. Equal opportunity

SWISSAID is committed to a fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory partner selection process. All applications will be evaluated solely on the basis of technical expertise, organizational capacity, relevant experience, statutory compliance, and the ability to achieve the objectives of the assignment.

SWISSAID encourages applications from qualified organizations that demonstrate a commitment to gender equality, youth inclusion, safeguarding, and the promotion of inclusive and sustainable food systems. The selected partner will be expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, accountability, ethical conduct, and compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Disclaimer

SWISSAID reserves the right to accept or reject any application and to cancel or modify the selection process at any stage without incurring any liability to applicants.

All costs associated with the preparation and submission of applications shall be borne by the applicant.

Submission of an application does not constitute a commitment by SWISSAID to provide funding or enter into a partnership agreement. Any engagement will be subject to successful completion of the selection process and the signing of a formal agreement.

Contact information

SWISSAID Tanzania
P.O. Box 34372
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Mikocheni Regent Estate, Hubert Kairuki Street, Plot No. 356
Email: [email protected]