consultant to design an impact evaluation for the Zambia Irrigation Development and Support Project
Zambia Irrigation Development and Support Project (IDSP)
January 2011
Background
The World Bank's Africa Region Gender Team is seeking an individual consultant to design an impact
evaluation for the Zambia Irrigation Development and Support Project (IDSP). The IDSP is a seven year
project of the Zambian Ministry for Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO), financed partially through an
IDA credit of US$115 million. The primary objective of the IDSP is to increase yields per hectare and
value of products marketed by smallholders benefitting from investments in irrigation in selected sites
served by the project. To this end, the project has four components: 1) Irrigated Agricultural Support
Services (operation of irrigation schemes and support services to smallholders) 2) Public Infrastructure
(construction of medium to large smallholder irrigation schemes), 3) Private and Cooperative investment
(access to capital for on-farm equipment and enterprise development), and 4) Management and
Coordination (including monitoring and evaluation). The IDSP will first be implemented in three
"Group 1" sites (Lusitu, Mwomboshi, and Musakashi) with plans to potentially expand to five "Group
2" and thirteen "Group 3" sites in the future. Full project details will be made available in the Project
Appraisal Document (PAD) and the Project Implementation Manual (PIM).
Objective
The consultant will travel to Zambia for approximately three (3) weeks in March 2011 to design an
impact evaluation for the IDSP. He/She will work closely with the Bank's Africa Region Gender Team
(based in Washington), the Bank and MACO project implementation team for IDSP, and relevant
consultants with knowledge about the project and the project sites. The deliverable will be a detailed
report that a) assesses the feasibility of conducting a rigorous impact evaluation with a clearly defined
counterfactual group, b) describes a conceptual approach to the evaluation, c) assesses the feasibility of
examining the gender-specific impacts of the program, and d) outlines a plan of action and timeline for
implementation and data collection activities required for the impact evaluation.
Responsibilities
The consultant will:
• Review all project documents and consultant reports to become familiar with the IDSP and
previous discussions on its impact evaluation.
• Travel to Lusaka, Zambia for approximately three weeks in March, 2011 to work with the World
Bank and MACO project teams to develop the plans for an impact evaluation.
• Develop estimates of the number of households currently residing in project areas, as well as the
gender composition of those households, in order to determine the feasibility of obtaining a
sample of adequate size for an impact evaluation.
• Identify, with project counterparts, key outcome indicators for a possible impact evaluation.
• Develop and/or obtain maps of the project areas to look at the geographical dispersion of
households, in order to determine the feasibility of using a geographical discontinuity to define
treatment and control groups.
• Assess options for conducting a rigorous impact evaluation with treatment and control groups.
Terms of Reference for Impact Evaluation Consultant (cont.)
Zambia Irrigation Development and Support Project (IDSP)
• Develop proposals for ensuring that the impact evaluation has adequate balance between male
and female beneficiaries in order to look at gender-specific impacts of the project. This may
involve also developing proposals to ensure adequate female representation in the beneficiary
group of the project.
• Conduct statistical power calculations for outcomes of interest – including for genderdisaggregated
indicators – for each of the proposed impact evaluation approaches.
• Review the impact evaluation proposal with the Bank and MACO project teams as well as the
Africa Region Gender Team based in Washington, DC.
Deliverable
• A detailed written proposal for the implementation of an impact evaluation, including
identification of treatment and control populations, assessment of the feasibility of rigorously
examining the program’s gender-disaggregated effects, timing of baseline and follow up surveys,
and outcome indicators to be tracked. The proposal should include, if possible, maps of the
project sites delineating the catchment areas for the impact evaluation surveys.
Timeline
The proposed work would commence in March 2011. The consultant is expected to travel to Lusaka,
Zambia for approximately three weeks. The final deliverables would be delivered by April 30, 2011. The
assignment is expected to require approximately 30 days of work.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate for this position will be a Masters-level graduate in a relevant field (Economics,
Agricultural Economics, International Development, Public Policy) with coursework in econometrics or a
PhD student who has completed coursework. Candidates should possess strong problem-solving and
organizational skills, have experience with household survey methods, quantitative data analysis, and
impact evaluation methods. Relevant regional experience and an understanding of agriculture and/or
irrigation are preferred. Ability to work independently with limited supervision is necessary.
Application Instructions
To apply, please send cover letter and CV to Michael O'Sullivan at mosullivan at worldbank.org by
Friday, February 11, 2011. Late applications will not be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be
contacted. Suitable CVs that are not retained for this position will be saved for future openings.
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