Consultant - Markets & Conflict Study Co-Lead – Senior Researcher International - Remote

BACKGROUND

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. At Mercy Corps, we aim to be on the cutting edge of developing more efficient, effective paths to social impact at scale. We believe that solutions - to even the most “sticky” problems - are within reach, be that at the community level or the global level. Our years of experience have taught us that often, to break through on a particularly tough challenge, we have to be bold in our thinking and disrupt, we have to innovate, to achieve a lasting and transformative solution. For solutions to advance along a pathway to scale, data, research, and evidence are needed at key stages. Mercy Corps is committed to generating and using evidence to understand and improve our impact, and to enhance the humanitarian and development community’s ability to address the world’s most complex challenges.

As part of this commitment, Mercy Corps is a member of the Supporting Pastoralism & Agriculture in Recurrent & Protracted Crises (SPARC) consortium led by Cowater International in partnership with the Overseas Development Institute and the International Livestock Research Institute. SPARC is a six-year (2020-2026) initiative funded by FCDO. The goal is to generate and promote the application of evidence on what works to strengthen the resilience of agricultural and pastoral livelihoods in fragile, drylands contexts in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. The program aims to advance research on livelihoods, agriculture and pastoralism that can be used by FCDO and other agencies to guide decisions on programs and policies to support livelihoods resilience in the drylands. Through research and evidence, SPARC will develop knowledge to enhance the ability of FCDO, the donor community, NGOs, local and national governments and other stakeholders to assist pastoralists, agro-pastoralists and farmers in the context of conflict, climate change, and other shocks and stressors.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

In consultation with SPARC stakeholders, Mercy Corps proposed a 12-month study on ‘Understanding markets and trade in a context of extreme conflict and humanitarian crisis, with limited access, in Darfur, Sudan’. This study will be co-led by a team of international and Sudanese researchers.  The International Consultant, as co-lead, will work closely with the Principal Expert (also co-lead) to coordinate with Sudanese researchers and Mercy Corps teams to: a) generate evidence and improved understanding of trade and markets in the severe conflict-affected dryland environment of Darfur, to inform humanitarian policy and programming; b) through creative and conflict-sensitive adaptation of conventional approaches to market monitoring and research, to inform how data and information can be gathered and analysed in a highly challenging protracted conflict crisis. Safety and the security of researchers and local stakeholders is paramount. The Co-leads will routinely communicate with Mercy Corps teams to advise on research progress vis a vis the operating context. They will advise whether to suspend the study at any point due to safety concerns.

CONSULTANT OBJECTIVES

1. Play a key role in the design and implementation of the ‘Understanding markets and trade’ study in the Darfur region of Sudan, to address the three research questions the study sets out to answer:  
   1. How can market monitoring and data collection be adapted, with flexibility and sensitivity, to at least partially fill the information void in Darfur – a context of extreme conflict, insecurity and constrained access – through local actors? This requires experimenting sensitively with creative and flexible means of data collection.
   2. How has trade in agricultural and livestock commodities adapted, positively and negatively, to the current context of extreme conflict in Darfur, how is trade fuelling the war economy, what are the implications for social cohesion, and for conflict-sensitive programming by humanitarian actors? 
   3. How can a deeper understanding of markets and trade in food commodities contribute to improved understanding of the severity of food insecurity in Darfur? 
2. Be the key point of contact for the Darfur-based research team
3. Work with the other members of the international team, to contribute to research and learning products (reports, briefs, meetings, webinars, blogs, possible journal article, etc).

CONSULTANT ACTIVITIES