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Expression of Interest for Consultancy for Technical Implementation of the Digital Information System (DISA) for Sustainable and Climate Change-oriented Agriculture in Rwanda. Location: Kigali Deadline: Tuesday, 24/02/2026 23:59 Scope of the Project With the project Practical implementation of the digital information system (DISA) for sustainable and climate change-oriented agriculture in Rwanda commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) as part of the Federal-State Program, GIZ aims to support Rwandan government institutions and farmers to adapt its agricultural production to climate change by using digital tools to improve forecasts and giving recommendations for action for farming activities. To achieve these objectives, it is intended to transfer and adapt experiences from the German Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate regarding the preparation and provision of digital agrometeorological data and services to end users in the Rwanda context. Furthermore the project builds on the results of the previous project Digital Information System for Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Agriculture in Rwanda (DISA) The German partner is the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Economics, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture (MWVLW) with its implementation partners Technical University of Bingen (TH Bingen) and the Rural Service Centres (DLR RLP). Partners in Rwanda are the Rwanda Space Agency (RSA), the Association for the Promotion of Sustainable Development in Rwanda (Verein zur Förderung nachhaltiger Entwicklung in Ruanda e.V.), a registered local NGO based in Butare, the Imbaraga Farmers Association, the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) as an agricultural research institution in Rwanda, as well as the private universities Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) Africa and the Institute Denseignement Superieur De Ruhengeri (INES) in Musanze, and other private local agricultural consultants or private companies. Other potential partners are Meteo Rwanda, Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA) and the University of Rwanda. The target group are (smallholder) farmers in Rwanda who can use improved information systems for agriculture to make their farming more ecologically sustainable and adapted to climate change. It comprises of approximately 20,000 farmers in the two pilot regions around Huye in southern Rwanda and Musanze in the north. In addition to the recommendations for cultivation and pesticide use for potatoes, another crop maize will be included in the information system. The project involves innovative farmers from the previous pilot regions and representatives of local agricultural structures in rural regions of Rwanda. 0.2. Data for Sustainable Development in Agriculture Agriculture is one of the most important economic sectors in Rwanda. A large proportion of jobs in the country depend on agriculture. Although the agricultural sector contributes only 33% to the countrys GDP, approximately 72% of the population works in this sector (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), 2025), with women accounting for well over 50% of these jobs. The overarching goal in Rwanda is to improve food security, modernise this sector and adapt it to climate change. Long-term data shows that the agricultural sector makes a significant contribution to poverty reduction, around 60%. These findings underline the outstanding socio-economic importance of farmers. Agricultural production in Rwanda faces major challenges. The countrys extremely dense population and rapid population growth are leading to increasing land scarcity and intensified land use. Around 80% of the countrys total land area is used for agricultural purposes. Subsistence farming by smallholders dominate the sector. On average, a smallholder family has less than one hectare of land to cultivate. However, this is hardly enough to support the rural household. Agricultural productivity is low. This is exacerbated by predominantly low-yield soils, some of which have been degraded by intensive use and the non-sustainable farming methods employed. In addition, crop failures occur due to factors such as pest infestation and plant diseases, which severely impair agricultural production. Many smallholder farmers do not have access to the knowledge and technologies they need to adapt their agronomic practices to these problems. To address this situation, Rwanda has implemented a general guideline for the modernisation of agriculture in Rwanda, the Plan stratégique pour la transformation Agricole (PSTA 4), for the years 20182024. In December 2024, PSTA 5 came into force for the next five years, which again emphases the importance of a resilient and sustainable agricultural sector for food production. PSTA 5 identifies the following priority areas for action: 1. Adaptation to climate change; 2. Ensuring food security; and 3. Increasing productivity. From September 2023 to June 2025, the project Digital Information System for Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Agriculture in Rwanda (DISA) was carried out as part of the German Federal-State Programme. The aim of the project was to promote the development of a digital information system by Rwandan government institutions for sustainable and climate-change-adapted agriculture, with a particular focus on gender-specific issues affecting Rwandan women farmers. 0.3. Objectives of the assignment The objectives of the assignment are as follows: Refine and further develop and test the established digital information system for agriculture (DISA), which is installed and run by RSA. Support the Rwanda Space Agency to integrate new or updated layers and prepare for new user-oriented applications. Ensure user-friendly tools for data access tailored to gender-specific concerns of women working in agriculture and climate change mitigation activities. Provide technical information to stakeholders in partner and farmer communities to leverage access to data for improved agricultural practices, with an emphasis on women. 1. Tasks to be performed by the contractor The contractor is expected to participate in the preparation of the operational plan in cooperation with all main partners; to ensure the operational plans timely implementation, providing technical support for partners, and developing required digitized solutions. The contractor is expected to implement the following work packages (WPs) in close cooperation with GIZ and the following main partners: Rwanda Space Agency (RSA) Meteo Rwanda Imbaraga Farmers Organization, Rwanda Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA) Dienstleistungszentren ländlicher Raum (DLR), Rhineland-Palatinate (RLP) Technische Hochschule Bingen, RLP Ministry of Economy, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture (MWVLW), RLP Work package 1: Further development of relevant applications Data verification and validation using statistical methods, from descriptive techniques to geostatistical and time series analyses, are to be applied to further data layers. This also applies to the further analysis steps as input for the respective modelling approach of the planned application. Examination of the extent to which real-time data from private services can be used (via API). It includes setting up access to data and automated retrieval, especially for real-time data (e.g., APIs, HTTPS requests, and automated file transfers). Support for the integration of this additional and expanded data and data sources into the system installed at RSA. Participate in a monthly and ad hoc required JF of the technical group (as defined in the operational plan) and report in writing (e.g., data in table format, bullet points) to the projects steering group monthly or upon request. Optimization of DISA interface for using applications on mobile devices and tablets. Provision of an option enabling individual user activity tracking, e.g. by adding a form that needs to be filled before using the application. Development and adjusting of a new forecasting model. Specifically, an application is to be developed to monitor and, if necessary, combat the corn pest fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda). This requires the provision of the relevant data and the forecasting model by partners. Consider any other already existing web applications for integration into DISA. Comprehensive open-source documentation of DISA implementation including applications in public repository, e.g. on github. Work package 2: Improvement of forecast models using locally relevant weather data Integration of data from LoRaWAN sensors that record temperature, relative humidity at two altitude levels, leaf wetness, soil moisture and precipitation locally online. The sensors are provided and installed by partners. The data are first processed locally and then integrated into the RSA system (DISA). Ensure integration and update of the specified RSA server. Visualisation of data and configuration of existing and, later, new applications with the aim of enabling farmers and their advisors to use the information as decision-making support and to directly demonstrate the impact of locally collected digital weather and climate data on agricultural production. Establishment of a continuous monitoring workflow. Enable collaboration with private weather station operators to use DISA services (specifically, the existing late blight application) through the development of a module enabling easy integration of their weather data. Integration of at least one private weather data provider. Enable the late blight application to run on a specific weather data providers data only. Weather data quality checks with available data, especially between sensor data and openly available weather data in particular from Ope Tender Link : https://www.jobinrwanda.com/job/expression-interest-eoi-consultancy-technical-implementation-digital-information-system-disa
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