Project: Public-Social-Private Partnerships for Ecologically-Sound Agriculture and Resilient Livelihood in Northern Tonle Sap Basin (PEARL)
Duty Station: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), General Directorate of Agriculture (GDA), Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Section/Unit: MAFF Component
Contract/Level: National Consultant
Supervisor: Project Manager and Project Director of PEARL
Mode of Contract: 85 working days from May to December 2024 (possible extension up to April 2029)
1. Background
The Northern Tonle Sap Basin is one of Cambodia's most important agricultural regions, providing a fifth of the country's cereal and grain production, including 20 percent of the national aromatic rice production. At the same time, there are growing market opportunities for high-value and niche value chain products such as mango, cashew, organic rice, and leafy vegetables. Home to approximately 20 percent of the population, the Northern Tonle Sap Basin is one of regions that is most vulnerable to floods and droughts due to climate change, which are affecting local livelihoods significantly. Most smallholder farmers and other value chain actors remain marginalized and vulnerable to climate change impacts. This is due to a combination of financial, technological, regulatory, market and knowledge capacity barriers associated with environmental degradation and loss of natural resources in the targeted landscapes which expose rural communities to food and water insecurity and unsustainable livelihoods.
PEARL aims to enhance the resilience of smallholder farmers, especially women's groups, and local communities to climate change. The specific objective is to promote access to market opportunities and instruments that will reduce smallholders' vulnerability to the impacts of climate change while improving agricultural production and rural livelihoods. PEARL will improve access to growing premium markets focusing on commodities rice, cashews, mangoes, and vegetables, and scale up the uptake of climate-resilient practices and technologies. The project offers a holistic, three-fold response to enhance adaptation and reduce climate-related risks, with investments aimed at:
- Enhancing smallholder farmer capacities to manage climate change impacts and related risks.
- Increasing market incentives and access to technologies that promote climate- resilient, higher-value, diversified, and sustainable production and processing.
- Strengthening regulatory and institutional frameworks and capacities for climate-
- resilient agricultural certification, increased public-social-private partnerships, and climate-informed investment support.
Under the first response (component), the National Expert will support the Project Management Unit (PMU) to facilitate the processes to establish the Inter-Value Chain Committee (IVCC).
2. Reporting lines
The National Expert will report directly to the project coordinator, who will serve as the project liaison with stakeholders throughout the assignment. The National Expert will also closely collaborate with the PMU.
3. Project Management
The project steering committee, co-chaired by MAFF and FAO, is responsible for strategic guidance for the project. The project director is responsible for overall direction and guidance and operational leadership for all activities. The project coordinator manages day-to-day project operations and coordination with all stakeholders involved in the project implementation, oversees all planning activities, and ensures timely mobilisation of all necessary resources.
MAFF is responsible for implementing relevant parts of the project as defined in the results matrix, work plan, and budget in Annex 3 of the operation partner agreement dated 28th December 2023.
4. Objective of the Assignment
The key objective of the position is to support the Inter-Value Chain Committee to develop and implement a roadmap at the provincial level to match the target crop with the most timely and relevant certification(s) for promoting high-value and climate-resilient agriculture.
5. Scope of Work
The National Expert will undertake the following tasks:
- Develop ToR and process to establish the Inter-Value Chain Committee (IVCC) at the provincial level.
- Support the project management unit (PMU) to facilitate the processes to establish the IVCC.
- Support the IVCC to develop a roadmap (at the provincial level) to match the target crop with the most timely and relevant certifications (i.e. CamGap, PGS, GI, SRP and organic for production, and ISO 2200 and HACCP for processing) for promoting high-value and climate-resilient agriculture.
- Support the PMU in preparing and delivering training in crop-specific and climate- resilient business plans, financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills to ACs, FAs, PGs, CPAs, CFs, and agricultural unions, based on the roadmap.
- Support the PMU to provide onsite coaching support to 78 ACs, FAs, PGs, CPAs, CFs, and 2 agricultural unions to develop and implement crop-specific and climate- resilient business plans.
- Support the PMU in providing onsite coaching support to 16 CPAs in preparing crop- specific action plans/business plans to operationalise the provincial-level roadmaps.
- Support the IVCC (with a focus on ACs, FAs, PGs, CFs, and agricultural unions) to carry out branding, marketing (e.g., attending trade fairs, consumer awareness raising, and brokering purchase agreements) and sourcing and quality control activities.
- Support the IVCC (with a focus on CPAs) to carry out branding, marketing, sourcing and quality control activities.
- Support the IVCC to develop and operationalise partnership building with champion SMEs and traders/exporters.
- Support PMU assisting ACs, FAs, PGs, CPAs, and CFs in forming crop-specific agricultural cooperatives unions, where appropriate and strategic, to leverage pooled resources and capacities through action and business planning processes.
- Support the PMU in organising national and provincial annual dialogues between the
- beneficiary bodies (i.e., ACs, FAs, PGs, CPAs, CFs, and agricultural unions) and direct purchase agreement providers (i.e., traders/exporters, retailers, hoteliers, and restauranteurs) to establish operational partnerships for market development and implementing crop-specific action/business plans.
- Prepare progress reports at regular intervals and a final comprehensive report at the end of the assignment.
6. Deliverables
The following deliverables are expected from the Expert:
- ToR and process to establish the IVCC.
- A roadmap (at the provincial level), inclusive gender-responsiveness, to match the target crop with the most timely and relevant certifications.
- At least two inter-value-chain brands developed, and branding materials and product specifications.
- A plan to roll out the roadmaps.
- List of existing appropriate certifications systems (i.e. CamGap, PGS, GI, SRP and organic for production, and ISO 2200 and HACCP for processing) for promoting high-value and climate-resilient agriculture
7. Qualifications
- The Expert will be selected based on the following key qualifications:
- Master’s degree in agroecological science, agri-business and business-related fields.
- Relevance experience with the required scope of work, specifically in multi-actor partnership building.
- Familiar with existing certifications systems (i.e. CamGap, PGS, GI, SRP and organic for production, ISO 2200 or HACCP for processing).
- Demonstrate good comments in English.
- Know about AC, UAC, and CPA.
- Know the livelihood activities of citizens in the Northern Tonle Sap Basin.
The consultant will be selected by the Individual Consultant Selection (ICS) method set out in the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC)’s Updated Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Procurement Manual externally financed project/programs (PM), promulgated through Sub-decree 181, dated December 2019.
In submitting expressions of interest/application, interested applicants are kindly requested to provide updated curriculum vitae, indicating personal technical skills, academic qualifications, and experience similar to the assignments, along with the details of at least three referees contact information (name of referee, email address, telephone).
Expression of Interest/application must be delivered in written form via moeurn789.gda@gmail.com Submission of the hard copy must be delivered no later than the closing date.
Only short-listed candidates will be notified for interviews. Incomplete applications will not be considered, and applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.
There is no fee charged at any stage of the recruitment process.
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