Indonesia Smallholder Farming Socio-Economic Consultant

Overview

Indonesia Smallholder Farming Socio-Economic Consultant

• Output-based short term contract – 40 days
• Location: Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
• Starting date: February, position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found

JOB SUMMARY

WeForest is piloting a new agroforestry project in Upper Citarum, West Java, that is implemented by Indonesian organization Yagasu. The project aims to implement agroforestry systems (primarily organic coffee) working with smallholder farmers over 10,000 hectares. The primary intended outcomes are increased forest carbon sequestration and increased incomes for local people.

Currently, WeForest and Yagasu are implementing a 250 hectares pilot to test key assumptions before full project implementation. This consultancy project is one of three aimed to test these assumptions and enable any necessary adjustments to project design. The other consultancies focus on market systems development and agroforestry protocols.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

In this role you will:

• Assess previous experience, lessons learnt, and best practices from the pilot:
• Socio-economic situation, land access and land uses, and motivational factors of farmers who participated in the pilot, and farmers who decided not to participate in the agroforestry project
• Assess the effectiveness of the goat component, including lessons learnt from similar projects
• Quality control: evaluate satisfaction, knowledge, and skills of farmers who participated in the pilot regarding the support (inputs, technical, financial) they received

• Assess implications of lessons learnt from the pilot for the future programme:
• Shift in land uses: assess the positive and negative impacts of shifting away from vegetable farming in terms of household nutrition, income, and other relevant social and economic aspects
• Assess viability of assumptions in the project design over proposed project expansion e.g. number of farmers and land size committed by those farmers
• Assess effectiveness of the goat component and viability and value for money of full project expansion
• Establish a socio-economic baseline based on quantitative and qualitative indicators including:
• Current agroforestry practices
• Average yields for coffee production as well as other relevant products
• Average household incomes overall and by source, including from coffee. Income diversity could also be included
• Current market access and engagement
• Risk of non-permanence of carbon: evaluate the future likelihood of having timber extraction in agroforestry sites

REQUIRED SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

• At least 8 years of relevant experience on livelihoods and socio-economic issues
• Experience in coffee production and market systems is desirable
• Experience in developing and using action research tools and participatory methods
• Experience in conducting similar studies in Indonesia
• Academic background in relevant topics eg. Economics, Rural Development, Agriculture
• Experience in qualitative and quantitative research and analysis methods, including in-depth interview and household surveys
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Indonesian
• Ability to travel to Upper Citarum and work in a rural area

CONTEXT

WeForest is an international non-profit association headquartered in Belgium with the mission to conserve and restore the ecological integrity of forests and landscapes, engaging communities to implement and deliver lasting solutions for climate, nature and people.

Yagasu is an Indonesian Foundation that operates as a Non-Government Organization and focuses on ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation and community and socio-economic development.

POSITION WITHIN WEFOREST

This position reports to the WeForest Head of Project Development and will work closely with Yagasu project staff. Yagasu is able to provide some office space in its office in Bandung during the duration of the consultancy.

HOW TO APPLY

Please apply by sending your CV and a short cover letter in English to recruitment.indonesia@weforest.org. Please reference the position name in the subject of your email.

Due to the anticipated high number of applicants, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

We thank you in advance for your interest.