Tree Seed Consultant - Cinnamon Seeds/Seedlings Production and Use in Lao Cai Province

TERMS OF REFERENCE

CONSULTANCY SERVICE

Tree Seed Consultant to Support for

Improvement of Cinnamon Seeds/Seedlings Production and Use in Lao Cai Province

Project title:  Women's Economic Empowerment through Agriculture Value Chain Enhancement project (WEAVE)

Location: Hanoi and Lao Cai province

Duration:  10 May – 30 July 2020

1.  Background

SNV Netherlands Development Organization has been working in Vietnam since 1995. Using market-based approaches, SNV is committed to reducing poverty by catalyzing inclusive, gender sensitive and environmentally sustainable solutions for the poor in agriculture, energy, water & sanitation, and REDD+ with essential cross-cutting themes of climate change, women's economic empowerment and inclusive business.

Currently, SNV, together with our consortium partners, CARE and Oxfam is implementing the Women's Economic Empowerment through Agriculture Value Chain Enhancement project (WEAVE) funded by the Australian Government. WEAVE aims to address barriers to women's full participation in the banana, cinnamon and pork value chains, and better support women's genuine economic empowerment. We will link women producers and entrepreneurs with each other to increase opportunities for women's collective action, and will strengthen links between women and other value chain actors to create opportunities for women's economic participation. By working to overcome these gender based barriers to social and economic development, WEAVE will contribute to overall poverty reduction and the promotion of gender equality in Lao Cai and Bac Kan provinces.

SNV's role focuses on the development of a higher profit cinnamon value chain for Lao Cai province as a vehicle of women economic empowerment. SNV aims to introduce sustainable production practices with added value by supporting cinnamon certification in project's site and presenting sustainable standards and practices to cinnamon women farmers, Cinnamon Farmer Interest Groups (FIGs) with focus on women's economic empowerment theme.

At present, Lao Cai province has a total area cinnamon plantations of about 25,000 hectares, and every year new planted area increased from 2,500 to 3,000 hectares, leading to the demand of millions of seedlings. Province has about some tens cinnamon seed sources and nurseries, but the current situation is most cinnamon seedlings produced and used in the area are with unknown quality, especially in term of genetic quality. Lao Cai province expected to have capacity strengthened to promote production and use of good quality Cinnamon seeds/seedlings as a way for achieving higher profit of cinnamon value chain for local people.

SNV is looking for a national consultant to deliver a service package on Promotion of Use of Good Quality Seedlings of Cinnamon for Plantation in Lao Cai Province.

The title of the assignment is: “Support for Improvement of Cinnamon Seeds/Seedlings Production and Use in Lao Cai Province”.

2. Consultancy services

2.1. Objectives

To support staff of Lao Cai provincial Forest Protection Department (FPD) in preprocess of  assessment of the current production and use cinnamon planting materials; and development guideline documents on production and trade of forest tree seed/seedlings for promotion of production and use of good quality seedlings for plantations of cinnamon in Lao Cai province 

2.2. Scope of work

The assignment will start with development of a report on current status on seeds and seedling production and use of cinnamon in Lao Cai province. This includes (i) Collect and study existing materials and documents; (ii) Practical observation – Retrieval of primary data related to the spice value-chain/market in Vietnam. In this process, Key stakeholder interviews with: researchers, provincial, district and commune authorities; seed sources and nursery owners; traders; nurseries workers and farmers, and (iii) Data analysis and report development. The preparation, survey and report development will be a participatory process in which FPD Lao Cai. Roles of the consultant are providing advices and coaching staff of staff of FPD during process, and helping the staff in formulating and finalizing the final report.

The consultant will also work with and support officials of the FPD Lao Cai in preparing and implementation of the following activities:

• Prepare and implement a field survey in Lao Cai for practical observation – Retrieval of primary data related to the spice value-chain/market in Vietnam. In this process, Key stakeholder interviews with: researchers, provincial, district and commune authorities; seed sources and nursery owners; traders; nurseries workers and farmers….
• Synthesize of collected information from the survey and develop a report on current status of cinnamon seeds/seedlings production and use in Lao Cai province (focusing on demand, supply, production capacity and practices; and management and quality insurance aspects).
• Develop of an instruction/guideline document (to be issued by DARD) on production and trade of tree planting materials (seeds and seedlings) - for promotion of production and trade of good quality seeds/seedlings of cinnamon for use in Lao Cai.
• Develop training materials and support on facilitation for workshop and training events for instruction of the guideline documents and capacity building for key stakeholders.

The consultant will support FPD Lao Cai staff in ensuring the activities are well planned and effectively implemented.

2.3. Deliverables

Deliverable 1

An assessment report about the current status of cinnamon seeds and seedlings production in Lao Cai province, focusing in Bac Ha and Van Ban districts with the following contents: The following basic question needs to be answered during the research:

• What is current status of demand and production/supply for seed/seedlings of cinnamon in Lao Cai province?
• What is current status of demand, production, trade and use of cinnamon seed and seedlings in term of quality (genetic and physical)
• How ethnic women involved and their roles in seed/seedlings production in project area (Bac Ha and Van Ban districts)? 
• What are the main constraints that block production and use of the good quality seeds and seedlings of cinnamon in Lao Cai province?
• What are the training needs and/or capacity building for key stakeholders for improvement of production and use of the good quality forest tree seeds and Cinnamon seeds and seedlings in Lao Cai province?
• What is the policy context about tree seed quality management by Central and Lao Cai province? How it’s functioning in Lao Cai?
• What are the mechanisms and/or policies that should be developed to regularize and/or promote production and use of good quality cinnamon planting material (in term of both genetic and physical quality) in Lao Cai province?

Deliverable 2

A final draft of instruction/guideline document (to be issued by DARD) on production and trade of tree planting materials (seeds and seedlings) agreed by FPD Lao Cai.

Deliverable 3

A set of training materials (on PowerPoint) for trainings on tree seed production and handlings, i.e (i)  Establishment and management of seed sources and (ii) Establishment and operation of nurseries,.

Deliverable 4

A final consultancy report describing activities, achievements, deliverables of the consultant in implementation of the package.

3. Timeline and consultant fees

The assignment is expected to start as soon as possible (in beginning of May 2020) and finish by end of July 2020.

Total estimated man-day for this assignment is 25-30 man days (detail breakdown will be discussed with consultant).

4. Requirements

The individual or group of consultant should meet the following requirements:

• Vietnamese citizen;
• University or higher background on Forestry or Agriculture Development;
• Having good understanding on sustainable forest management, and demonstrate strong knowledge on seed source and  seedlings production techniques;
• Proven experience in developing training program and training materials on nursery management, tree seed handlings;
• Good knowledge of government and provincial policies related to tree seed quality management;
• Good skills in developing technical and policy guidance documents
• Strong capacity and experience in delivering workshop and training events on forest sustainable and tree seed related aspects;
• Having experienced in supply chain management in private sector/enterprises.
• Knowledge and experiences in Cinnamon’s seed handling, and working experience with ethnic minority women will be an advantage.
• Being able to deliver the committed outputs on time.

5. How to apply:

Interested consultants are requested to submit his/her CV and interest letter with a short proposal demonstrating their ability to deliver the assignment and proposed rate to the link https://smrtr.io/3_dk5 by 17.00 hrs April 28th, 2020