Consultant on SFM Field Practice

INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT SCOPE OF WORK

A. DAI ORGANIZATION AND VALUES

DAI is a global development company with corporate offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, EU, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Palestine and project operations worldwide. We tackle fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governance, and instability. DAI works on the frontlines of global development. Transforming ideas into action—action into impact. We are committed to shaping a more livable world.

DAI and its employees are committed to confronting racism and holding ourselves accountable for positive change within the company and in the communities, cultures, and countries in which we live and work.  DAI is committed to attracting and retaining the best employees from all races and backgrounds in our continued effort to become a better development partner.

DAI upholds the highest ethical standards. We are committed to the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment as well as other ethical breaches. All of our positions are therefore subject to stringent vetting and reference checks.

B. PROJECT BACKGROUND

The USAID Sustainable Forest Management Project (the Project) will work with the Government of Vietnam (GVN) to reduce carbon emissions associated with deforestation, the degradation of natural forests, and poor plantation management. The Project will implement a “Green Prosperity” approach that strengthens local communities’ ability to protect their natural resource base and reduce emissions while building a strong foundation for sustainable livelihoods and equitable economic growth.

The Project will work in seven provinces (Lao Cai, Son La, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Tri, Quang Nam) and focus on five objectives:

1. Improve and expand community forest management
2. Increase conservation-friendly enterprises in forest-dependent communities
3. Increase functionality of law enforcement system for forest crimes
4. Improve production forest management practices
5. Mobilize domestic resources for forest management and protection

The Project will be implemented during the period 2020-2025 by DAI in collaboration with RECOFTC and Preferred by Nature as partners, with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) as the counterpart and the Management Board of Forestry Projects (MBFP) as project owner.

C. DESCRIPTION OF CONSULTANCY SERVICE:

I. Background

Under the Objective 4 (Improve production forest management practices), there are three main tasks as follows:

• Increase Production of Sustainable Timber by Small-Scale Foresters
• Increase Demand from Processors for Certified Timber
• Develop Market Linkages Between Timber Producers and Industry

The growing international and local furniture market has created a high demand for timber and wood chips, while an insufficient domestic supply drives indiscriminate importation of timber from abroad. Sustainable plantation management can improve yields of existing plantation lands, contribute to increasing domestic availability of wood products, and indirectly decreasing the demand for illegal wood products.

This Scope of Work (SOW) is to recruit the short-term consultant position in ‘SFM field practice', to provide support to farmer groups and plantation owners in the implementation of SFM practices and forest certification, in the provinces of Quang Tri, Quang Nam, Nghe An, Hoa Binh, to pilot an insurance scheme for forest owners in the province of Thanh Hoa and to promote sustainably produced and certified wood amongst wood processors in Vietnam. This activity is under work plan of fiscal year 2022 and would directly contribute to three main indicators: ID1 – Number of people trained; ID2 – Number of institutions improved capacity; and ID8 – Number of forest areas (hectare) under improved plantation management (in 11 indicators of the Project).

II. Purpose of the consulting work

The purpose of this consultancy is threefold. The first purpose is to provide support to farmer groups and plantation owners in the practical implementation of sustainable forest management practices and the transitioning of short-rotation plantations to long-rotation plantation, in four of the seven project provinces (Quang Tri, Quang Nam, Nghe An, Hoa Binh). This will be a direct follow-up to the training, farmer group establishment and certification promotion, which is carried out under Objective 4 of the Project. By providing direct, field-based implementation support to the target groups, the lasting impact of the Project will be improved, as it will be ensured that the target groups have the necessary support when applying learned techniques in practice. The second purpose is to prepare the piloting of a plantation insurance scheme in the province of Thanh Hoa. This will promote the transitioning to and establishment of long-rotation plantations, as the lack of insurance for timber plantations increases the risk of loss of investment for plantation owners, in areas prone to natural disasters, such as heavy storms and landslides. The third purpose is to promote sustainably produced/certified wood amongst wood processors in Vietnam, by facilitating a dialogue between representative of plantation owners, wood processing companies and authorities.

III. Expected outputs/results

The consultancy is expected to deliver the following results: 

1. At least 120 plantation owners have either transitioned existing short-rotation plantations or established new long-rotation plantations, to produce large dimension timber on a total area of at least 60.0 hectares in the provinces of Hoa Binh, Nghe An, Quang Tri and Quang Nam (Activity code 4.1.5.6).
2. A plantation insurance scheme for forest owners has been prepared for piloting in the province of Thanh Hoa (4.1.5.12).
3. A brochure promoting forest certification has been designed (4.2.2.1)
4. The first "SFM and FSC Dialogue Forum" between representatives of plantation owners, wood processing companies, foreign direct investment wood companies, VIFOREST, VNFOREST and local authorities has been organized in coordination with the seven provinces and CPMU (4.3.2.1)
5. The Thanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee has been assisted in the organization of an investment promotion conference in the field of forestry and timber processing (4.3.2.2)

IV. Location

The consultant will be home-based and will go on-site for field-tasks in the five provinces of Quang Tri, Quang Nam, Nghe An, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa.

V. Tasks

In close collaboration with the Certification Specialist, the Silviculture Specialist, the Forestry Expert, the wider Project team, local partners and forest owners/farmer groups/cooperatives, the consultant will implement the following tasks:

1. (a) Conduct a field survey to identify plantation owners who need support in the implementation of SFM practices and transition to long-rotation timber plantations in the provinces of Hoa Binh, Nghe An, Quang Tri and Quang Tri.
   (b)   Based on the outputs of the field survey, prepare a detailed plan, agenda and methodology to provide the necessary support for forest owners. This includes to consult and agree on a final plan, agenda and methodology with the Project staff, the PPMUs and local partners as well as forest owners/farmer groups and cooperatives before beginning implementation.
   (c)  Deliver technical guidance to plantation owners in SFM practices and the transitioning from short to long-rotation plantations or establishment of new, long-rotation plantations.
2. (a)  Conduct a field survey to identify a suitable site to pilot a plantation insurance scheme in the province of Thanh Hoa.
   (b)   Based on the outputs of the field survey, prepare a detailed plan, agenda and methodology to prepare for the piloting of a plantation insurance scheme in the province of Thanh Hoa. This includes to consult and agree on a final plan, agenda and methodology with the Project staff, the PPMUs and local partners as well as forest owners/farmer groups and cooperatives before beginning implementation.
   (c)   Deliver the relevant technical guidance to prepare a plantation insurance scheme for piloting in the province of Thanh Hoa.
3. (a) Draft a forest certification promotion brochure and collect feedback from target groups.
   (b)  Finalize the forest certification promotion brochure based on reader feedback.
4. (a)  Develop an implementation plan and conduct consultation meetings with major timber processors, timber associations and relevant institutions, to prepare a “SFM and FSC Dialogue Forum" between representatives of plantation owners, wood processing companies, foreign direct investment wood companies, VIFOREST, VNFOREST and local authorities in coordination with the seven project provinces and CPMU.
   (b) Assist the project implementation office and CPMU with the organization of the SFM and FSC Dialogue Forum.
5. (a)  Work with relevant partners, project staff and Thanh Hoa PPMU to organize an investment promotion conference in the field of forestry and timber processing.
6. (a)  Prepare a monthly progress report on the overall implementation of the assignments and a final report covering the implementation of all activities in this SOW as well as an evaluation for every location, where technical support has been provided to forest owners.

VI. Anticipated Level of Effort (LOE) and Deliverables

The estimated LOE for this assignment is 100 person-days, starting on March 15th, 2022, and ending on October 15th, 2022. The consultant will work for maximum 20 days per a month. The ICA has a maximum duration of 7 months but may be extendable depending on work performance, availability of budget and work demand;

All final deliverables must be prepared in Vietnamese, except the final report, which must be delivered in both Vietnamese and English. The specific deliverables and timeframe are listed below in Table 1

Table 1. Deliverables, LOE, due date and means of deliverable verification

VII. Qualifications

• Have a master’s degree or higher in forestry management or relevant areas
• Have at least 15 years of experience in SFM
• Have at least 10 years of experience in capacity building on management and SFM/forest certification for forest owners/ farmer groups/cooperatives;
• Have skills and experience in preparation of training material on management and SFM/forest certification, presentation, analysis and writing reports;
• Have skill and experience in working with local partners and farmer groups/cooperatives;
• Have Vietnamese proficiency in speaking and writing. Communicable English is an advantage.
• Encourage candidate from one or near to the target provinces.

VIII. How to apply and requested documents

Interested candidates are requested to submit:

• A CV in English/Vietnamese.
• A cover letter in English indicating why they are suitable for this position along with salary requirements and current contact details of at least three references.
• Scanned copy of highest related degrees.

Application shall be done via email to our recruitment at [email protected] / [email protected]

Please quote the position title in the subject line: “Candidate’s full name _ Consultant  SFM field practice”

Deadline for application: 5.00 p.m. (Hanoi time) March 11^th, 2022

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To learn more about DAI, please visit our website: https://www.dai.com/  

DAI is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer with a commitment to diversity. DAI does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, parental status, veteran status, or other non-merit factor.