Communications Consultants for Documentation of Agro-ecology Practices

TERM OF REFERENCES (ToR)

Communications Consultants for Documentation of Agro-ecology Practices

Place of work: Human Ecology Practical Area (HEPA), Huong Son District, Ha Tinh province and home-based.

1. Background

1.1) Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Southeast Asia – Hanoi Office (RLS SEA)

Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung (RLS) is one of six (06) major political foundations in the Federal Republic of Germany. Affiliated with the German Left party (Die Linke), RLS nurtures and promotes democratic socialism. We are striving to develop alternative approaches for transforming society toward a more united and just one. With this approach, we are facilitating political analysis, education, and dialogues, both in Germany and worldwide.

RLS currently has 26 offices worldwide. In over 80 countries, we are working with partners, including State agencies, academic institutions, and civil society organizations. From RLS Southeast Asia (RLS SEA) – Hanoi Office, we aim to contributing to ensure social, ecological, and political rights for all as well as overcoming unequal power structures by promoting participatory decision-making processes, political exchange and dialogue, leading to a fair distribution of wealth and resources and a healthy environment. To materialize this goal, we focus on three (03) components including Component A - Social Justice, Component B – Social and Ecological Transformation, and Component C- Raising progressive Mekong voices in the ASEAN region. RLS SEA office in Hanoi is geographically working in five countries - Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand with a broader view into the Southeast Asia region.

1.2) Social Policy Ecology Research Institute (SPERI)

SPERI works towards a society where indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities have equal access to social justice, gender equity, natural resources, and fair social economic systems in the Mekong region. SPERI sees itself as the facilitator providing opportunities to stimulate traditional belief towards nature, enriching ethical principles to socialize human behavior in natural resources management and environmental protection. SPERI’s development approach is based upon human ecology principles, which focuses on the relationship between humans and their (natural) environment. SPERI uses a holistic approach to help people solve problems and enhance human potential within their environments - their family, community, and natural environment. SPERI’s research and lobby work is rooted in the experiences of the local peoples.

SPERI operates a Human Ecology Practical Area (HEPA), a 500-ha property of mostly protected forest and incorporates Farmer Field School practical hands-on training program, located in Huong Son district, Ha Tinh province.  These learning environments are training grounds for students and interested groups from a variety of indigenous groups and local communities from Vietnam and Laos and SEA countries.

Eco-farming principles have been practiced in HEPA area and specifically continuously working on the farms with specific regards to giving high respect to local ecological knowledge and integrating Permaculture design principles.  Through eco-farming pilots, workings, experiences, and lessons learned, SPERI has successfully facilitated and engaging 'key farmers', youths’ activists, civil society, and communities’ movement to enlarge the uptake of these ecologically sustainable methods in farming and lifestyles to be accepted by the wider communities, and from there, connecting and generating influence over groups and communities in the Mekong region, Southeast Asian level.

2. Rational

In 2021, SPERI implemented the applied research project “Applied Research Contract on Comparative the Ecological and Livelihood Outcomes of Models of Agricultural Development (Industrial Agriculture vs. Agroecology)”, funded by Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) via Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung. The project concentrated on comparing livelihoods and ecological effects between monoculture farming model (i.e., cassava only) and ecologically diverse mixed-cropping model. During the field findings and documentation, the research process engaged farmers, youths and women group, and related stakeholders to better aware of impacts of monoculture model, and at the same time realize the value of the forgotten traditional ecological knowledge and agroecology inherent from communities in the Kon Plong district, Kon Tum province. After sharing the outputs to the policy makers at district, provincial, and national level; this year, SPERI intends to bring the documentation to a next level – i.e., by documenting farm-based lessons learned from these eco-farming practices from farms at HEPA, outputs and lessons will be shared throughout various platforms to continuously contributing to agro-ecological awareness enhancement and social-ecological transformation process. To do that, we are recruiting a group of consultants(s) to conduct the documentation of the agro-ecology farming models in Human Ecology Practical Area (HEPA).

3. Objectives of the study

Within this activity, we aim to share the HEPA Eco-farming model to those who are interested in Eco-farming and want to apply or convert into eco-farming[1]. The objective is: 

• To document the 5 agro-ecological farming models including (1) Huyen Vy Spirit farm; (2) Thuong Uyen ecological livelihood farm; (3) Linh Moc farm; (4) Rao An seasonal food processing farm and (5) Giac Ngo community ecology livelihood farm.
  Documentation will need to include:
  
  • Eco-farming master planning
  • Eco-farming design system
  • Eco-farming principles applied at each farm
  • Introduction of each farm. Detailed description of the status. Key findings and discussions. Concluding remarks and lessons for each farm.

4. Expected Deliverables

• The entire below documentation/ communications productions will be disseminated in both English and Vietnamese.

1. One (01) Video about the agro-ecology model of HEPA, maximum 5 minutes. The video will have English voice-over and Vietnamese subtitles. The video aims to demonstrate Eco farming planning, designing system and the principles and practices being applied in HEPA farms and their lessons, key take-home messages for farm level, for community level and for the movement level. Any insights into policy adoption are highly welcomed.
2. One (01) Photobook of eco-farming design and principles with at least 05 case studies of farms in English and Vietnamese following these farming practices and lessons, maximum 40 pages.

Noted: Photographs that illustrate the main findings and or lessons of these documentations must include written consent for photos usage and relevant information such as where was it taken, who or what is visible and legit copyright.

5. Requirements

The research task is designed maximum 30 working days (to be discussed)

Necessary qualification:

• Proven experience in Communications for Development (C4D).
• Proven experience in producing communications products with a focus on video and photograph materials.
• At least 3-5 years of experiences on documentation of local case studies/ projects and/ or delivered C4D training for Youths/ Farmers.
• Ability to write international-standards research reports/ outputs in both English and Vietnamese (proven by a track of record of publications and/ or portfolio).
• Ability to communicate well in both verbal and written form of English and Vietnamese.
• A flexible and can-do-attitude towards challenges that might arise during the consultancy.
• Experience on the topics of Agro-ecology, Permaculture, Traditional Ecological Knowledge Preservation, Community-based Forest management and related fields is a plus.

6. Rough Timeline (to be discussed)

7. Submission of Applications

We would like to invite interested consultant(s) to submit their application following international standards in English language including:

• A short workplan to propose planning to conduct the documentation and the training (maximum 2 pages). The proposal should include the documentation (video + photobook), but not limited to the timeline, expected working days, research design/ methods, and expected output deliverables
• CV(s) of consultant(s) (optional with references)
• Portfolio with 1-2 highlight relevant samples
• Business registration certificate (if available)
• Financial plan following the template
  
  
  • Please be noted that the proposed budget should be PIT/VAT excluded.
  • All expenditures from 200,000 VND, VAT is required; For the print-out of the electronic version of the VAT receipt, it should be included a sentence "HOA DON CHUYEN DOI TU HOA DON DIEN TU”.
  • All invoices/ receipts/ list & supporting financial documents must be submitted in original in or/with a brief translation into English.
  • The maximum budget for this consultant package is 10,000 EUR

8. Evaluation Criteria

• Financial Offer/ Price per man-day
• Professional profile (CVs, portfolio, proven relevant experiences with high-quality past works, etc.)
• Short workplan
• Experience/ basic knowledge of the project’s topic (i.e.: permaculture, agro-ecology, community-based forest management)

9. Application deadline: 22^nd April 2022 (before 6 p.m.)

Please submit your application quote subject [C4D consultancy] – [Full name of the consultants/ team] to Ms. Hoang Hao Tra My, Project Manager ([email protected]); cc to Ms. Tran Bao Ngoc Anh, Communications Officer ([email protected]) and SPERI Board Director ([email protected]).

Inquiries are only accepted before the application deadline. Only short-listed applicants will be contact.