Consultant on Conducting Feasibility Assessment of Macadamia

SCOPE OF WORK FOR CONSULTANT ON CONDUCTING FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT OF
MACADAMIA IN THANH HOA PROVINCE

INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT SCOPE OF WORK

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.

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.

Description of Consultancy Service:

1.     Background

Under Objective 2 (Increase Conservation-Friendly Enterprises in Forest Dependent Communities), there are two main tasks as follow:

1. Identify Target Value Chains, Barriers, and Opportunities
2. Strengthen Conservation-Friendly Value Chains in SFM Landscapes

In Vietnam, Macadamia is an imported tree and belongs to the groups of non-timber forest products in the list of main forestry species. Up to now, the whole country has 28 provinces growing Macadamia, with a total area of 18,840 ha, mainly concentrated in the two regions of the Northwest and the Central Highlands; The harvested area is 6,853 ha, the output in 2021 is estimated at 8,514 tons of fresh seeds/year. The market for macadamia products is mainly domestic in the country and in some countries such as Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China. It can be said that the development of macadamia in our country in recent years has obtained positive results, rapidly increasing in area and output, creating jobs, increasing income for producers; many models of macadamia nut cultivation give a decent and stable income, contributing to promoting economic, social development and environmental protection, especially in mountainous areas in the Northwest and Central Highlands provinces[1].

Thanh Hoa has 11 mountainous districts with a natural area of 799,319.02 hectares, a population of 899,233 people, accounting for 71.8% of the area and 25.1% of the province's population. Since 2015, the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center has put Macadamia into trial cultivation of intensive farming models in the districts of Nhu Thanh, Ha Trung, Yen Dinh, Trieu Son, Cam Thuy, Thach Thanh, Tho Xuan, and Thuong Xuan. However, the growth situation of macadamia trees grown in the districts is very different and information on the market for products from macadamia trees is still lacking. Some models give high yield, but in some locations the ability to flower, set fruit and yield is low.

Therefore, in order to assess the adaptability of the Macadamia grown in Thanh Hoa province, the survey, investigation, and assessment of its ability to adapt to ecological conditions, growing conditions, growing and developing ability and especially yield and quality of macadamia varieties grown in localities in Thanh Hoa province are necessary. The People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province has also issued Document No. 1576/UBND-NN dated February 1, 2021 assigning the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Thanh Hoa province to take the main responsibility and coordinate with other departments, sectors relevant units to summarize the macadamia tree planting models in the province and closely coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to incorporate the province's macadamia development tasks into the sustainability development strategy  of macadamia in the period of 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2045.

Based on the above context and receiving the proposal of the Provincial Project Management Unit (PPMU) of Thanh Hoa province, the Project recruits a short-term consultant to perform the task on assessing of the adaptability of macadamia grown in Thanh Hoa provinceand providing appropriate recommendations on sustainable development direction of macadamia tree for Thanh Hoa province. The activity will be expected to contribute directly to the main indicator: ID4- Number of resources mobilized. In case the development of macadamia in Thanh Hoa province is found feasibly and can contribute to the objectives of the Project, this activity can further contribute to the following indicators: ID1- Number of people enhanced capacity; and ID5-Number of livelihood beneficiaries (in 11 monitoring and evaluation indicators of the Project)

2.     Purposes of the assignment

To conduct the feasibility assessment on the adaptability to ecological conditions, growing conditions, growth and development capacity, yield and quality of locally grown macadamia varieties and provide recommendation for sustainable development of macadamia in Thanh Hoa province.

3.     Scope of the assignment

Coordinate with the PPMU and the Forest Protection Sub-department of Thanh Hoa province to:

1. Review and study relevant documents on macadamia development in Vietnam in general and Thanh Hoa in particular;
2. Assess and review the current situation of macadamia tree planting models in Thanh Hoa province;
3. Draw conclusions on the adaptability of macadamia trees in Thanh Hoa province;
4. Provide recommendations and propose the necessary studies on the market, socio-economic impacts of macadamia development; and
5. Proposing a roadmap for planning and developing Macadamia nut growing area of ??Thanh Hoa in case Macadamia tree is assessed to have high feasibility and adaptability in the province.

The scope of consultancy work mentioned above can be adjusted accordingly, based on the actual situation and agreement between the consultant and staff of the Project and the Thanh Hoa PPMU.

4.     Location

Activities are carried out internally at the consultant's office and conducted outside activities, surveys, consultations, and consultation workshops in some communes and districts of Thanh Hoa province.

5.     Tasks

The Consultant is expected to conduct the following tasks:

1. Review of secondary documents on the development of macadamia in Vietnam in general and Thanh Hoa in particular.
2. Prepare implementation outline, approaches to conduct activities; discuss and reach consensus with the Project technical staff before rolling out implementation.
3. Design survey methods, collect and analyze data, including survey activities, on-site assessment, organization of consultation meetings with local stakeholders, and expert interviews, etc.   
4. Develop the Inception Report including detailed work plan, approach to implement activities related to field survey and assessment, research outline and survey method. Discuss and agree on the work plan and schedule with the Project staff and Thanh Hoa PPMU before implementation;
5. Survey adaptability and assess the feasibility of macadamia trees in the field in Thanh Hoa province, including:  
   
   • Evaluate the growth and development of macadamia in selected models and growing areas, including varieties, different ages, farming techniques, site conditions, soil, climate.
   • Evaluate and compare (benchmarking) the results with models in other localities in Vietnam such as the Northwest and Central Highlands and internationally on issues such as growth, development, productivity and the quality of macadamia, etc.
   • Assess the resistance to pests and diseases and adaptation to adverse weather conditions in the locality such as whirlwinds, storms, hoarfrost, abnormally high temperatures, etc.
   • Assess the environmental impact of Macadamia trees to ensure sustainable development without causing deforestation, ensuring the goal of reducing CO2 emissions.
6. Develop a draft assessment report on the adaptability and feasibility of Macadamia trees in Thanh Hoa province.
7. Participate in a provincial technical consultation workshop on the adaptability of macadamia trees in Thanh Hoa province to gather comments
8. Update the report based on the comments of the stakeholders at the consultation workshop and comments from the local departments and agencies and the staff in charge from the Project; and.
   Complete and submit the final assessment reports

Anticipated Level of Effort (LOE) and Deliverables

The estimated LOE for this assignment is 55 person-days, from March 15, 2022, and ending on July 31, 2022. The final report must be in both Vietnamese and English. The specific deliverables and timeframe are listed below in the following Table:

Qualification:

• Have master's degree or higher in forestry, environment, natural resource management, sustainable rural development or related fields
• Have at least 10 years of experience in researching and developing plans and projects for the fields of agriculture and forestry, rural development, forestry, natural resource management, and development of policies to support development. production and development of agricultural and forestry products.  
• Having knowledge about macadamia tree and the development of macadamia tree in Vietnam
• Knowledge of the context of agro-forestry development, Macadamia in Thanh Hoa and the ability to move and work in the field in the context of COVID-19 is an advantage.
• Have skills in analyzing statistical data; synthesizing and writing reports
• Vietnamese National

How to apply and requested documents

Interested candidates are requested to submit:

• A CV in English and Vietnamse
• A cover letter in English
• Scanned copy of related degrees
• Summarised technical proposal in English and Vietnamese (at least5 pages) on approach to this assignment (methodology and work plan), and list of relevant completed assignments.

via email to our recruitment email at [email protected] [1]. 

Please quote the position title in the subject line: “Applicant’s full name_Macadamia Thanh Hoa”

Deadline for application: 5.00 p.m. (Hanoi time), March 7, 2022

To learn more about DAI, please visit our website www.dai.com [2].

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.