Agronomist Consultant

CIAI is an Italian NGO, founded in 1968, aimed at protecting basic children’s right. CIAI has been present in Vietnam since 1993 with adoption program and development projects in education, hygiene, health in Bac Giang, Vinh Long, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Cao Bang, Lang Son.

1. BACKGROUND
CIAI is in collaboration with VAPCR (Vietnam association for protection of children’s rights) to implement the project “Children rights to nutrition or the ethnic minorities in the remote areas of Son Dong district, Bac Giang province”.
The specific objective of the project is to contribute to achieve food security and decrease malnutrition rate for the population of 3 communes: An Lap, Duong Huu, Van Son of Son Dong District, through training and awareness raising activities in food farming and nutrition, mainly addressed to women and children as principal actors in developing process in rural areas.
Specifically, the project aims to improve nutrition for children and mothers in Son Dong District, Bac Giang Province, through spreading information on nutrition and on the valorization of local resources in the communities and improving the skills and knowledge of local communities to take advantage of local resources.

The project will act on two different levels:
All the 23 communes of the district will be involved in activities aimed to spread more knowledge on nutrition among the population and to train health centre and women union staff in order to be focal point for the community in this field.
Furthermore 3 communes have been selected to be scenario of more specific activities addressed to 340 families in poor conditions, pregnant women, children between 2 to 4 years old and secondary schools students.
Those activities aim to concretely improve the nutrition of children providing skills, tools and knowledge to the principal stakeholders involved in their development.

2. OVERVIEW OF THE CONSULTANCY
2.1 Assessment
2.1.1 Structure:
The assessment will be the base on which the training will be built. Information on conditions, skills and constraints will be used in order to better address the needs of the target group.
2.1.2 Specific objective
- Assess 150 home gardens in 3 communes: An Lap, Van Son, Duong Huu of Son Dong district, Bac Giang province;
- Identify and analyze the people’s habit of gardening and cattle-breeding;
- Identify the strength and weakness in the agricultural structure of the area;
- Build up the standard model for households;
- Select 40 families in need to receive poultries.

2.2 Training
2.2.1 Structure
The training course includes 3 classes in 3 chosen communes. Each class lasts half day.
2.2.2 Training subjects: basic knowledge on gardening, cattle-breeding
2.2.3 Specific Objective: To provide participants with knowledge, skills and tools to improve their home gardens.
2.2.4 Expected Results: Households could produce basic nutritious food ingredients like: vegetable, egg, bean…
2.2.5. Participants: The training is addressed to 150 people from the families already selected during the assessment.
3. Duty Station and Training Period:
Duty station: 3 communes: An Lap, Duong Huu, Van Son of Son Dong district, of Bac Giang province
Training period: The working period is negotiable basing on the work plan

4. Responsabilities of Consultant
- Do needs assessment on the agronomic situation in 3 chosen communes of the project. Find out, assess the needs of target households in the 3 communes, decide the poultry to raise, the plant to grow suitable for the aim of the project and the supported households;
- Provide CIAI with the assessment report;
- Prepare toolkits for families to improve their vegetable gardens;
- In coordination with the Nutrition Consultant hired by the project, the Agonomist consultant will suggest vegetable and fruits to grow in the home gardens in order to improve nutritional status of family members making the best of the local resources available;
- Design the training course and be the trainers in the course;
- Follow and assess the implementation of the model;
- Provide CIAI with a report on the trainings conducted.

5. Requirements of Consultant
- Vietnamese National
- Minimum of 5 years experience in working as a specialist in rural agriculture/;
- Experience in working with community, ethnic minority group;
- Strong experience in implementing needs assessment and designing training course;
- Computer literacy
6. Remuneration: negotiable
7. How to Apply
All interested consultants are invited to send a cover letter, an updates resume with examples of relevant past consultancies, and an annex with description of: proposed assessment methodology and schedule, detailed proposed training curriculum, including training schedule. The selected consultant will have the possibility to further expand the proposal in collaboration with CIAI, however a detailed plan must be submitted. The plan must be maximum 3 pages long: it has to comprise
A schedule of the assessment and the training.
Proposed methodology
Consultancy fee expectation
Reference material used
All documents requested must be sent to CIAI no later then 12 p.m. on 8th of January 2012 to the address below:
Ms Quan Thi Phuong Lien- CIAI Project manager: [email protected]