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Thứ Năm, 28/03/2024 05:12

Calling for Specialists - Senior Researcher

15:02:00 24/06/2018

TERM OF REFERENCE

FOR SPECIALIST STUDY ON FARMER’S LINKAGE

POLICIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

PROJECT: ENHANCING AWARENESS AND POLICY ADVOCACY CAPACITY ON FARMER’S LINKAGE

 

  1. Background

Vietnam’s economy after 20 years of quick and hot development has slowed down since 2010 due to low growth quality. Economic growth mainly depends on the increase of investment capital and labor, not from the increased productivity and technology improvements. Poverty reduction in the past years gained many substantial achievements. However, the poverty rates still stay high in rural and ethnic areas. The agriculture sector also faces many integration challenges when large enterprises have troubles with barriers regarding to land accumulation and the application of high technologies.

Currently, Vietnam’s agriculture is entering into the second phase, after the first phase is the production phase to ensure food security, modern Vietnamese agriculture requires clean and safe agricultural products and farmers and their collaborators also have to be market-driven to meet the demand of their marker. In the context of small and fragmented agriculture, the linking of farmers in groups and cooperatives to apply specific and technical knowledge and to do market research is considered as an “irreversible trend” of Vietnamese agriculture. It is one of the most effective ways to support the poor farmers to improve their livelihoods and reduce poverty in rural areas in Vietnam.

The project “Enhancing awareness and policy advocacy capacity on farmer’s linkages” is part of a larger We Effect Program in Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar (Southeast Asia Programme). Under this project, the Institute for Economic and Policy Research (VEPR), the coordination agency of the Agriculture Coalition, with financial and technical support from We Effect is focusing to review and research the reality and performance including documents, policies, law on farmer’s linkages in Vietnam; and propose policy recommendations for policy advocacy.

Farmer's linkage is understood as the link farmers horizontally includes cooperatives, cooperative groups and interest groups. Vertical links of cooperatives, cooperative groups, the interest groups will be studied in the process of assessing the current situation of farmer’s linkages.

To promote the objectives of the project, building effective and democratic farmer’s organizations in Viet Nam, contribute to improve the effectiveness and equality of Viet Nam’s agriculture sector and raising farmer’s living standard, VEPR is in need of a senior researcher to conduct a scientific research on farmer’s linkages and policy recommendations. The senior researcher is expected to work until the final research report is approved by VEPR and related stakeholders (until the end of 2018).

 

  1. Objectives of the Specialist Study
  • Assess the current status of forms of farmer’s linkage in Vietnam;
  • Assess Vietnam's legal system on farmer's linkage;
  • Provide policy recommendations to improve the quality of the legal system to promote the development of farmer's linkages;
  • Provide orientation for further in-depth studies to contribute ideas for each specific policy (credit policy, land policy ...).

 

  1. Objective of the assignment

The senior researcher will work in a group of 04 specialists, with the support of VEPR and Agriculture Coalition, will:

  • Conduct scientific research, evidence-based research to assess policy quality;
  • Propose policy recommendations.

 

  1. Scope of Work
  1. Review the current situation and the legal framework of cooperatives, cooperative groups, and interest groups.
  • Conduct literature review on legal documents, circulars and decrees and the effectiveness and performance of cooperatives, famer’s organizations in Vietnam
  • Collect the statistic data about cooperatives, cooperative groups, and interest groups; farmer’s organizations... of Viet Nam to give the assessment of the status of these organizations.
  • Conduct in-depth interview with experts to collect information on the status of the cooperatives, cooperative groups, and interest groups
  • Take field trip to find out about some typical cooperatives, farmer’s organization case studies
  • Collect information on successful models of cooperatives, cooperative groups, and interest groups ... in the world and compare with the model of Vietnam
  1. Assess the legal framework of Vietnam for cooperatives, cooperative groups and general interest groups
  • Review the development history of Vietnam's legal document system on cooperatives, cooperative groups and interest groups to date to analyze the revolution as well as changes in the government's policy direction on cooperative development. 
  • Compare Vietnam's legal system, legal documents with best international practice (Canada, Sweden…)
  • Conduct in-depth interviews with experts, representatives of cooperatives, farmer’s organization to collect their comments of current policies
  • Make assessment on policy quality and propose policy recommendations
  1. Identify research gap to carry out further research on each specific policy (land policy, credit policy) and propose recommendations

 

  1. Lead Researcher requirements

The senior researcher will work with other 03 members as a group of 04 specialists to conduct this research. These are specific requirements:

  • Master’s Degree in Agriculture, Economics or related field;
  • At least 7 years of relevant working experience;
  • Knowledgeable about civil society; economic equality; cooperatives, agriculture investment in Viet Nam and international context;
  • Good communications, presentation skills; High level of written English and Vietnamese;
  • Ability to work independently and work with the team;
  • Writing skill including reports, proposal, policy recommendation in a clear, concise and persuasive way; has experience in writing making project proposal for international organization is an advantage;
  • Has experience in executing, managing and organizing professional research;
  • Experience in working the Agriculture Coalition or VEPR is preferable;
  • Willing to travel

 

  1. Specialist’s responsibilities
  1. Overall responsibility
  • Conduct a research report assessing the situation and performance of farmer’s linkages in Vietnam and propose policy recommendations better improvement of the future policies;
  • Participate in the research are think thanks who are members of Agriculture Coalition (VEPR, SCAP, PHANO) and individual members of the Coalition who are leading agricultural and economic scientists;
  • Work closely with consultancies from the Vietnam Farmers’ Cooperation Forum.
  • Conduct survey or in-depth interview with these people/organizations to collect data.
  1. Specific responsibility

The senior researcher will have the following responsibilities:

  • Review on materials related to reality and performance of farmer’s linkages in Vietnam and chair the writing of literature report, first and second draft and final version of research report under the guidance of team leader;
  • Take into consideration of advices, ideas to make change to first, second draft and final version of research report with the team leader;
  • Participate in field trip and in-depth interview.

 

  1.  Methodology:

Modern research methods will be applied:

  • Qualitative research methodologies, which include desk-study, and in-depth interviews
  • Policy assessment method
  • Comparative method 

 

  1. Deliverables

Expected deliverables include:

  • 01 research report on assessing the situation of all current policies promoting the farmer/farmer organization’s linkages and their effectiveness and quality through the performance of such related farmer/farmer organization’s linkages in Vietnam, and recommendations for better improvement of the future policies;
  • Vietnamese and English version of research report;
  • Comments, opinions ... from VEPR and relevant parties are reflected adequately in the research report.

 

  1. Report format

The final speacialit study/research report should include the following points:

  • Acknowledgement
  • Glossary/Acronyms
  • Introduction
  • Executive Summary
  • Methodology
  • Limitation
  • Findings
  • Conclusions and Recommendations 
  • Appendices/Annexes

 

  1. Working location: Ha Noi and on field trip

 

  1. Work plan and payment process

After signing the contract, the lead researcher will make specific plan to conduct research and discuss with VEPR.

Expected shedule are as follow (subject to change)

 

Expected Outcomes

Deadline

Payment process

Literature report

20th Jul 2018

  •  

First findings

30th July 2018

  •  

First Draft

15rd August 2018

  1.  

Second Draft

25th August 2018

  •  

Final Report research

31th August 2018

  1.  

After signing the contract, the senior research will recieve 30% deposit of total contract as the first payment. The second and final payment will be paid as follow as the schedule above. 

 

  1. Application

Please send the application package to these following email before 17h00, 28th June 2018:

nguyen.dieulien@vepr.org.vn

Application package include:

  • Motivation letter
  • Curricullum vitae (in English or Vietnamese);
  • Technical and financial proposals
  • 02 references’ contact
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