Lowongan Kerja Riau (Jarak jauh) Posisi Technical Assistant To Support Farmer Livelihood And Income Assesment di Earthworm Foundation

1.       ABOUT EARTHWORM FOUNDATION

Earthworm Foundation (“EF”) is a Switzerland-based not-for-profit organisation with a presence in 20 countries worldwide. EF, formerly known as The Forest Trust (TFT), have over 20 years’ experience working in fostering commodity supply chain solutions on the ground that work for people and nature. In Indonesia, EF implements its activities through Yayasan Hutan Tropis (YHT) and acts as a bridge to foster collaboration between supply chain actors, and to connect businesses with smallholders they are sourcing from. EF strives towards a global society that respects itself and the needs of nature.

Through landscape programs, EF seeks to transform key sourcing and key geographic area such as Riau Landscape. Riau presenting a compelling case for the feasibility of balancing commodity production, forest conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and good social & workforce practices at scale. Riau Province, Indonesia—With its vast palm oil and pulp & paper plantations stretching across millions of hectares –is Indonesia’s largest palm oil producer. But beneath the green expanse, smallholder farmers grapple with harsh realities: dwindling productivity, unpredictable incomes, and the ever-looming threat of environmental degradation. The challenge is immense, but so is the resolve of those determined to find a way forward. In the heart of this area, Earthworm Foundation has been working to turn challenges into opportunities. We collaborate with company, raw material supply chain, NGO, or government to regenerate nature and improve people’s lives, creating replicable cases of holistic change. By weaving together sustainable land use planning, reforestation, agroforestry, and community resilience efforts,  we seek not just to conserve nature—but also  to  secure resilient livelihoods.

2.      PROJECT BACKGROUND

EF has been active in Riau province through a landscape approach, providing initiatives on forest protection and restoration, improving farmers’ resilience, and supporting community and labor rights. In the last 2 years, the Walmart Foundation has joined the alliance and supported EF’s landscape initiatives in Riau. The Walmart Foundation continues its support for EF to further expand and mature the integrated landscape approach in Riau province, Indonesia, by strengthening forest protection and increasing the adoption of more sustainable practices for palm oil cultivation in 3 key districts through the newly launched initiative RISE Riau (Strengthening Resilience through an Integrated, Sustainable and Effective Landscape approach in Riau, Indonesia). The goal of this project is to preserve remaining forest while enhancing ecological, economic, and social functions for local communities within the three districts of Kampar, Indragiri Hulu, and Pelalawan in Riau province. These three districts  are home to vital forest ecosystems, including peatlands, tropical rainforests, and critical habitats for endangered species. These regions also face substantial challenges due to deforestation, illegal logging, forest fires, and unsustainable agricultural practices. To ensure the success of a forest preservation project in these districts, a holistic vision must integrate ecological restoration, economic sustainability, and community engagement.

Increasing farmer resilience and sustainable livelihood opportunities is a key focal point in improving economic resiliency. To support design and refinement of initiatives undertaken, deeper data and analysis are needed to further assess livelihood patterns and income at the household level. This will also support prioritization of interventions and collaboration with stakeholders, both private and government. In addition, profiling and studying livelihood patterns and income can be used to monitor progress and factors that contribute to changes in income.

3.      ASSIGNMENT OBJECTIVE

We are seeking proposals from (including, but not limited to “Limited Company, Foundation or Research institute”)

This integration is intended to provide insight on how this broader approach can inform the overall landscape approach and design of interventions as we move forward.

The assignment includes:

1. Integrating household and target crop income questions and indicators into existing the data collections tools of the project, balancing best practice and available resources.
2. Capacity building on income data enumeration and study benefits for Landscape staff and local partners
3. Technical Assistance on data analysis related to household income, comparison to existing benchmarks and farmer segmentation.
4. Technical Assistance on high level strategy recommendation based on findings and report development

While palm oil is the target commodity of EF interventions, this work also covers other household income streams such as food crops, on-farm diversification, non-timber forest products as well as other, off-farm income sources.

In general, the following approach is suggested:

• Desk study of existing, best practice household income measurement approaches, relevant statistical and qualitative information on income  and relevant EF in-house data, reports and tools.
• Collaboration with EF in design of survey
• Collaboration with EF in qualitative data collection, performed though focus group discussions and key informant interviews

Area of interest

All of those Assignment covers three main districts as project focus area pelalawan (2 villages) , indragiri hulu (4 Villages)  and kampar (3 villages) in total covers 9 villages with all program interventions are implemented.

4.      SCOPE OF WORK

The consultancy team is expected to:

• Develop a set of survey questions to assess household and target crop income based on best practice approaches and considering resource needs that can be integrated into existing EF tools
• Develop training materials and train EF staff and enumerators for data collection
• Provide technical assistance on analysis of data collected, compare to available benchmarks and farmer segmentation approaches based on results
• Propose actionable recommendations and potential interventions to improve the economic conditions and livelihood opportunities for palm oil farmers and forest frontier communities

1. METHODOLOGY

EF do not endorse or prescribe the use of one methodology over another and instead seek the most appropriate and cost-efficient approach for this assignment. In general, the following approach is suggested

• Inception and tools integration: The consultancy firm will conduct a brief desk study of relevant project documents as well as best practice approaches to household income study. On the basis of this information, the consultancy team will design and integrate a detailed data collection and analysis plan, data collection tools, and a study workplan into the existing workplan of the Livelihood and Income Study and existing EF tools.
• Income study concept, enumeration and data collection training: Upon finalization of the workplan and data collection tools, the consultancy team will train EF staff and provide input on number of enumerators, and qualifications  also provide support to data collection in the field.
• Data analysis, report write-up and presentation: The survey findings will be presented to EF in the form of a report and presentations in English.

The methodology should allow EF to replicate the methodology in other districts as the program evolves from 2025 onwards. As part of the contract, the team will share recommendations on data collection follow up (including project endline), allowing for a consistent approach.

1. MANAGERIAL ARRANGEMENT

The consultancy firm is expected to appoint a Team Lead. He/she will be the main contact person for EF Indonesia. He / she will be responsible for the overall assignment and will make the necessary internal arrangements to manage the completion of deliverables.

From EF side ,the focal person responsible for the overall coordination and management of the assignment is the Landscape Manager Riau (as the RISE Riau Project Manager), and the Head of Farmer Livelihoods and Resilience (Thematic).  EF will engage local enumerators and utilize qualified field staff for data collection, and EF field teams will assist with coordination of FGDs and key informant interviews.

The assignment will be supported  by EF’s Global Thematic Lead on Farmer Livelihoods. The aim is to guide quality of the assignment by providing feedback and advice on the selection of offers, the Inception report including data collection tools, and on the Draft and Final Reports.

7.      DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENT INSTALMENTS

• Approach & Methodology proposal and survey questions review- with the clear and logical approach and fully agreed work plan (30%)
• . Training material and report of Training, Preliminary data analysis result presentations  and Triangulation FGD the main findings to EF (30%)
• • A inceptions report sections on income analysis and farmer segmentations, presentations and an executive summary in Bahasa for the benefit of non-English speakers (40%)

8.      QUALIFICATIONS

• The Team Lead must be able demonstrate previous experience in household income assessment and income gap assessment methodologies.
• The consultancy team must be able to demonstrate experience in socio economic baseline data gathering and socio-economic profiling of rural communities in Indonesia, with experience in Riau province a plus. Previous experience of conducting household income studies for smallholders and Palm Oil community desired.
• The Consultancy team should include a qualified Bahasa speaker with experience in organising and carrying out socio economic surveys
• Good organisational and time management skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, and the ability to produce clear and accurate reports.
• The Consultancy team is a legally registered body such as a Limited Company, Foundation or Research institute that is based in Indonesia or holds a work permit to operate in the country.

9.      APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested consultancy firms should submit a technical and financial proposal by 10 september 2025 with the following:

A technical proposal outlining the following:

• Reflections on this Terms of Reference with a focus onIntegrating household income assessment , research methodology, data enumeration training, data analysis and reporting   the target groups (max. of 8 pages)
• Summary of Organisational, Sector and Geographic experience
• Recommendations on desired approach and methodology
• Team qualifications and relevant experience with similar assignments

Annexed to the technical proposal:

• CVs of Team members
• Draft work plan showing the suggested time frame carrying out deliverables
• List of any relevant publications or reports showing sector-related and geographic knowledge
• At least 1 sample of previous work that show the expertise and experience of the consultancy team; samples must be original works

The financial proposal should include:

• Detailed budget proposal in MS Excel with separate line items for consultant fees, travel and accommodation, and other charges imposed. Published benchmark reports available for purchase may be budgeted in addition to the committed budget allocation.
• Financial proposal should be inclusive of VAT. Percentage and amount should be mentioned.
• No payments will be made outside the contractually agreed budget.

10.  SELECTION PROCESS
Offers will be scored based on the technical proposal (70%) and the financial proposal (30%) using the following criteria.