Consultant – Agroforestry Expert (Thematic)

ChildFund’s Values

ChildFund values a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible environment where everyone is welcomed and celebrated equally. In our culture of connection, you will have ample opportunity to grow, learn, and lead while contributing your talents and innovations to our inspiring mission.

ChildFund’s Commitment

ChildFund India’s Safeguarding Policy and Procedures will be strictly adhered to throughout the engagement period to ensure the safety, dignity, and well-being of children and vulnerable adults. ChildFund India maintains a zero-tolerance approach towards sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment (SEAH), and all forms of harm by staff, partners, consultants, vendors, and representatives in the delivery of its programmes and services. The organisation is committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment within the workplace and in the communities where it operates. Accordingly, the selected candidate will be required to sign ChildFund India’s Safeguarding Commitment and Behavioural Protocol as part of the contractual agreement and comply with all safeguarding standards, policies, and do-no-harm principles throughout the engagement period.

The project combines farmer- and plot-level assessments, agroforestry technical design, soil and water evaluations, farmer capacity building, monsoon-aligned planting, post-plantation care, and survival monitoring. Subject to plot feasibility, farmer consent, species suitability, and technical validation, Phase 1 will support planting across approximately 200 hectares and the transportation of up to 114,000 saplings.

The Agroforestry Expert will provide specialized technical guidance throughout the project cycle and ensure that species selection, plantation design, intercropping systems, land preparation, planting practices, and post-planting management are technically sound, locally appropriate, environmentally compliant, and climate-resilient. The role will contribute to establishing a technically robust agroforestry model that can inform future scale-up and carbon programming.

Remain alert and responsive to any safeguarding risks; acquire and maintain the relevant knowledge and skills necessary to promote strong safeguarding practices; understand and adhere to ChildFund India’s Safeguarding Policy and Procedures; and conduct yourself at all times in a manner consistent with ChildFund India’s safeguarding principles and standards.

Work Experience: Minimum 5 years of relevant technical experience in agroforestry, forestry, sustainable agriculture, or natural resource management.

Language Proficiency: Proficiency in spoken and written Tamil and working proficiency in English are essential for effective engagement with communities, colleagues, and stakeholders and for preparing technical reports.

Skills and Abilities: Strong communication, facilitation, analytical, and report-writing skills. Strong computer skills, including proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite and technical document preparation. Strategic thinking and results orientation; leadership and team development; partnership and stakeholder management; accountability and integrity; effective communication; collaboration and teamwork; problem-solving and decision-making; adaptability and learning orientation; and commitment to gender equality, inclusion, and safeguarding.

Job Knowledge: Demonstrated experience in agroforestry design, species selection, species-mixing ratios, and intercropping systems.Proven experience in farmer training, field-level technical coaching, and facilitation.Strong technical knowledge of dryland and rainfed agriculture, soil and water conservation techniques, and climate-resilient farming systems.Direct experience working with small and marginal farmers in rainfed regions is desirable.In-depth knowledge of environmental safeguards, organic farming principles, and sustainable land-management practices.

Others: Willingness to be based in or near Dindigul and undertake extensive field travel (approximately 50%) across project locations. Takes proactive steps to achieve organizational goals and meet high-quality standards, including the project’s minimum 85% sapling-survival target.

• Data Review & Site Assessment: Review baseline land assessments, GIS layers, soil, water availability, agro-climatic and socio-economic conditions to provide technical recommendations on plot suitability and land preparation.
• Agroforestry Model Development: Design site-appropriate agroforestry systems, including species selection, species-mixing ratios, spacing, planting configurations, and intercropping models for local rainfed and dryland conditions.
• Agronomic & Climate-Smart Guidance: Provide technical guidance on land and pit preparation, planting methods, soil-moisture conservation, organic practices, and climate-smart agriculture.
• Environmental Compliance: Ensure agroforestry practices comply with environmental safeguards, including the zero-chemical pesticide and synthetic fertilizer requirement.

B. Implementation Supervision and Quality Assurance

• Implementation Planning & Supervision: Plan and oversee nursery raising, sapling procurement, transportation, planting, and post-plantation maintenance, including implementation of up to 114,000 saplings.
• Sapling Quality & Field Support: Advise on sapling quality, suitability and nursery-sourcing standards, and provide day-to-day technical guidance and troubleshooting to farmers and field teams.
• Field Quality Assurance: Provide technical supervision during implementation and recommend timely corrective measures to ensure quality.
• Survival & Post-Plantation Care: Develop and implement survival and monitoring protocols, with a focus on achieving the minimum 85% survival target, including guidance on organic pest management, pruning, gap filling, weeding, and multi-season crop management.

C. Capacity Building, Knowledge and Stakeholder Coordination

• Farmer Capacity Building: Design and conduct farmer training, demonstrations and field days on improved agroforestry, agriculture and climate-smart practices.
• IEC & Technical Materials: Develop simple and accessible technical guidelines and IEC materials for farmers and field teams.
• Coordination: Work closely with the Project Manager, MEL Officer, GIS Analyst, Community Mobilisers, partner organisations and community institutions to ensure effective implementation.
• Documentation & Reporting: Maintain accurate field records, compile and analyse data in Excel, contribute to periodic monitoring and progress reports, and document technical observations, lessons learned and recommendations for scale-up, including potential carbon and agroforestry programming.

Key Deliverables

1. Agroforestry Technical Assessment and Recommendations: Baseline review report covering plot suitability, soil and water parameters, and GIS analysis.
2. Species Selection and Intercropping Models: Technical design models detailing species mixing, spacing, and crop integration.
3. Land Preparation and Plantation Technical Guidelines: Standardized guidelines for pit preparation, planting methods, and moisture conservation.
4. Farmer and Field-Team Training Modules: Delivered training workshops and practical IEC materials for local field teams and participating farmers.
5. Technical Supervision Reports: Field observation logs and quality-assurance reports from peak planting phases.
6. Post-Plantation Survival Protocol and Recommendations: Monitoring protocol and care plan designed to achieve at least 85% sapling survival.
7. Final Technical Report and Scale-Up Plan: Consolidated end-of-consultancy technical document detailing outcomes, lessons learned, and scale-up strategies.

• Additional responsibility: Perform other duties reasonably assigned by the line manager that are consistent with the purpose and scope of the consultancy.

• Teamwork: the ability to work effectively and collaborate with others; values and respects individual differences.
• Communication: demonstrates empathy and tact when communicating with others and uses a storytelling approach when appropriate.
• Results orientation: gets things done; takes proactive steps to achieve organizational goals and quality standards.
• Decision making: uses good judgement, critical thinking, and non-traditional ways to evaluate problems and opportunities; reflects and innovates to improve decisions and outcomes.
• Resilience: thrives and grows in rapidly changing, demanding, and complex environments.
• Digital literacy: adopts and champions new technology to relevant contexts, stays aware of technological trends and embraces technological solutions to business challenges.