In 2020, J-Palm Liberia (JPL) signed a 4-year grant agreement with the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) to improve the livelihoods of smallholder oil palm processors in rural communities in Bong County, Liberia. The purpose of the project is to increase the incomes of J-Palm and its associated palm kernel smallholders and oil processors.
JPL intends to contract the services of a Consultant (individual or firm) to: 1) conduct an endline survey of beneficiaries and communities relative to the project’s key indicators and outputs; and 2) to compile, analyze, and write the endline report that detail the current social, economic, and livelihood conditions of project beneficiaries as compared to those indicators prior to the beginning of project implementation.
The maximum duration of this activity is twenty (20) days, and the expected start date is as early as possible in March 2024. The entire survey will be conducted in Bong County, Liberia.
JPL Overview
J-Palm Liberia’s overarching goal is to develop a sustainable model to create premium quality consumer goods for Liberians while simultaneously creating income-earning and employment opportunities for Liberians. J-Palm Liberia works to empower smallholder oil palm processors in rural communities by providing access to modern, more efficient processing technologies.
J-Palm Liberia’s mini mills reduce processing time by 90% and improve extraction rates by 50-100% for smallholders. J-Palm Liberia also purchases the palm kernels, which were previously viewed as a waste product, to process into Palm Kernel Oil (PKO), which is incorporated into its own brand of health and beauty products, or sold to other businesses.
Project Background
Natural ingredient supply chains such as palm oil have the potential to improve smallholder livelihoods and reduce environmental impact if properly structured, managed, and promoted. However, smallholders in Liberia are currently bypassed by global palm demand, that instead promote palm from industrial plantations that can cause huge environmental degradation.
This project is focused on developing the wild dura palm (“country palm”) value chain, the majority of which is unharvested, poorly processed, and unlinked to high value export markets. This naturally growing resource creates an opportunity to develop an organic palm supply chain based on the current palm fruit production that can then traded on the international market.
This grant enables the installation of 20 mini-mills that reduce processing time by 65% and improve extraction rates by 50% for an estimated 6,349 smallholders. J-Palm Liberia purchases the palm kernels, previously a waste product, to process into palm kernel oil, which is exported or incorporated into their own products. The grant also funds investment into Blockchain tracking technology that will register smallholders and track all purchases in the supply chain, and this will be used to track project indicators over the life of the project.
Project Beneficiaries
The direct beneficiaries of this project in Liberia are smallholder farmers, seasonal workers, sharecroppers (who work on the land) and settlers (who live and work on the land) – the term ‘smallholder’ is used to apply to all of these categories. Sharecroppers and settlers do not own their own land, and as a result are considered some of the most marginalized groups in their communities. Access to capital is a challenge and farmers are unlikely to have access to formal credit. The processing of palm is done primarily using traditional methods, such as pit processing.
The benefits for the direct 6,349 smallholders in Liberia, are consistent demand for their palm fruit, improved knowledge and processing facilities for palm fruit via mini-mills, increased revenues and income, and a new market for their palm kernels.
Indirect beneficiaries for the project have been calculated by using average household size of 5.1 for Liberia, based on the 2008 Population and Housing Census, meaning the project will impact 26,031 beneficiaries indirectly. While the majority of landowners of palm are considered likely to be male, for the processing of oil the number of assisting laborers is estimated at 80% female, meaning the projected direct beneficiary impact is estimated to be 53.2% female.
Terms of Reference of the Consultancy:
- Review the baseline survey report, and use the information contained therein to design and implement survey instruments to capture end-line indicators among all direct and indirect beneficiaries.
- Lead and implement field surveys to capture qualitative and quantitative endline indicators, and to ensure data quality and integrity.
- Analyze survey data and produce detailed project endline report, integrating field surveys with existing wider household surveys
Proposals should include:
- Cover letter, addressing Consultant’s relevant experience, qualifications, and suitability to the assignment
- A technical proposal that includes Consultant’s interpretation of the assignment’s ToRs and deliverables; proposed methodology; work plan and timeline.
- A financial proposal that includes cost of logistics, travel, accommodation, supplies, consultancy fees, and all other relevant costs. All costs must be expressed in US Dollars.
- Consultant’s CV (for firms, Company Profile and CVs of all key staff to be assigned to project).
How to Apply:
Consultants should email proposals to jobs@jpalmliberia.com on or before February 26, 2024.
If you have any questions, or need any additional information, kindly email us at jobs@jpalmliberia.com