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External Consultant for Gender-Sensitive Cashew Nut Value Chain Assessment

with Johanniter
Invitation for Bids

BTDC-ID: 36631
Closing Date:

Bid Components

External Consultant for Gender-Sensitive Cashew Nut Value Chain Assessment

Announcement Description

Funded by the European Commission, the STRIVE project is a four-year action aiming to enhance the resilience and livelihoods of 7,280 smallholder farmers—primarily indigenous women—in Ratanakiri and Stung Treng, Cambodia. Implemented by Johanniter International Assistance (JIA) in partnership with Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) and Bandos Komar (BK), the action promotes climate-smart agriculture, gender equity, and environmentally sustainable practices.

Under the STRIVE project, Johanniter is leading a gender-sensitive assessment of the cashew nut value chain across two target provinces (Ratanakiri and Stung Treng provinces). The study aims to identify structural gaps and opportunities for cashew farmers—particularly women—to enhance their participation and influence within the sector. Findings will inform all phases of the action, guiding interventions that strengthen inclusivity and performance.

Cambodia’s cashew industry is undergoing rapid expansion, supported by a national policy (2022–2027) focused on boosting production and value addition. However, despite being a leading producer of raw cashews, the sector faces challenges including limited domestic processing capacity and weak support systems. These constraints disproportionately affect women, who are often confined to lower-value roles due to restricted access to training, land, and market networks. Ratanakiri and Stung Treng provinces offer favorable agro-climatic conditions for cashew farming. However, indigenous women farmers face intersecting barriers, including low literacy, limited access to climate-resilient practices, and systemic discrimination. Addressing these challenges requires evidence-based and gender-sensitive interventions to support women’s empowerment and sector sustainability.

Bid Components

External Consultant for Gender-Sensitive Cashew Nut Value Chain Assessment

  • Career Category: Consultancy
  • Location: Phnom Penh

OBJECTIVES & EXPECTED OUTPUTS

Overall Objective:

The assessment will identify actors in selected value chains, their relations, services, and the values brought, as well as assess gender-based barriers to women’s abilities to realize their productive and entrepreneurial potentials in the cashew nut value chain. This will set the direction of the action and support fine-tuning the interventions.

Specific Objectives:

  • To identify opportunities and barriers within the cashew nut value chain identified as sustainable cashew farming practices that conserve soil, water, and biodiversity while mitigating the impacts of climate change.
  • To identify the cashew nut value chain actors to strengthen market access.
  • To understand how Unpaid Care (UPC) responsibilities function in comparison between men and women, there needs to be a systematic analysis of power inequalities, social norms, and customary practices. This analysis will help to promote inclusive, gender-responsive engagement by addressing the specific needs, roles, and knowledge gaps of men and women in cashew nut production to ensure equitable participation and capacity-building for all individuals involved.

ASSUMPTIONS & RISKS

The consultant is expected to apply inclusive and culturally sensitive methodologies and ensure effective engagement of women, youth, and marginalized groups.

Assumptions:

  • Local stakeholders will be willing to participate in assessment activities.
  • Adequate access to target communities will be possible during the fieldwork.

Risks:

  • Language and literacy barriers among indigenous communities.
  • Potential resistance to discussing gender inequalities.
  • Limited access due to weather or infrastructure issues.

SCOPE OF THE WORK

Geographical area to be covered: The geographical zone benefitting from the action is in 120 villages, 6 districts in Stung Treng and Ratanakiri province, Cambodia. Please see the Annex 01 for the details project target area.

Target Groups:

  • 7,280 smallholder cashew farmers
  • 40 women and youth entrepreneurs

Bidder Eligibility

  • Advanced degree in Agriculture, Gender Studies, Rural Development, or related fields.
  • Minimum 5 years of experience in value chain and gender assessments, and proven experience working with indigenous and rural communities preferably in Cambodia.
  • The provider must demonstrate the ability to analyze of gender-sensitive value chain concept, map and tools.
  • Ability to analyze market trend in the production cycle and trade within the context of small holder farmers.
  • The provider must have a track record in designing and assessing with approaches grounded in human-centered design and aimed at achieving measurable impact across sectors such as livelihood, Environment, gender, and governance.
  • Ability to look in beyond economic aspect to capture social dynamic (unpaid care work and gender norm in the indigenous community
  • Excellent English report writing; Khmer language skills preferred.

Submission Requirements

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND DATA PROTECTION

All data and deliverables will be the property of Johanniter and its partners. The consultant must adhere to Johanniter’s data protection policy during collection, processing, and storage of data.

This assignment is part of the STRIVE project, implemented with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of the assessment will be the sole responsibility of Johanniter and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested applicants (individual or the consulting firm) should submit the following documents:

  • Cover letter highlighting relevant experience, including names of at least 3 referees.
  • Technical proposal outlining activities, time frame, human resources, and methodologies.
  • Financial proposal (including taxes and expenses). This proposal includes the consultant’s fee and taxes, any travel and expenses that might be required for data collection. Note please separate proposal budget details showing consultant fee separate from other expenses.
  • CV(s) of team members
  • Sample of previous similar work at least is 1 report.
  • Consultants who get technical score 60% and above will be selected for interview process.
  • A copy of Tender Declaration Form with signature (see Annex 02)

Interested applicants please send your email applications to email provided in he contact details. Queries regarding the consultancy can also be directed to this email address. The consultant should be flexible to be immediately available, as the deadline for the consultancy completion is on 3rd October 2025 at 5:00 PM (Indochina Time (ICT) — UTC+7).

Finally, please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted to interview. Thank you!

Please click Attachement below for more information.

 
Attachment
 

Contact Details

Contact Name
  • Johanniter International Assistance
 
Email