Vacancy Announcement
SNV Netherlands Development Organisation
SNV is a not-for-profit international development organisation.
Founded in the Netherlands in 1965, we have built a long-term, local presence
in 38 of the poorest countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Our global
team of local and international advisors works with local partners to equip
communities, businesses and organisations with the tools, knowledge and
connections they need to increase their incomes and gain access to basic
services – empowering them to break the cycle of poverty and guide their own
development.
A New Coffee Future
Indonesia’s potential in coffee production is
enormous. Indonesia is located within an ideal geographic area for coffee
plantations. Indonesia is located near the equator and has mountainous regions
across the islands which creates well-suited microclimates for the growth and
production of coffee.
Throughout the many islands, tens of thousands of
small-scale producers grow a large range of coffee varieties, making Indonesia
one of the most diverse coffee-producing countries in the world.
Although Indonesia’s coffee is renowned worldwide for
its unique quality and huge capacity, numerous factors are impeding production.
Disease is having a significant impact on production levels, plantations are
old and need replanting, and climate change is adversely affecting the harvest.
Furthermore, the use of certain banned pesticides are
damaging the reputation of Indonesian coffee in importing countries. Some
farmers are also switching to more profitable crops such as rubber and palm
oil, which causes acreage in coffee to decrease.
The problems are compounded by the fact that there are
few national policies to help coffee farmers increase production. Research
institutes are good, but limited in scope and outreach.
NGOs and producer groups are relatively uncoordinated
and interventions are haphazard. The issues facing the Indonesian coffee sector
are reflected in official data provided by the International Coffee
Organization. In the 2013-2014 harvest cycle, production was 22% lower than the
previous year and Indonesia moved from being the third largest producer to the
fourth largest producer of coffee in the world in 2014.
Although in decline, Indonesia produced an estimated
540,000 metric tons of coffee in 2014. Of this total, it is estimated that
154,800 tons were required for domestic consumption. Of the exports, 25% was
Arabica beans, while the remainder was Robusta.
Coffee is often grown as a forest margin crop in
Indonesia and, in January 2007, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) reported
that land was illegally cleared for coffee farming in Bukit Barisan Selatan
National Park on the island of Sumatra. In recent years significant movements
have been made to remedy this situation, but further support is required to
maintain the momentum. Three main intervention areas are considered key if a
substantial change in the coffee sector in Indonesia is to be realized.
These
include:
- Increased farmer knowledge on production and marketing,
- Enhanced coordination at national level to address the problems facing the sector by all stakeholders including government,
- Promotion of Indonesian coffee in the national and international scene.
In its previous interventions, including through the
Ford Foundation-supported “Building an Inclusive Coffee Market for Indonesia”
project, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation addressed all the above
mentioned intervention areas.
First, SNV promoted increasing farmer knowledge of
agricultural practices, quality management and improved marketing. Linking
farmer groups to businesses is a proven strategy. The formation of such links
through SNV’s “Inclusive Business” concept can have significant results as
commercial entities see the advantage of investing in the supply chain and
small scale producers. Furthermore, SNV focused on strengthening capacities of
local farmer Organization, assisting in the organizational and financial
management. In the proposed intervention, these activities will be concentrated
to improve one selected farmer organization in all aspects needed to establish
sustainable production and improved marketing.
Second, SNV has coordinated coffee stakeholders at
national level. The recently established Sustainable Coffee Platform of
Indonesia (SCOPI) is an SNV, IDH and VECO initiative that is a promising venue
to advocate for more coffee related investments from government, NGOs and the
private sector. To strengthen this platform an extended mapping should be done
of the actors and programs current in the coffee sector of Indonesia. This
should assist in the development of investment plans as well as encouraging actors
to invest in underdeveloped coffee regions in eastern Indonesia.
In 2016-2017 SNV Indonesia will act in all three of
the intervention areas described above. First, SNV will increase farmer
knowledge in eastern Indonesia in one selected area. The second and third will
be supported through mapping of coffee actors and promotion of the mapping
results through the Sustainable Coffee Platform of Indonesia and the Specialty
Coffee Association of Indonesia, which will promote the Indonesian coffee in
the national and international arena.
To that regard, SNV is looking for a Technical Project
Officer who will work closely with our local partner in site area, local
government, and actively involves in SCOPI initiative/activities.
Responsibilities
Under guidance of SNV Jakarta office and the Sector
Leader Agriculture the following key tasks are to be carried out by the
Technical Project Officer:
- Coordinate, supervise and work closely with local partner on project implementation, including improve productivity and quality, improve harvesting and post harvesting practices, community groups strengthening and establish market and financial access
- Provide knowledge and technical support to the project.
- Develop and design baseline survey, farmer needs assessment and farmer database survey. The work will be done closely with ME Officer and local partner.
- Establish and maintain effective partnership with key stakeholders across the private and public sector, particularly in coordinating with coffee stakeholders at national level within Sustainable Coffee Platform of Indonesia (SCOPI)
- Actively involved and represent SNV in Sustainable Coffee Platform on Indonesia (SCOPI) activities.
- Support the knowledge of the platform and SCOPI through development mapping and database of actors in the coffee sector in Eastern Indonesia. This will be done closely with GIS and database officer.
- Regular reporting on progress of project developments and as necessary update any essential issues that SNV needs to give attention for the smooth progress of the project.
- Support sector leader agriculture in project management in general.
- Support SNV’s work more broadly as required.
Candidate profile
- A university degree in agriculture, economics, agricultural economics, agribusiness, business management or other relevant discipline.
- A minimum of 5 years’ experience working in value chain development in Indonesia, preferably with coffee sector.
- Good knowledge on local coffee production systems, including good agriculture practices, harvest, post-harvest, coffee quality, and coffee supply chain.
- Good skill concept for small enterprise capacity, including ICS for farmer group.
- Experienced in extension and training to farmer groups.
- Some knowledge and experience in coffee standard and certification would be beneficial.
- Excellent communication skills in English and proven experience in proposal development, report writing and monitoring and evaluation
- MS Excel and Word proficiency for reporting
Duty station: Jakarta with
frequent travel to the site areas
Contract duration: 1 year contract
with possibility of extension.
Desired start date: As
soon as possible.
How to apply?
Please send your application letter describing how you
meet the candidate profile and CV (in English), together with an indication of
your current or expected salary and compensation package by 25 March 2016 to jobsindonesia@snvworld.org with
subject: “TPO Coffee Future”
