Back Consultancy to assess living income of rubber smallholder farmers in Surat Thani Province, Thailand

1. About Earthworm Foundation

Earthworm Foundation (EF) is a Swiss-based not-for-profit organisation with a presence in 20 countries worldwide, including Thailand. EF, formerly known as The Forest Trust (TFT), have over 20 years’ experience working in commodity supply chains to foster solutions on the ground that work for people and nature. EF act as a bridge to foster collaboration between supply chain actors, and to connect businesses with smallholders they are sourcing from. EF strive towards a global society that respect itself and the needs of nature.

A key component of EF’s work is its network of members. EF members are private sector actors which have made far-reaching commitments to respect people and nature in their supply chains. They work with EF on an ongoing journey of improvement an innovation.

2. Project background

Since 2016, EF have been working with rubber smallholders in Surat Thani Province in southern Thailand who are part of multinational Reckitt’s supply chain. Reckitt, an EF member, has committed to strengthening the resilience of their supply chain members and contributing to smallholder resilience. EF’s current project is implemented by two EF staff based in Surat Thani and EF’s Greater Mekong Operations Manager based in Lao PDR. The project aims to increase latex quality and yield whilst encouraging farmers to adopt regenerative agriculture practices; to diversify incomes at household level; to improve food security; to strengthen relationships amongst supply chain actors; and to improve wellbeing and working conditions of farmers, workers, and their families.

3. Objective of the consultancy

EF are seeking a living income study of members of Reckitt’s latex supply chain in Surat Thani province. The purpose of the assessment is to provide a baseline for future interventions targeted at livelihood improvements and smallholder resilience. A living income is defined as the net income required for a household in a particular place to afford a decent standard of living for all members of that household. Elements of a decent standard of living include food, water, housing, education, healthcare, transport, clothing, and other essential needs including provision for unexpected events (Definition by Living Income Community of Practice).

4. Methodology

EF prefer for the consultant to use the Anker methodology[1] to assess living income. The Anker methodology is widely accepted as the gold standard for measuring living wages and living incomes and it has played an important role in catalysing wage and income improvement in global supply chains. In their Expression of Interest (EOI; see more under 9. Application process), the consultant may suggest alternative methodologies but these need to be justified, and their advantages over the Anker methodology need to be demonstrated.

EF’s project has a total target population of 1,605 smallholder farmers. The consultant will be required to propose a representative sample size for the living income survey as part of their EOI.

5. Scope of work and expected outputs

The consultant is expected to conduct a survey with a representative sample of rubber smallholder farmers in Surat Thani Province, and to document the findings of the survey. The survey will have two objectives: (i) establishing the actual income of farmers, and (ii) establishing the living income level of the farmers. EF are open for the consultant to be either based in Thailand or to conduct the study remotely. Due to COVID-19-related travel and entry restrictions to Thailand, EF will not engage a consultant who is currently based outside of Thailand and who intends to lead the study locally.

In the following, the scope of work and expectations for each scenario are detailed.

a. Consultant based in Thailand

Inception research period: The consultant will conduct a brief desk study of relevant project documentation provided by EF, available statistics, and living income methodologies. On the basis of this information, the consultant will design a detailed survey plan, including methodologies for data collection and analysis, sampling, data collection tools, and a field travel timeline. The consultant will be supported by EF’s local and regional staff, especially with regards to sampling and field visit logistics. The survey plan will be presented to EF in the form of an inception report (in English).

Field work: Upon approval of the inception report, the consultant will lead the data collection process in the field. They will be supported by EF’s two local team members as enumerators. Therefore, the field work component will include a training session for EF staff in the survey’s data collection tools.

Data analysis and presentation: The consultant is expected to digitise and analyse all data collected. The survey findings will be presented to EF in the form of a final report (in English), with the raw data included as part of the annex. Additionally, the consultant will present the findings of the survey to EF and Reckitt in a digital debriefing session (in English).

b. Consultant based outside of Thailand

Inception research period: The consultant will conduct a brief desk study of relevant project documentation provided by EF, available statistics, and living income methodologies. On the basis of this information, the consultant will design a detailed survey plan, including methodologies for data collection and analysis, sampling, and data collection tools. The consultant will be supported by EF’s local and regional staff with regards to sampling, field visit logistics, and translation of data collection tools. The survey plan will be presented to EF in the form of an inception report (in English).

Field work: Upon approval of the inception report, the consultant will remotely support the two EF team members to conduct data collection. Prior to the field visit, the consultant will train the EF team in the data collection tools through digital training sessions and ensure that they have an in-depth understanding of the tools and the data collection methodology. The consultant will be expected to be available/on-call throughout the field work period, with regular check-in calls to guide, debrief, and troubleshoot.

Data analysis and presentation: The consultant will oversee data entry (if a paper-based methodology is chosen) by the EF team, and analyse all data collected. The survey findings will be presented to EF in the form of a final report (in English), with the raw data included as part of the annex. Additionally, the consultant will present the findings of the survey to EF and Reckitt in a digital debriefing session (in English).

6. Timeframe

Recruitment is expected to be finalised by 10 September 2021. The consultancy will be carried out between September and November, with the final report submitted to EF no later than 15 December 2021.

7. Budget

The budget proposal as part of the application should include the following:

• Daily rate of the consultant (professional fees), as well as a total number of days required for the consultancy

• If the consultant is based in Thailand and will travel to the field:

  • Consultant’s travel costs to/from Surat Thani Province
  • Consultant’s travel costs within Surat Thani (rental car, driver, petrol, etc.)
  • Consultant’s expected accommodation cost per night in the field
  • Consultant’s expected daily subsistence allowance covering all meal costs in the field

8. Expected qualifications

• Master’s degree in social sciences, project management, agriculture and forestry, or monitoring & evaluation, or equivalent professional experience
• At least 5 years of senior experience in project design, and monitoring & evaluation
• Experience in designing and conducting baseline and endline surveys, evaluations, and data analysis
• Knowledge and experience of participatory, qualitative data collection methodology and tools
• Experience in capacity building in the areas of M&E and data collection
• Experience in conducting living income assessments
• Work experience in rural Thai farming communities an advantage
• Fluency in Thai (for consultants based in Thailand) and English
• Excellent analytical and English report writing skills
• Demonstrated understanding of the Thai latex value chains an advantage

[1] Find more details on the Anker methodology here: https://www.living-income.com/measurement-living-income