Indonesia Mobile Agriculture Market Assessment Consultant

Title: Indonesia Mobile Agriculture Market Assessment Consultant

Tracking Code: 218462-927

Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

Job Description

DESCRIPTION:

I.  Background

The Mercy Corps East Asia Region has developed a Regional Value Proposition (RVP) of ‘Technology-enabled services in rural markets’.  There are several initiatives under the RVP that include relationships with the World Economic Forum’s PISAgro Working Group, IRRI, AMARTA II, a USAID-funded program, as well as relationships with the private sector such as banks, MNOs, buyers and input suppliers.

The largest active program within the scope of the RVP is the Agri-Fin Mobile program, which works with partners to build sustainable models, wherein farm and crop management tools and financial services are "bundled" in affordable, unified platforms on mobile phone channels to promote mass uptake commercially.  The program targets partners with existing financial, MNO and agricultural technical service mobile platforms or applications, or demonstrated interest in developing and investing in them, and facilitates development of a business model whereby the bundling process provides an increased value proposition for each partner, such as, increased fee income, greater outreach or reduced risks. 

The Agri-Fin Mobile program will achieve two primary results within the 3-year programme time frame:
1)                  180,000 smallholder farmers will access farm productivity services through improved productivity and financial management practices accessed via mobile based technologies.
2)                  A commercially viable business model which “bundles” key services from agriculture industry stakeholders, research and extension institutions, financial service providers, and telecommunications companies, will be developed in three locations (Indonesia, Uganda, Zimbabwe) offering detailed examples for replication and scalability.

Over the course of the first phase of the AgriFin Mobile program, which began in June 2012, baseline and product development research was conducted and first partners established.  Pilots for year 1 are underway, and preparations have now begun for project expansion for year 2.  In the second year of the program, Agri-Fin will focus on further developing services for the value chain including payments, and information services.  Mercy Corps Indonesia is building relationships with the World Economic Forum’s PISAgro group & USAID-funded AMARTA as potential RVP partners which can also be leveraged by the AgriFin Mobile program.  These partnerships provide primary inroads to the value chain development, and Mercy Corps seeks to further establish a working relationship with these actors and to bring onboard a set up input suppliers and buyers to develop pilots with for value chain payments and information services that will strengthen their supply chains.  The role of this consultant will be to serve as a business services expert working with private and public sector partners from both the AgriFin Mobile and the RVP streams, coordinating with both to ensure strong interconnection and ability to leverage both approaches for success and scale.  This consultant reports directly to the Program Director of AgriFin Mobile, , coordinating at least on a weekly basis with the Regional Program Director, , and the Agrifin Mobile Indonesia Program Coordinator.

Key Activities

• Assess the market for ag value chain payments and support programs and partners to understand demand for product and strategy development;
• Complete a joint business plan for the Agri-Fin Mobile program including inputs from all partners;
• Deepen the relationship with WEF/PISAgro and establish Mercy Corps as the primary NGO in the consortium across all crop groups with a special focus on AgriFin Mobile core crops, and to seek ways to leverage existing work for new pilots, partnerships, funding and programs and integrate in to the ongoing workplans of Agri-Fin Mobile;
• Develop a workplan with AMARTA to handover the horticultural aspects of the program to AgriFin Mobile;
• Develop relationships with alternative banks to provide services to the partners and SHFs for both the RVP and AgriFin mobile and handover relationship management to program managers;
• Develop and maintain relationships with donors in the agriculture, technology and financial services space and handover relationship management to country management;
• Assist and/or lead in proposal development as needed;
• Identify buyers and suppliers that are interested and available to join the partnership model and be integrated to the payment system, assisting with the development of relevant business models and workplans for implementation either through the RVP or Agri-Fin Mobile;
• Work with value chain actors to identify information and core services needs of SHFs;
• Work with new partners to design pilots in horticulture & palm oil product; and other potential agricultural commodities under the PISAgro group (dairy, coffee, cocoa, soya and rice)
• Work with the Regional Program Director on regional concept expansion and building relationships with key partners including IRRI and others as identified;
• Act as the primary liaison between RVP efforts, Agri-Fin Mobile project team, Agri-Fin Mobile ++ efforts and the Indonesia Country ICT and agriculture  strategy

Deliverables

• Market assessment and demand scoping for payment services relevant for Indonesian small holder farmers (due March 31^st);
• Business plan written for Agri-Fin Mobile partnership model (due April 30^th);
• Secure 5 buyers and 5 input suppliers to the payment system that are relevant to AgriFin Mobile and RVP crop groups (due May 31^st);
• Reports that identify and scope at least five pilot activities supporting AgriFin Mobile and the RVP (due June 30^th);
• Potential concept notes and or proposals as and when donors and or private sector partners are identified in Indonesia and or the East Asia region (ongoing);
• Final report detailing activities and impacts, as well as recommendations for next steps (due June 30^th);
• All other work product, including meeting notes, workplans, business models, proposals and other.

Timeframe
The Consultant shall complete the duties described in the scope of work from March 15^th – June 30^th  Mercy Corps will provide the consultant with all existing documentation related to the TOR upon request.

Job Location

Jakarta, Jakarta Raya, Indonesia

Position Type

Consulting 

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