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PURPOSE OF THIS CONTRACT

The consultancy will assess the volume, quality, seasonality and cost of collecting and delivering cashew pruning residues to a central location in Kampong Thom, while determining whether conditions in FOCASH partner communities in Mondulkiri justify a location-specific feasibility assessment. Through field research, delivered-cost modelling and biochar pre-feasibility screening, it will generate evidence on residue supply, aggregation and commercial potential. The findings will support a clear recommendation to stop, investigate further or proceed to full feasibility, with approximately 70% of the effort focused on Kampong Thom and 30% on Mondulkiri.

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

Cambodia is a major producer of raw cashew nuts, but most are exported with limited local processing, while residues such as cashew pruning waste are often burned, dumped or used informally. Through the FOCASH programme, Oxfam and its partners promote more inclusive, sustainable and deforestation-free cashew value chains, including potential income opportunities for farmers from supplying pruning residues to biochar and other biomass enterprises. However, the volume, quality, seasonality and delivered cost of these residues remain unknown, and no operational biochar factory or commercial project is assumed under this assignment. Kampong Thom will serve as the principal commercial test location, while a smaller scoping assessment in Mondulkiri will examine potential relevance for FOCASH partner communities and identify further work required.

Objectives

• Estimate the practically accessible volume, quality and seasonal availability of cashew pruning residues in selected Kampong Thom production clusters.
• Determine the costs of collection, handling, pre-processing, storage and transport to one or two potential central aggregation locations.
• Assess farmer willingness to supply residues, the minimum conditions for participation and the potential roles of farmer groups, cooperatives, logistics providers and private operators.
• Produce a transparent delivery-cost model and supply curve under low, medium and high scenarios.
• Indicate whether the feedstock evidence warrants further technical and commercial feasibility work for biochar production.
• Conduct a limited scoping assessment in Mondulkiri to establish whether a separate location-specific feasibility assessment is justified.

Geographic and analytical boundaries

Kampong Thom — principal commercial assessment (approximately 70%).

Mondulkiri — targeted FOCASH scoping component (approximately 30%).

SCOPE OF WORK

The consultant will be responsible for the following key activities:

3.1. Inception and research design

• Review relevant existing evidence on Cambodia's cashew production, pruning practices, biomass conversion and biochar feedstock requirements.
• Confirm study clusters, respondents, candidate aggregation points and the division of effort between the two provinces.

3.2. Kampong Thom feedstock assessment

A. Feedstock availability and quality

• Document pruning frequency, timing and current practices.
• Measure or estimate pruning-residue volume per hectare and record farm and tree-age characteristics relevant to interpretation.
• Assess seasonal availability, moisture, size, contamination and handling characteristics.
• Assess farmer willingness to collect and sell residues and identify indicative minimum supply prices and non-price conditions.

B. Collection, aggregation and logistics

• Identify collection, cutting or chipping, loading, drying and storage requirements.
• Estimate farmer and hired-labor requirements and costs.

C. Participation and supply-chain arrangements

• Assess the practical roles of farmers, farmer groups or cooperatives, transporters, aggregators and prospective private operators.
• Identify basic pricing, payment, weighing, quality-control and recordkeeping arrangements required for a transparent supply chain.

D. Biochar pre-feasibility interpretation

• Compare field findings with indicative feedstock specifications obtained from relevant pyrolysis technology providers, including moisture content, particle size and minimum volume requirements.

3.3. Mondulkiri scoping assessment

The Mondulkiri component will use a reduced field protocol and will not replicate the full Kampong Thom analysis. Working through FOCASH partners, the consultant will assess:

• Indicative pruning-residue availability and seasonality in selected partner communities.
• Current pruning and residue-management practices.

3.4. Required analysis

• Accessible feedstock volume by season and collection radius, with confidence ratings.
• Delivered cost calculations separating farmer payment, collection labor, handling, pre-processing, storage and transport.
• Low, medium and high scenarios for the most uncertain assumptions.
• A supply curve showing cumulative accessible volume against delivered cost.
• Farmer participation conditions and indicative distribution of supply-chain responsibilities and costs.
• A clear distinction between measured data, respondent-reported data and benchmark-derived estimates.
• A decision-oriented interpretation of what the findings do and do not establish for biochar development.
• A concise comparison of Kampong Thom findings with Mondulkiri’s preliminary conditions, without presenting Mondulkiri results as equivalent evidence.

4. METHODOLOGY

The consultant is expected to employ a mixed-methods approach, including:

• Desk Review, Field Research, Stakeholder Interviews:
• Market and Cost Assessment, Indicative fieldwork

The consultant may propose minor adjustments to the sample in the inception report where access, seasonality or field conditions require it. Any reduction must preserve the assignment's ability to answer the central research question and must be approved by Oxfam. FOCASH partners will facilitate community introductions and local coordination; the consultant remains responsible for research quality, consent and independent analysis

DELIVERABLES

The consultant will deliver the following:

Deliverable 1 — Inception Note

Deliverable 2 — Kampong Thom Dataset and Delivered-Cost Model

Deliverable 3 — Integrated Findings-to-Decision Report

The consultancy is expected to require approximately 30–35 working days over a period of seven to eight weeks.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

• Demonstrated experience conducting agricultural, biomass, value-chain or rural-market projects or investments or research in Cambodia. Experience related to cashew, biochar or soil health would be an advantage.
• Knowledge of biochar, agricultural residues, Soil Science, biomass conversion or related circular-economy applications.

Desirable

• Experience with cashew production, Cashew Related SMEs, agricultural cooperatives or Cambodia's cashew value chain.
• Familiarity with pyrolysis technology, biochar quality standards or biomass feedstock.

A small team is preferred: one experienced lead consultant supported by a Khmer-speaking field researcher or coordinator. Applicants may propose an alternative structure if responsibilities, days and costs are clearly allocated.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

This consultancy will be undertaken over approximately seven to eight weeks from the agreed start date. Payment will be made against approved deliverables as follows:

The consultancy fee is inclusive of professional fees, provincial travel, accommodation, per diem, local transport, translation or interpretation, field support, communications, data collection, taxes and all other costs. One consolidated round of revisions per deliverable is included in the agreed fee. Oxfam will normally provide comments within seven working days.

MANAGEMENT, INDEPENDENCE AND CONFIDENTIALITY

• The consultant will report to the FOCASH Project Manager at Oxfam in Cambodia.
• FOCASH partners will facilitate introductions and local coordination but will not direct findings or alter field evidence.

Any questions, please email us at: CLV.HR@oxfam.org