The VCA4D project launches a new call for experts (economic, social, environmental and national ) for a value chain analysis on pine nuts in Mongolia.

16th April 2025
by secretary

Agrinatura News

The profiles are detailed below. The period for the study is May 2025 – February 2026.
The ToR will be circulated upon request. This is a standard VCA4D study, undertaken by using the VCA4D methodology, as described in the ‘Methodological Brief. Tools and Methods’.
https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/value-chain-analysis-for-development-vca4d-/wiki/1-vca4d-methodology. To adapt to the context, the profile of the environmental expert focuses on forest management.
As the end of Phase II of the VCA4D project is approaching, the experts engaged in this assignment should commit to delivering the final report in strict respect of the calendar and no later than February 2026!
If you are interested and available for the study period, please send the CVs of candidates to vca4d@agrinatura-eu.eu and giorgia.mei@agrinatura-eu.eu, by Friday, 25th April 2025.

Context
While the Mongolian economy is dependent on the extractive industry, livestock is the main agricultural revenue in rural areas, followed by non-timber forest products, with pine nuts production being the dominant forest-related activity. Pine nuts are highly consumed by Mongolians and increasingly exported mostly to China, followed by European Union countries, and Japan. Pine nuts harvesting guarantees an additional income to forest and rural populations. Pine nuts have also important nutritional benefits as they are very high in protein and various minerals. Pine trees play a crucial role in preventing soil erosion, regulating water cycles, and supporting biodiversity. However, 70% of pine nuts trees are in protected forest areas and their harvesting is undertaken with practices that often destroy the trees and deplete resources.

The Mongolian government has launched several actions among which the “the One Billion Tree Initiative” to fight deforestation and climate change and promote jobs and growth, by diversifying the national economy and investing in national processing, including non-timber forest products, specifically pine nuts. The EU is aligned with this objective, and it’s supporting the national strategies via different initiatives, including the Forest Partnership and the funding of the STREAM + project (“Sustainable Ecosystem and Agriculture Management for Rural Development in Mongolia).
The VCA4D study will serve to contribute to the specific implementation of ongoing and upcoming actions under the umbrella of the STREAM + project. It will also feed the policy dialogue with the Mongolian government and contribute to achieving the objectives of diversifying the economy, increasing the efficiency and national processing in key sectors while continuing to protect and to promote the sustainable development of the Mongolian-rich forests.

EXPERTISE REQUIRED

The team will be composed of three international experts from the Agrinatura alliance or associates, covering economic, social, and environmental Sciences; and one national expert from institutions and/or research systems having an excellent knowledge of the non-timber forest value chain, and ideally of the pine nuts value chain. The study is funded on a global price basis, thus it is remunerated against the approval of the final deliverable. The global price has been built around an estimated number of 45 working days per expert (50 for the team leader), although this is an indication and the time needed to complete the study may vary according to acquaintance of the team of experts to the VCA4D methodology and process.
The requirements for the different profiles are detailed below.

1) Agro-Economist
S/he is a senior expert with deep knowledge and experience in value chain analysis from an economic point of view. S/he will elaborate financial and economic accounts of the VC (and its sub-systems) as a whole and of its actors.

He/she will analyse the VC from the different actors’ perspectives, as well as its contribution to the main economic indicators (GDP, the balance of trade, public finance, etc.).

He/she will be at ease with the concepts of income distribution, job creation, growth and distributive effects, viability of the VC in the international economy, etc.

S/he will undertake a full functional analysis with the support of his/her colleagues.
Experience in economic analysis in the value chain is required.
Experience in developing/transition countries is required.
Professional experience in Mongolia/ in the region is an asset.
Experience in the non-timber forest products value chain is highly appreciated.
Knowledge of English is required. Knowledge of Russian/Mongolian is an asset.
Experience in stakeholders’ management (including relations with high-level officials and the private sector) and analysis of public policies are a plus.

The economist will coordinate and consolidate the functional analysis, compiling the contributions from all experts. S/he will provide a Functional and Economic Analysis that will be included in the final report. A collective or individual training to the AFA software will be made before the first mission. In the case the training cannot be done before the first mission, it will be done before the second mission.
S/he will help the team leader (if another member of the team) to (i) define the typology of actors that will be adopted throughout the study; (ii) formulate an executive summary and conclusions that combine the results of the different analyses to answer the framing questions and to finalise the report (reading, formatting of the report…). If relevant, the expert will collaborate and integrate the analysis of market trends provided by COLEAD.

2) Social expert
S/he is a senior expert with deep knowledge of and experience on social issues related to agricultural value chains in developing countries/transition countries, particularly on inclusiveness of the most vulnerable groups.
The expert has experience at least in two of the social domains covered by VCA4D (working conditions, land and water rights, gender equality, food and nutrition security, social capital, living conditions) and is able to handle and inform on the other ones.
Experience in social analysis of the agricultural sector is required, and specific experience on social issues in developing/transition countries is strongly appreciated.
Experience in social aspects of non-timber forest products value chains, in particular pine nuts is an asset.
Professional experience in Mongolia/ in the region is compulsory.
Experience in the social analysis of fair trade and organic certification and schemes is an asset.
Knowledge of English is required. Knowledge of Russian/Mongolian is an asset.
Experience in stakeholders’ management (including relations with high-level officials and the private sector) and analysis of public policies are a plus.
The social expert will provide a social analysis to be included in the report, based on the VCA4D Social Profile. An introduction on how to complete the Social Profile will be made before the first mission.
The Social Expert will also support the economist in the analysis of inclusiveness and the LCA expert to deal with the Biodiversity Analysis.
S/he will help the team leader to: (i) define the typology of actors that will be adopted throughout the study; (ii) formulate an executive summary and conclusions that combine the results of the different analyses to answer the framing questions and finalise the report (reading, formatting of the report…).

3) Environmental expert
S/he is a senior expert with deep knowledge of environmental aspects linked to value chains.
S/he will be an expert on the management of forest systems and sylviculture.

S/he will analyse the VC impacts on the forest ecosystems and biodiversity.

S/he will have experience in forest governance and regulation, forest areas management, agroforestry systems, and land use systems.
Experience and knowledge of the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is an asset.
Experience in value chain analysis in developing/transition countries is appreciated.
Experience in non-timber forest products, in particular pine nuts VC, is an asset.
Professional experience in Mongolia/in the region will be appreciated.
Knowledge of English is required. Knowledge of Russian/Mongolian is an asset.
S/he will provide the part of the report on the Environmental Analysis that will be included in the final report. His/her analysis will focus on the analysis of damages to resources, ecosystems, and human health, as well as on the impacts of climate change. The expert will also integrate and complement (with the support of the social expert) an analysis of biodiversity.
S/he will help the team leader to: (i) define the typology of actors that will be adopted throughout the study, (ii) formulate an executive summary and conclusions that combine
the results of the different analyses to answer the framing questions and to finalise the report (reading, formatting of the report…).

4) National Expert
S/he is a specialist in non-timber forest products, in particular, the pine nuts value chain in Mongolia.
Relevant knowledge of the national institutions (technical, economic, and political ones) and stakeholders (public and private) involved in the non-timber forest products, in particular, the pine nuts value chain is required. At the beginning of the study, s/he will provide general information on the value chain, identifying key players and existing relevant information and data for the analyses. The national expert will help to select the most relevant data from available sources, clarify inconsistencies, and improve coherence between analyses.
S/he will facilitate and complete the data collection, in agreement with the guidelines of the Team Leader.

S/he will facilitate the contact between the whole team and the local stakeholders.
Depending on the organization chosen by the team, his/her work can be deployed before the missions (preparation of the mission of the colleagues), during the missions (support of colleagues during missions), between missions (collection of additional information, supervision of data collection, etc.), even after missions (additional information).

The VCA4D project launches a new call for experts (economic, social, environmental and national ) for a value chain analysis on pine nuts in Mongolia.

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