Protection sociale pour les coopératives agricoles – Cambodge

Lieu : Cambodge
Organisation : Ucoopia Cambodia
Type : Stage
Durée : À définir

Model Terms of Reference for Internships in the Ucoopia Actions

Practical Social Protection Schemes for Agricultural Cooperatives (ACs) – Cambodia

  • Background

Uni4Coop is a coordination platform created by four Belgian university NGOs that are ECLOSIO (the NGO of the University of Liège), Louvain Coopération (Catholic University of Louvain), FUCID (University of Namur) and ULB – Coopération (Free University of Brussels). The 4 NGOs are all engaged in development and international cooperation projects, mainly financed by the Directorate-General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid(DGD) of the Belgian State. Uni4Coop's specificity is to contribute to development by mobilizing the human and scientific resources of the university community. 

In Cambodia, Uni4Coop is represented by ECLOSIO and Louvain Cooperation (LC). The programs of intervention include (i) Sustainable Food Systems (SFS), (ii) and Health, with an emphasis on non-communicable diseases and mental health. Under the SFS program, the Partnership for Agroecology Transition, Networking and Efficient Resilience (PArTNER) project provides direct financial and technical supports to the ALiSEA network (https://ali-sea.org/) and Farmer Organization (FO) partners including Agricultural Cooperatives (ACs) and Union of Agricultural Cooperatives (UACs) in Battambang, Takeo and Kampong Thom provinces, with additional technical supports from other partners and collaborators of the project.

The outcome pursued by the PArTNER project is to generate economic and social changes of the Cambodian rural farmer families by improving Cambodian food market through agroecological transition and gender equity in agriculture.

The PArTNER project aims to enhancing FOs’ capacities in their business management, in promoting agroecology transition among the FOs’ members and stakeholders, strengthening FOs’ institutional functions, building market linkages for the products of ACs and UACs, increasing access to finance as well as reinforcing collaborations between FOs and relevant stakeholders.

The PArTNER project contributes to the following five results:

  • Result 1: Small-scale farmers and their family members improve their knowledge and capacity to ensure sustainable, healthy, diversified and culturally appropriate food production.
  • Result 2: Value-chains and market access of products from agroecological practices are upgraded
  • Result 3: Improved governance to favour peasant rights, gender equity and democratization of decision-making space
  • Result 4: Improved sustainable and healthier consumption patterns
  • Result 5: Innovations derived from the experimentation by small-scale farmers in the agroecology transitions, the upgrading of value chain and the better governance are consolidated in research-actions, studies or systematizations that are co-constructed with farmers and disseminated for their internal and external valorisation, to influence policies and decision-making in favour of the transition to AE

In order to build a strong relationship between Uni4Coop’s team at the field and the Academia at the University of Liège, participation from students and professors to capitalize on-the-ground practices is always welcome. Internship has become a part of the project where students from Belgium are mobilized to work with local students in Cambodia in a co-learning program to develop knowledge products benefited to both the project and the academic advancement.

  • Preamble

Social Protection Schemes (SPSs) including Health Insurance or other forms of extra benefits at workplaces are widely practiced in Cambodia, but mostly in the urban areas and in formal economy sectors. For farmers living in the rural areas, these systems are rarely accessible despite recent policies by government to extend the Health Insurance system for urban employees and workers to rural areas population. This official SPS is mainly at reach of population employed in the formal economic systems, while small-scale farmers supported by Ucoopia are evolving in the informal sectors.

Agriculture Cooperatives (ACs) are private legal entities that are voluntarily established by people who jointly invest, own, and manage their business. They are intended to improve agricultural production, agro-industry, and services related to agricultural production. The goal is to raise the economic, social, and cultural status of members.

ACs are registered with the Ministry of Agriculture (MAFF) and have by law to report annually their business and financial results. ACs also have by law the obligation to keep 6% of their profit for the objective of financing “community development priorities”. Only few apply this rule of law and most ACs are reporting zero into their annual report to MAFF and to their General Assembly. The few applying some kind of community development supports is under the form of co-investment of municipality level small-scale infrastructure work, or support to member for health treatment, or support to members contributing to religious events or family wedding.

Also, ACs are reporting resorting to collecting donations from villagers for actions to support their members in need or in case of emergency.

Ucoopia through its PArTNER project, is willing to investigate the different forms of social supports provided by Agricultural Cooperatives in order to develop an appropriate strategy to support ACs in setting up a formal support system for their members; what we call a “shock responsive Social Protection System” (SPS).

It is very interesting to identify current practical social protection policies that those ACs are applying, and identity barriers impeding the adaptation of the SPSs.

  • Purpose of the Internship

The general objectives are to take stock good practices of SPSs applied by different agricultural cooperatives in Cambodia, identify challenges for ACs in adapting SPSs, and provide recommendations to Ucoopia on a support strategy to ACs.

  • General principles underlying the traineeship

The trainee will be supervised, on the one hand, by the pedagogical staff of the institution from which he comes and, on the other hand, by the Ucoopia’s staff (both from the headquarters and from the field), as well as by the Southern partners of Ucoopia. Ucoopia will be attentive to the technical orientation of the works, their harmonisation and their continuity.

The student will have to follow at least a training before his departure ("Agriculture and Cooperation" ; "Preparation to Departure").

The student involved in the internship will in turn act as a global education and solidarity education (ECMS) by engaging, by testimonials, video and photo reports, the writing of articles for the Periodical of Ucoopia.

  • Duration and desired period of the internship
  • Up to8 Weeks(Master 1)
  • Place of the internship
  • Country: Cambodia
  • Provinces: Battambang and/or Takeo and/or Kampong Thom
  • Methodology and steps of the study

The study will involve:

  • Meetings with stakeholders who work with ACs regarding theSPSs. Those include the government agencies, non-governmental organisations, and private sectors and other related actors;
  • Conducting interviews with ACs on their practices regarding SPSs;
  • Develop a case study which include recommendations on best practices of SPSs.
  • Products expected by Ucoopia and its partners

The main expected deliverables for this internship aredifferent case studies reported in a Summary Report for Master 1.

  • Internship conditions
  • Financial conditions:

Financially, no scholarship is awarded by Ucoopia to the student. Everyone pays for their plane ticket and meals. However, facilities are provided on site for accommodation and travel of the trainee. However, the expenses incurred for the realization of the project (through the internship) are covered by Ucoopia.

Return plane ticket

At the trainee's charge

Meals

At the expense of the trainee

Conditions of accommodation

(place and care)

Supported by Ucoopia

(only accommodation fees related to the internship are reimbursable)

On-site transportation

(conditions and management)

Supported by Ucoopia

(only travel fees related to the internship are reimbursable)

Equipment and logistics

(access to a desk, a computer, the internet, etc.)

At the trainee’s charge

Other expenses related to the study subject of the internship

Supported by Ucoopia by respecting the procedures of engagement

Other expenses

At the trainee's charge

Conditions of supervision on the spot

The field supervisor of the intern when he/she is in Cambodia is Mr. MEY Veata, Sustainable Food Systems Program Manager (Ucoopia Cambodia).

  • Working conditions:
  • Working hours: full time
  • Peer Learning Condition: The Belgian intern will carry out the internship in collaboration with a local intern from a local research institute or university.
  • Profile sought
  • Research Areas:
  • Local Governance
  • Domain of Studies:
  • Any of them. There are no preferences. This is an open internship opportunity.
  • Languages ​​
  • The intern will have to prove a sufficient level of Englishto enable him/her to communicate with the field teams and partners.
  • Behavioural and professional aptitude:
  • Good autonomy and organization of work;
  • Good capacity for innovation and scientific rigor;
  • Motivation and ability to meet challenges;
  • Good communication skills and good listening skills;
  • Good ability to work in extreme weather conditions;
  • Good writing skills: a brief monthly report will be requested according to a template provided previously.
  • Contact person

Claire Wiliquet, responsible for civic education and communication at 081.62.25.76 or at the email address claire.wiliquet@eclosio.ong.

Please send your CV + cover letter.

Please, note that the applications will be treated as and when they arrive.

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