TERMS OF REFERENCE

TERMS OF REFERENCE
Development of a taxonomy for Rural Horizons
(Contract per product)
May 2015
1. BACKGROUND
Solidaridad Network is an international civil society organization present in 49 countries, with
focus on sustainable supply chains and poverty alleviation through sustainable economy. Our
goals are production with respect for people and planet, and reliable trade relations that give
producers a fair deal. We focus on the production chains that matter worldwide and where changes
have great impact: coffee, tea, cacao, fruit, textiles, cotton, soy, palm oil, sugar cane, gold and
livestock. Our eight expertise centres in Latin America, Africa and Asia concentrate on building
sustainable value chains, creating local markets and implementing producer support activities in
close cooperation with local partners. In Europe, Solidaridad focuses on market development,
corporate partnership programmes, fundraising, lobbying and publicity campaigns.
Fundación Solidaridad Latinoamericana – FSLA is a subsidiary of Solidaridad Network. Its offices
are located in Buenos Aires – Argentina, Sao Paulo - Brazil and Asunción – Paraguay, covering
Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia and Guyanas.
FSLA has developed Rural Horizons, an integrated methodology backed-up by a unique expert
system to support continuous improvement of agricultural production. Rural Horizons enables
producers to take the lead in adjusting their production system according to the best sustainability
insights available to them. A single platform allows them to make a scan of their production
system, benchmark their performance (with that of their peers or against any standard or
legislation) and plan adjustments. Information provided by producers creates an anonymous
database enabling data gathering at aggregated level, peer grouping and sector analysis. It helps
supply chain partners understand the real issues on the ground and support a step by step
approach towards buying sustainable products. Additional functionalities are currently being
developed, such as a verification module and a technical support module.
Rural Horizons is currently being expanded in Latin America (Paraguay, Colombia, Argentina),
Africa and Asia. As the number of projects – and thus the volume of data - is growing, the
importance of indexing and referencing data is crucial so as to enable comparison between
countries, regions or crops - independent of language or version - and increase compatibility with
other existing systems.
In this context, Solidaridad is looking for a consultant to carry out the development of an
appropriate taxonomy for Rural Horizons and the indexing of existing data.
Fundação Solidaridad Brasil
Rua Pinto Gonçalves, 31 - Perdizes - 05005-010 São Paulo - SP
www.solidaridadnetwork.org
2. OBJECTIVE
Propose, define and implement a taxonomy so as to index the practices assessed in Rural
Horizons toolkits (minimum English – Portuguese. Spanish will be an asset).
3. SCOPE OF WORK
The consultant will be required to:
1. Benchmark existing controlled vocabularies and information systems in the
agriculture sector so as to propose an appropriate solution (10%)
As mentioned before, compatibility with other existing systems is fundamental for Rural horizons.
With orientations from Rural horizons team, the consultant will be required to search for other
existing information systems aimed at supporting sustainable agriculture. Based on these
benchmarks, the consultant will propose a guideline for the development of the taxonomy. This
guideline will have to be approved by Rural horizons team before the development of the
taxonomy.
2. Design taxonomy structure (70%)
The taxonomy will be based upon existing contents and will be used to index topics of Rural
Horizons toolkits. Along with taxonomy structure, content managers will categorize and create new
contents.
Experts in sustainability and agricultural practices will be available to provide the consultant with
necessary information and validate the taxonomy proposed.
3. Index existing content into Rural Horizons expert system (20%)
The taxonomy will be used to index existing toolkits in Rural Horizons Expert System (RHES).
This last step will also include the delivery of a summary of executed activities and
recommendations for the future of the project.
4. QUALIFICATIONS
The consultant should have:
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University degree in library science, information management or similar;
Proven professional experience with taxonomy;
Fluency in English and Portuguese.
Fundação Solidaridad Brasil
Rua Pinto Gonçalves, 31 - Perdizes - 05005-010 São Paulo - SP
www.solidaridadnetwork.org
Desirable:


Fluency in Spanish;
Track record with agricultural information.
5. DELIVERABLES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES
The consultancy service to be provided under this ToR will result in:
1. Report presenting main conclusions of the benchmark and guideline for the development of
the taxonomy;
2. Taxonomy - including all terms in English and Portuguese - implemented into Rural
horizons expert system;
3. Contents of toolkits indexed into the system;
4. Summary of realized activities and recommendations for the next steps.
(All documentation must be provided in English)
6. SELECTION, MODALITIES OF WORK AND CONTRACT
The selection process will consist in 2 phases:
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Phase 1: Analysis of CV and cover letter. Selected candidates will receive more information
and will be invited to provide a detailed work plan taking into account the deliverables and
deadlines.
Phase 2: Analysis of work plans presented.
Location: Home based, with in-person weekly work sessions (São Paulo - Zona Oeste).
Contract: Service agreement, based on approved work plan;
Estimated duration of work: from 1 to 2 months;
Support: The Consultant will receive support from Rural horizons Program Manager and Rural
Horizons Information Manager. Other experts will be consulted if needed.
INTERESTED?
Solidaridad invites interested experts to submit their Curriculum Vitae (CV) and expression of
interest to [email protected] by June 8th, 2015.
For additional information, visit our websites at:
http://www.solidaridadnetwork.org/
http://en.ruralhorizon.org/
Fundação Solidaridad Brasil
Rua Pinto Gonçalves, 31 - Perdizes - 05005-010 São Paulo - SP
www.solidaridadnetwork.org