Terms of Reference
Agriculture Research Assistant
Sangga Bumi Lestari is an Indonesian non-profit sustainability research, strategy, and implementation organisation that protects and restores ecosystems, improves livelihoods, and strengthens governance. We implement projects to increase community and civil society involvement in the management of forest areas, encourage corporate companies to operate forestry and agricultural concessions according to key sustainability criteria, and facilitate government support for sustainable development goals. We have enhanced protection of some of West Kalimantan’s key wildlife habitats through facilitating multi-stakeholder collaborations and demonstrating that well-managed forest areas can enhance community livelihoods and contribute to district level development goals. Sangga Bumi Lestari was established in November 2021.
Sangga Bumi Lestari implements projects from offices in Jakarta, Pontianak, Ketapang, and Kapuas Hulu. We currently have 30 staff members and additional freelance field assistants. Our current projects focus on five key areas:
Land use change analysis to identify sustainability issues and communicate externally via articles and reports, workshops, and webinars.
Direct engagement to encourage sector transformation and develop collaborative strategies to improve sustainability commitments of concessions. We also engage relevant government departments to support these private sector’s initiatives.
Supporting the government’s social forestry policy, focused on the province of West Kalimantan. We focus on supporting communities obtain social forestry designations, encouraging district government support for the policy, and developing strategies to increase village development and the welfare of local communities operating social forestry permits.
Developing wildlife corridors to connect existing forest areas and recover degraded habitats, including conducting biodiversity and vegetation surveys, data analysis, education and outreach, reforestation, and stakeholder engagement.
Flood prevention in rural and urban areas. Including mapping of watersheds, land-use change analysis, hydrological modelling, stakeholder engagement, the development and trial of suitable mitigation strategies, training, and implementation.
Role
Sangga Bumi Lestari is looking for a Agriculture Research Assistant in Pontianak. Duties may include:
Support projects to establish biodiversity corridors in the Mendawak landscape and Kapuas Hulu lansdscape
Reporting to the Landscape Research Manager, ensure farming data collected is accurate and has been collected according to all designed methodology
Work with the Programme Coordinator to produce reports on collected data, focused on farming commodities
Lead the data collection process for activities related to farming commodities, challenges, innovations, and feasibility
Support the team in delivering results from collected data and provide training to local communities
Manage the collection of datasets from the field teams and conduct data reviews to communicate the degree of data quality to the Landscape Research Manager
Accurately enter collected data into research databases and conduct data cleaning for scientific analysis
Work collaboratively with the village facilitators to provide support in the field to ensure accurate and robust data collection
Support desk research, academic literature reviews, and discussions with communities on study results.
Requirements
Bachelor's degree in agriculture, agronomy, agrotechnology, agribusiness and other relevant fields
Minimum 3 years of experience in regenerative agriculture, agricultural research, or related fields
Strong understanding of the principles and practices of regenerative agriculture, soil health management, agroecology, and sustainable land use
Proactive, an eye for detail and accuracy when researching, and the ability to communicate findings clearly
Proficiency in entering and handling data in MS Excel and other data cleaning software
Willingness to do fieldwork in remote areas
Willingness to learn and follow data quality methodologies and standards
Fluent in Indonesian and at least functional English
Experience in regenerative agriculture training and capacity building for diverse audiences
Research and analytical skills to inform evidence-based practice. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for stakeholder engagement.
Able to work in a team, as well as able to travel the field when needed.
What we offer
Contract for one year with the possibility of extension
Work with a passionate and highly experienced team
This position will be based in Pontianak but field trips to work sites will be required.
Hybrid work policies and personal health insurance.
Please contact:
Interested candidates should send a CV to info@sanggabumilestari.org, Taufik (mohammad.taufik@sanggabumilestari.org), and Dani (dani@sanggabumilestari.org) with the subject line ‘Agriculture Research Assistant-Surname’. Please send your applications before the 14th of February 2025.