Job Description

Reference number: 20260324
Job status: In-progress
Job category: Consultancy
Duty station: Home-based, Cameroon
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CIFOR-ICRAF
The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and World Agroforestry (ICRAF) envision a more equitable world where trees in all landscapes, from drylands to the humid tropics, enhance the environment and well-being for all. CIFOR and ICRAF are non-profit science institutions that build and apply evidence to today’s most pressing challenges, including energy insecurity and the climate and biodiversity crises. Over a combined total of 65 years, we have built vast knowledge on forests and trees outside of forests in agricultural landscapes (agroforestry). Using a multidisciplinary approach, we seek to improve lives and to protect and restore ecosystems. Our work focuses on innovative research, partnering for impact, and engaging with stakeholders on policies and practices to benefit people and the planet. Founded in 1993 and 1978, CIFOR and ICRAF are members of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food secure future dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources.

CIFOR-ICRAF is looking for a

Consultant - Performance of Peasant-Forest Committees in the governance and sustainability of forest concessions: analysis in Cameroon and prospects for the Congo Basin

Overview

Peasant-Forest Committees (CPFs) in Cameroon are intended to support community participation in forest management, but their effectiveness is limited by governance, resource, and capacity challenges. Strengthening training, representation, and local engagement is therefore essential.

Across the Congo Basin, forest concessions are increasingly adopting sustainable management and certification, but results remain uneven. This highlights the need to better assess impacts across certified and non-certified areas, particularly on social, environmental, and governance outcomes.

Overall, effective forest governance depends on strong local participation mechanisms, clear rights, accountability, and tangible benefits for communities, supported by regional initiatives promoting sustainability and impact monitoring.

Duties and responsibilities

The Consultant will be responsible for carrying out the following tasks:

Conduct a systematic analysis of Peasant-Forest Committees (CPFs) in Cameroon and equivalent participatory mechanisms in the Congo Basin.
Map roles, responsibilities, and operating methods of CPFs and comparable structures (village committees, community forests/CFCL).
Compare effectiveness of certified (FSC/PAFC) versus non-certified concessions across social, environmental, and governance dimensions.
Identify success and failure factors including legal frameworks, accountability, inclusiveness, and capacity-building needs.
Analyze complementarities between CPFs and concessionary instruments such as management plans, certification processes, social clauses, and benefit-sharing mechanisms.
Develop roadmaps and recommendations for administrations, operators, communities, and certifiers to optimize and scale up participatory mechanisms.
Produce deliverables including inception report, analytical review, indicator database, evaluation report, recommendations note, presentation slides, and a draft scientific article/policy brief.
Facilitate multi-stakeholder engagement through interviews, case studies, workshops, and validation sessions.

Key Responsibilities (Deliverables)

Inception report (protocol, analysis framework, sampling, tools).
Analytical review (CPF texts, FSC/PAFC standards, governance literature).
Database (social/environmental/governance indicator matrix).
Prepare an evaluation report (results, comparisons, case studies).
PPT presentation of findings.
Produce a Scientific article and policy brief for decision-makers/donors.
Submit a Final Assessment Report incorporating all feedback

Education, knowledge and experience

• Masters degree or Phd in forestry, environmental governance, social sciences, or a related field.
• Proven experience (>=5 years) in evaluating participatory mechanisms and local governance in forest concessions; in-depth knowledge of FSC/PAFC.
• Good knolowledge forest looging and forest management
• Proficiency in qualitative methods (interviews, case studies, document analysis) and comparative synthesis.
• Excellent multi-stakeholder facilitation skills (workshops, validation).
• Fluency in French and/or English.

Terms and conditions

• Duration: 04 months
• Level of Effort: 10 working days per month
• Location: Home-based consultancy with virtual coordination meetings., thus field activities and Occasional interaction with the CIFOR Cameroon Country Office (Yaoundé) may be required.
• Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications no later than April 4, 2026
• Applications must be sent by email to: cifor-cameroon@cifor-icraf.org
The subject line must read: "Farmer- Forest committee - (your name)”

• The application must be submitted as a single PDF document named:

A detailed motivation letter outlining relevant experience.
An updated Curriculum Vitae (CV).
Evidence of previous relevant work (publications, modelling outputs, portfolio, reports, or links

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.