ThaiNGO

Title: Home Gardening Trainer

Number of Consultants: 1

Country Program: Protection and Empowerment, Thailand

Proposed Dates: 2 June - 31 August 2025

Duration: 3 months

Application Deadline: 30 May 2025

Background of the project 

The International rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the worlds’ largest internation humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. The IRC has been operating in Thailand since 1975 and currently provides assistance to displaced person in Tak, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Mae Hong Son provinces.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is working to build the economic resilience of Myanmar conflict effected population. With the contexts experiencing violent conflict, political and institutional fragility, displacement, and humanitarian and climatic emergencies, all of which are causally linked to severe food insecurity. In such settings, food systems are often weakened or destroyed, access to nutritious food is severely limited, food production and livelihoods are undermined, and households are at risk of experiencing protracted nutritional and economic crises. Hence, violent conflict remains the main driver of food crises and nutritional insecurity.

Scope of work

Home gardens play a vital role in enhancing food security and providing households with access to micronutrient-rich fruits and vegetables. They are especially promoted as a resilience strategy to help families cope during humanitarian emergencies. This home gardening intervention seeks to promote the practice of cultivating home gardens as a means to enhance their nutritional intake, reduce food expenses, and contribute to a greener, more sustainable environment.

This home gardening initiative is designed not only to supply participants with fresh produce for their household consumption but also to create opportunities for them to generate additional income through various gardening-related activities. Participants can engage in value-added practices such as grafting and budding, which are advanced horticultural techniques used to propagate high-quality plants.

By learning and applying these skills, participants can produce grafted or budded plants, which are often in high demand for their improved traits such as disease resistance, higher yields, or better adaptability to local conditions. These plants can be sold to nurseries, farmers, or local markets, providing a sustainable source of income. Additionally, this initiative equips participants with valuable knowledge and practical skills, empowering them to maximize the economic potential of their gardens while also contributing to food security and community development.

Deliverables:

• The consultant is to design the training agenda and conduct interactive training on the topic of organic home gardening.
• To train on gardening various techniques such as soil management, pest control and irrigation techniques to 20 households.
• To provide guidance on the essential ingredients needed and the proper techniques for mixing soil to create and optimal growing medium for gardening.
• To provide hands-on activities in home gardening, including the setup and maintenance of small-sale gardens.
• To provide training to participants on grafting and budding techniques for plant propagation.
• The consultant will oversee the procurement of seeds, tools and other resources and ensure their distribution to participants' households.
• To conduct the follow up sessions to monitor and evaluate the progress of participants’ gardening efforts.
• The consultant will take notes of the whole training progress and combine all the information from both the intensive training as well as follow-up sessions to develop the report.

Payment Rate and Schedule:

• The payment includes trainer fee, transportation cost, seeds and tools costs, and including 3% withholding tax.
• The payment will be carried out 3 times 
  1)   50% will be paid after signing the contract,
  2)   20% will be paid after the 3^rd follow up session,
  3)   30% payment will be paid after submitting the report.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, Horticulture, Environmental Science, or a related field. Equivalent practical experience may be considered in lieu of formal education.
• Good knowledge of local language: Karen and/or Burmese.
• A minimum of 5 years of working experience in the agricultural field.
• Genuine enthusiasm for plants and the benefits of gardening
• In-depth understanding of plant biology, organic gardening, composting, and eco-friendly pest management
• Familiarity with advanced techniques like grafting, budding, and seed saving.
• Experience in designing garden layouts for limited space.
• Knowledge of locally available plants, soil conditions, and environmental challenges.
• Knowledge of rowing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and ornamental plants in different climates.
• Skills to design and conduct interactive workshops or hands-on training sessions.
• Ability to address gardening challenges, such as pests, diseases, or poor soil quality
• Understanding participants’ challenges and working within their cultural and socioeconomic contexts.
• Ability to explain complex concepts in simple, practical terms.
• Patience and adaptability to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds and skill levels.
• Additional training or certification in organic farming, permaculture, or sustainable agriculture is an asset.
• Demonstrated experience in community-based agricultural projects or training programs is highly desirable.

Standard of Professional Conduct: The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.

If you are interested, please submit your resume to the below email address.

Contact : Thailand.HR@rescue.org