Monitoring and Evaluation Fellow

Monitoring and Evaluation Fellow

About the Organization
Oorja is a Farming-as-a-Service company that addresses the energy, agrarian,, and climate crises faced by smallholder farmers in India. We provide solar-powered irrigation, milling, and cooling services on a pay-per-use basis to smallholder farmers previously reliant on fossil fuels. Oorja also provides complimentary Farmer Advisory services to its irrigation users. Agronomists provide Farmer Advisory services on best practices for each cultivation step, from soil preparation to precise input application to harvesting helping farmers adopt sustainable agricultural practices thereby reducing costs and increasing productivity. Decentralized solar power is a suitable technology, but the initial investment cost for these systems is prohibitively high. Oorja has pioneered an inclusive business model that removes the upfront cost barrier of equipment and reduces on-farm energy costs by up to 50%. This will accelerate the adoption of clean energy among smallholder farmers with limited financial capital, landholding, and social capital.

https://www.oorjasolutions.org/

Fellowship Description: 
The intern would work closely with the impact management team at Oorja. The intern is expected to:

- Conduct research to understand the impact matrix and frameworks being followed worldwide on the evaluation of solar energy-related work and farmer advisory (Best Practices). Take into consideration social, economic, and environmental impacts.

- Understand the current impact monitoring practices at Oorja, and identify the gaps. Help integrate the best practices within Oorja’s impact management process.

- Analyze the existing database of Oorja.

- Analyse data collected for a research study and develop a case study on the impact of affordable and reliable year-round irrigation in combination with farm advisory.

Desired outcome – A brief report and presentation highlighting learnings from the above-mentioned tasks throwing light on Oorja's social, economic, and environmental impact. Developing a case study on impact.

Qualifications:

- Current undergraduate or recent graduate in environmental science, engineering, or another relevant discipline.

- Should have a keen interest in impact monitoring & evaluation, agriculture, clean energy, and climate mitigation.

-Good written and verbal communication skills to present findings and insights clearly.

-Proficiency in data analysis tools (e.g., Excel, statistical software)

- Flexibility and adaptability to work in a dynamic and evolving project environment.

Skills Required: impact monitoring, research, data analysis, and report writing

Time Commitment: 25 hours / week