SOC Program
SOC Program
Effective Date: 10th August, 2026 · Version 1.0 · SOC Program, Vibo Africa
These Contractor Terms and Conditions govern the relationship between SOC Vibo Africa and any Contractor providing services through the platform. They operate together with, and do not replace, the general SOC Vibo Africa Terms and Conditions.
These Contractor Terms and Conditions (“Contractor Terms”) establish the terms governing the relationship between SOC Vibo Africa (“SOC Vibo Africa”, “Company”, “we”, “us” or “our”) and any individual or organization engaged, registered, approved, or permitted to provide services as a Contractor through the SOC Vibo Africa Platform.
These Terms are intended to establish clear standards for Contractor recruitment, onboarding, assignments, Farm operations, use of technology and AI Tools, payment, conduct, data protection, confidentiality, performance, and termination.
These Contractor Terms apply to all Contractors using the SOC Vibo Africa Platform or performing services on behalf of or in connection with SOC Vibo Africa Projects.
They apply whether the Contractor performs services remotely, physically in the field, through the Platform, or through a combination of these methods.
These Contractor Terms are intended to operate together with the general SOC Vibo Africa Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, Platform rules, Project requirements, and any separate Contractor Agreement.
Where a provision specifically applicable to Contractors conflicts with a general Platform provision, the Contractor-specific provision shall apply to the extent of the conflict.
SOC Vibo Africa may require a Contractor to sign an additional written agreement before commencing work.
Such agreement may specify the Contractor's role, remuneration, assignment requirements, deliverables, working period, confidentiality obligations, performance standards, and other conditions.
Registration or application to become a Contractor does not automatically create a contractual engagement or guarantee that the Contractor will receive assignments.
SOC Vibo Africa may assess applicants based on qualifications, location, availability, experience, training, Project requirements, capacity, and other relevant criteria.
A person wishing to become a Contractor may be required to submit an application through the Platform or another approved recruitment process.
The application may require personal information, qualifications, experience, location, identification information, contact details, payment information, references, and other relevant information.
The Contractor shall ensure that all information submitted during application, onboarding, verification, and continued engagement is accurate and complete.
The Contractor shall promptly update information that becomes materially inaccurate.
SOC Vibo Africa may verify the identity of a Contractor before granting access to Contractor services.
Verification may include review of identification documents, photographs, contact information, professional information, references, or other appropriate information.
SOC Vibo Africa may establish minimum qualifications for particular Contractor roles.
Some assignments may require specific agricultural, mapping, environmental, carbon, technology, surveying, data-collection, or other technical skills.
A Contractor may be required to complete training before receiving assignments.
Training may cover:
SOC Vibo Africa may restrict Contractor access to certain assignments or Platform functions until required training has been successfully completed.
Where reasonably necessary, SOC Vibo Africa may conduct appropriate eligibility or background checks in accordance with applicable law.
A Contractor becomes eligible to perform assignments only after SOC Vibo Africa has approved the Contractor through the applicable process.
Approval may be conditional and may be withdrawn where eligibility requirements are no longer satisfied.
Unless expressly stated otherwise in a separate written agreement, the Contractor is an independent contractor and not an employee of SOC Vibo Africa.
Nothing in these Terms automatically creates an employment relationship, partnership, joint venture, agency relationship, or other relationship of employment between SOC Vibo Africa and the Contractor.
The Contractor is responsible for managing their own time, equipment, transportation, applicable taxes, statutory obligations, insurance, permits, and other responsibilities associated with independent contracting, except where otherwise agreed in writing.
Unless expressly provided in a separate agreement or required by applicable law, Contractors shall not be entitled to employee benefits from SOC Vibo Africa.
A Contractor shall not make commitments, representations, promises, contracts, guarantees, or financial arrangements on behalf of SOC Vibo Africa unless expressly authorized.
Approved Contractors may receive access to a dedicated Contractor Dashboard.
The Dashboard may display:
Contractor access shall be determined by the Contractor's role, authorization, assignment, location, training, and other applicable criteria.
Certain Platform functions may only become available when a Contractor has an active assignment.
When a Contractor books or receives a Farm assignment, the Contractor may be given access to information and tools required to complete that assignment.
Once the Contractor has completed and submitted the required Farm information, the Farm may disappear from the Contractor Dashboard.
The Contractor's access to the Farm's associated AI Tools may also be removed.
The Contractor may only receive access to another Farm or another set of AI Tools after an appropriate new Farm assignment has been booked or allocated.
Contractors shall not attempt to restore access to completed assignments or access Farms that are no longer assigned to them.
Where the Platform permits Farm booking, Contractors may select or accept available Farms for authorized field activities.
Booking a Farm does not give the Contractor ownership, possession, tenancy, management rights, or any other legal interest in the Farm.
Each assignment may contain specific instructions concerning:
By accepting an assignment, the Contractor confirms that they have reviewed the requirements and reasonably expect to be able to complete them.
Contractors shall complete assignments within the prescribed timelines unless an extension is approved.
Repeated failure to complete assignments without reasonable justification may affect future assignment eligibility, Contractor ratings, payments, or continued engagement.
SOC Vibo Africa may cancel, reassign, or modify an assignment where necessary due to Farmer availability, Project requirements, data quality, technical issues, safety concerns, or other legitimate reasons.
Where assigned to conduct Farm Mapping, the Contractor shall make reasonable efforts to collect accurate and complete Farm information.
The Contractor may be required to identify and record Farm boundaries using GPS, photographs, satellite information, mapping tools, Farmer guidance, field observations, or other approved methods.
Where appropriate, the Contractor shall involve the Farmer in identifying the Farm boundaries and explaining the purpose of the mapping activity.
A Contractor shall not create false Farm boundaries, acreage measurements, GPS coordinates, or other Farm information.
Where Farm boundaries are disputed, unclear, inaccessible, or difficult to determine, the Contractor shall report the matter through the Platform instead of guessing or intentionally entering inaccurate information.
Where the Contractor is assigned to conduct tree counting, the Contractor shall follow the approved methodology and use the authorized AI or digital tools where applicable.
AI-generated tree counts shall be treated as an assessment tool and shall be reviewed or corrected where the Contractor identifies obvious inaccuracies.
The Contractor may be required to capture photographs showing relevant Farm conditions, crops, trees, infrastructure, soil conditions, or other approved information.
Where GPS information is required, Contractors shall collect the information using the approved procedure.
A Contractor shall not submit:
Where a physical visit is required, the Contractor shall make reasonable efforts to conduct the visit personally unless another arrangement has been expressly approved.
Contractors shall not enter private property without appropriate permission or lawful authority.
Contractors shall take reasonable precautions when conducting field activities and shall follow applicable safety instructions.
SOC Vibo Africa may provide Contractors with AI Tools to support:
AI Tools may only be used for the Farm and assignment for which the Contractor has been authorized.
Contractors shall not use SOC Vibo Africa AI Tools for personal, competing, commercial, unlawful, or unauthorized purposes.
Contractors acknowledge that AI Tools may produce inaccurate or incomplete results.
The Contractor shall exercise reasonable care and follow applicable verification procedures.
Where required, Contractors shall review AI-generated outputs against available field information and report apparent errors.
Contractors shall not manipulate photographs, images, GPS information, Farm Data, or other inputs to obtain a preferred AI result.
When an assignment is completed and the Contractor's Farm access is removed, associated AI Tools may also become unavailable.
Contractors shall not copy, download, reverse engineer, extract, reproduce, or commercially exploit SOC Vibo Africa AI systems or models without authorization.
Contractors shall treat Farmers, landowners, workers, community members, Project partners, and other persons with professionalism and respect.
Contractors shall clearly explain the purpose of authorized field activities where reasonably necessary.
Contractors shall not misrepresent:
Contractors shall not request, demand, collect, or accept unauthorized money from Farmers.
Contractors shall not use SOC Vibo Africa assignments to create unauthorized private arrangements with Farmers involving Farm Data, carbon rights, land, money, agricultural services, or competing Projects.
Contractors shall respect applicable consent requirements when collecting information, conducting Farm visits, taking photographs, or performing other activities.
Contractors shall avoid unnecessary collection or disclosure of Farmer Personal Data.
Farmers may report Contractor misconduct through SOC Vibo Africa's complaint and grievance mechanisms.
Contractors may have access to confidential information including:
Contractors shall use confidential information only for the purpose for which access was provided.
Contractors shall not disclose confidential information to unauthorized persons.
Contractors should not retain Farmer or Project Data on personal devices, personal cloud storage, messaging applications, or other unauthorized systems longer than necessary for approved work.
Contractors shall take reasonable measures to protect information accessed through their devices and accounts.
A Contractor shall promptly report a lost or stolen device where it may contain or provide access to SOC Vibo Africa information.
Suspected unauthorized access, disclosure, loss, theft, or compromise of Farmer or Project Data shall be reported promptly.
Once an assignment is completed, Contractors shall not continue using or accessing the Farm Data unless expressly authorized.
Confidentiality obligations continue after the Contractor's assignment or engagement ends.
Contractor compensation shall be determined by the applicable assignment, Contractor agreement, payment schedule, or other written arrangement.
Payment may depend on:
a. acceptance of the assignment;
b. completion of required work;
c. submission of required information;
d. data quality;
e. verification;
f. compliance with assignment instructions; and
g. other agreed requirements.
Where an assignment is materially incomplete or improperly performed, payment may be delayed, adjusted, rejected, or otherwise handled in accordance with the applicable Contractor agreement.
Contractors shall provide accurate payment information.
SOC Vibo Africa shall not be responsible for payment delays caused by incorrect information supplied by the Contractor.
Contractors should retain appropriate records of assignments and payments received.
Contractors are responsible for their applicable tax obligations unless the law or a written agreement provides otherwise.
A Contractor shall not collect money from Farmers on behalf of SOC Vibo Africa unless expressly authorized.
Payment disputes shall be raised through the applicable support or grievance process and should include relevant assignment and transaction information.
Contractors shall perform assignments professionally, accurately, completely, and within the required timelines.
SOC Vibo Africa may monitor Contractor performance using factors including:
Where submitted information is incomplete or inaccurate, SOC Vibo Africa may request correction or additional fieldwork.
Contractors may be required to correct and resubmit information that does not meet applicable requirements.
SOC Vibo Africa may maintain Contractor performance records or ratings for operational purposes.
Repeated poor performance may result in:
Fabrication of fieldwork, data, photographs, GPS information, Farmer interviews, tree counts, Farm boundaries, or other deliverables shall be treated as serious misconduct.
Contractors may collect information used to estimate or monitor GHG emissions, carbon storage, carbon removals, or other environmental outcomes.
Contractors shall collect carbon-related information according to approved methodologies, procedures, training, and Platform instructions.
Contractors shall not independently promise Farmers a specific number of carbon credits, carbon income, credit price, or Project outcome unless expressly authorized.
Contractors shall not represent that they personally own carbon credits, environmental attributes, or carbon rights arising from a Farm unless such rights have been expressly granted to them.
Contractors shall not knowingly engage in activities that could result in:
Contractors may be required to assist with continuing monitoring of Farms participating in Carbon Projects.
Contractors shall cooperate with reasonable verification or quality-control processes relating to their assignments.
Where Contractors identify events that may affect stored carbon, such as fires, major land-use changes, tree loss, or other material events, they shall report them through the appropriate channel.
Unless otherwise agreed, Contractors may be responsible for providing equipment reasonably required to perform their assignments.
SOC Vibo Africa may establish minimum requirements for smartphones, GPS functionality, cameras, internet connectivity, or other equipment.
Where SOC Vibo Africa provides equipment, the Contractor shall use it responsibly and only for authorized purposes.
A Contractor may be responsible for loss or damage resulting from deliberate misuse, negligence, unauthorized transfer, or failure to follow reasonable equipment instructions, subject to applicable law.
Transportation arrangements and reimbursement shall be determined by the applicable assignment or Contractor agreement.
Only approved or contractually reimbursable expenses shall qualify for reimbursement.
SOC Vibo Africa may require receipts, photographs, transaction records, or other evidence supporting expense claims.
Contractors are responsible for taking reasonable precautions for their own safety while performing field assignments.
Contractors shall report significant hazards affecting Farm visits or field operations.
A Contractor should not knowingly undertake an assignment where there is a serious and immediate safety risk without appropriate authorization and protective measures.
Where an assignment requires protective equipment, Contractors shall use the appropriate equipment and follow applicable safety instructions.
Contractors shall follow appropriate emergency procedures and notify SOC Vibo Africa of material incidents connected with an assignment where reasonably possible.
Contractors shall take reasonable precautions when working around agricultural chemicals, machinery, livestock, water bodies, difficult terrain, extreme weather, or other environmental hazards.
The Platform, software, AI systems, branding, databases, methodologies, training materials, documents, processes, designs, and other intellectual property belonging to SOC Vibo Africa remain its property or the property of its respective licensors.
Contractors receive only the limited access necessary to perform authorized assignments.
Contractors shall not copy, reproduce, sell, distribute, reverse engineer, modify, or commercially exploit SOC Vibo Africa intellectual property without authorization.
To the extent permitted by law and subject to any separate agreement, work products created specifically for SOC Vibo Africa as part of a paid assignment may belong to SOC Vibo Africa or be licensed to SOC Vibo Africa according to the applicable agreement.
Photographs, GPS information, Farm records, reports, forms, assessments, and other deliverables collected specifically for SOC Vibo Africa Projects may be subject to ownership or usage rights established by the applicable Project or Contractor agreement.
Contractors shall not use SOC Vibo Africa logos, names, uniforms, documents, or branding for unauthorized purposes.
Contractors shall disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest that may affect their work.
Contractors shall not use Farmer information obtained through SOC Vibo Africa to recruit Farmers into competing Carbon Projects or other competing services without authorization.
Contractors may conduct legitimate independent business activities provided those activities do not misuse SOC Vibo Africa information, resources, relationships, or intellectual property.
Contractors shall not improperly solicit Farmers for unrelated personal or competing commercial activities using information obtained through SOC Vibo Africa.
Contractors shall not accept gifts, commissions, benefits, or other advantages that could improperly influence their performance.
Contractors shall not engage in fraud involving:
Contractors shall not offer, request, or accept bribes or unauthorized payments.
A Contractor shall not claim to have visited a Farm when they did not conduct the required visit.
A Contractor shall not submit evidence obtained from another Farm, another person, another assignment, or another source and present it as their own current field evidence.
Contractors shall not manipulate the Platform, AI Tools, payment systems, or Project processes.
Contractors shall report serious suspected fraud, corruption, manipulation, or abuse through the designated SOC Vibo Africa reporting channels.
SOC Vibo Africa may temporarily suspend Contractor access while investigating:
a. suspected fraud;
b. serious complaints;
c. data breaches;
d. poor-quality submissions;
e. unauthorized access;
f. misconduct;
g. security concerns; or
h. other material issues.
SOC Vibo Africa may suspend or remove access to AI Tools independently of the Contractor's overall Platform account.
A Contractor may terminate their engagement by providing the notice required under the applicable Contractor agreement.
SOC Vibo Africa may terminate a Contractor's engagement in accordance with the applicable agreement and law.
Grounds may include:
Where permitted by law and the applicable agreement, serious misconduct may result in immediate termination.
Upon termination, the Contractor may be required to complete or properly hand over outstanding assignments where reasonably requested.
The Contractor shall return SOC Vibo Africa property, credentials, equipment, documents, and other materials upon termination where required.
SOC Vibo Africa may deactivate Contractor access to the Platform, Dashboard, Farms, AI Tools, and other systems after termination.
Confidentiality, intellectual-property, data-protection, payment, dispute-resolution, and other obligations intended to survive termination shall continue.
Contractors may raise complaints regarding assignments, payments, Farmer conduct, Platform functionality, decisions, or other matters through the designated complaint channels.
SOC Vibo Africa may review Contractor complaints fairly and consider relevant evidence.
Payment disputes should be raised promptly and should include the relevant assignment and transaction details.
Where a Contractor is accused of serious misconduct, SOC Vibo Africa may investigate the matter before making a final determination where reasonably practicable.
A Contractor may be given a reasonable opportunity to respond to material allegations before final disciplinary action, except where immediate protective action is necessary.
The parties should seek to resolve disputes through communication, review, negotiation, or the applicable grievance process before commencing formal proceedings where appropriate.
The Contractor relationship shall be governed by the applicable law specified in the Contractor Agreement or, where no separate provision exists, the applicable law governing SOC Vibo Africa's relevant operations.
Contractors are responsible for performing their assignments with reasonable care, skill, honesty, and professionalism.
A Contractor may be responsible for losses resulting from fraud, deliberate misconduct, unauthorized acts, or material breach of these Terms, subject to applicable law.
SOC Vibo Africa does not guarantee that a Contractor will receive a particular number of assignments, Farms, working hours, or income unless expressly agreed in writing.
Registration as a Contractor does not guarantee a specific income.
SOC Vibo Africa shall not be responsible for interruptions or failures caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, subject to applicable law.
To the extent permitted by law, a Contractor may be required to compensate SOC Vibo Africa for losses arising from the Contractor's fraud, unlawful conduct, unauthorized use of information, intellectual-property infringement, or material breach of these Terms.
SOC Vibo Africa may update these Contractor Terms where reasonably necessary due to changes in law, Projects, technology, Platform operations, security requirements, or business practices.
Individual assignments may contain additional requirements.
By accepting an assignment, the Contractor agrees to comply with those requirements.
Failure to enforce a provision immediately does not constitute a waiver of the right to enforce it later.
If any provision is found invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue to apply to the extent permitted by law.
These Contractor Terms, together with any applicable Contractor Agreement, assignment instructions, Platform policies, Privacy Policy, and Project-specific requirements, constitute the principal framework governing the Contractor relationship.
The Contractor may accept these Terms electronically through the Platform, electronic signature, checkbox confirmation, or another approved method.
SOC Vibo Africa may maintain electronic records of Contractor applications, assignments, submissions, communications, payments, performance, training, and other activities.
Notices may be delivered through the Contractor Dashboard, email, SMS, telephone, or other authorized communication channels.
The Contractor's obligation to protect confidential information continues after the Contractor's engagement ends.
A Contractor shall not transfer an assignment to another person without prior authorization.
Contractors shall not subcontract field activities or provide another person with access to their Contractor account without express authorization.
Headings are for convenience and do not affect interpretation.
By registering as, accepting an assignment as, or continuing to operate as a Contractor on the SOC Vibo Africa Platform, the Contractor acknowledges and confirms that: