Organizational Setting
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.
ย
The main aim of the FAO country office, which is headed by the FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner. The position is in the FAO Representation in Lusaka, Zambia.
Reporting Lines
The Emergency and Agricultural Specialist will work under the overall supervision of FAO Representative and the direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (programmes) and technical guidance of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) in the FAO Office of Emergencies and Resilience (OERDD), and in close collaboration with the relevant staff in FAO Zambia and counterpart entities, the incumbent will carry out the following tasks.
Technical Focus
The incumbent will be responsible for providing technical guidance and support in implementing and uptake of agricultural technologies among the emergency project beneficiaries. The primarily focus will be on the following areas:
โข ย ย Planning, designing and selection of appropriate practices and technologies to effectively support the project beneficiaries
โข ย ย Providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Agriculture personnel in the thematic areas of sustainable agriculture, environment and biodiversityย
Tasks and responsibilities
โข ย ย Design and implement sustainable and resilient agriculture interventions that are suitable for small-scale farmers in drought-prone areas.
โข ย ย Provide technical expertise and training on good agricultural practices to optimize crop production in limited water conditions.
โข ย ย Support smallholder agricultural production to ensure best food security and income generation outcomes.ย
โข ย ย In liaison with other FAO experts, contribute to the formation and management of smallholder agricultural irrigated agriculture production committees.
โข ย ย Collaborate with extension staff to train them on various water-efficient technologies, including water harvesting, promotion of drought-tolerant and water-efficient crops, and irrigation scheduling based on weather and soil conditions.
โข ย ย Monitor and evaluate the impact of crop production interventions on crop yields, farmer livelihoods, and the adoption of water-efficient technologies.
โข ย ย Contribute to the development of best practices and guidelines for small-scale crop production and protection in drought response projects.
โข ย ย Assist in documenting challenges, best practices and lessons learned from the project.ย
โข ย ย Facilitate compilation of data and information from different projects for development of comprehensive project reports related to drought emergency. ย
โข ย ย Produce internal reports according to FAO cooperate requirements. ย
โข ย ย Perform any other assigned task.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements ย ย
โข ย ย An advanced degree in Crop Science, agronomy or related field.
โข ย ย A minimum of 7 yearsโ experience in development and humanitarian work, with a focus on agriculture, or rural development.
โข ย ย Working knowledge of English, (proficient โ level C)
โข ย ย National of Zambia
FAO Core Competencies
โข ย ย Results Focus
โข ย ย Teamwork
โข ย ย Communication
โข ย ย Building Effective Relationships
โข ย ย Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
โข ย ย Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable.
โข ย ย Experience in major technical fields related to engineering design of irrigation, drainage, water management and rural infrastructure, on-farm irrigation development, and land and water resources interventions is desirable.
โข ย ย Relevance of experience in capacity development for the formulation and implementation of support programmes for water usersโ organizations and promotion of participatory irrigation management as well as the training of irrigation engineers and managers.
โข ย ย Demonstrated experience in dealing with senior government officials, development partners and other country stakeholders.
โข ย ย Demonstrated capacity to write technical reports in English.
โข ย ย Relevance of experience in the Southern Africa region.
โข ย ย Ability to work under pressure and willingness to travel frequently to project sites.
Selection Criteria
โข ย ย Knowledge of local languages in the targeted project areas in Zambia would be an advantage.Strong knowledge of crop production sustainable agricultural practices.
โข ย ย Proven ability to work with communities and facilitate the formation and management of agricultural committeesย
โข ย ย Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing) Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/ย ย For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/ย ย Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.ย