CONSULTANT - FIELD COORDINATOR AND AGRONOMIC SPECIALIST
THE ORGANIZATION
The Alliance of Bioversity International (www.bioversityinternational.org) and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) (www.ciat.cgiar.org) delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people's lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.
With novel partnerships, the Alliance generates evidence and mainstream innovations to transform food systems and landscapes so that they sustain the planet, drive prosperity, and nourish people in a climate crisis.
The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future.
I. Context
The Building Resilience for Food and Nutrition Security in the Horn of Africa (BREFONS ) program is designed as a follow-up phase to the Drought Resilience and Sustainable Livelihoods Program (DRSLP) with the aim of improving the living standards of women, youth and the population in general. BREFONS is one of the priority programs identified under the Horn of Africa Initiative, a regional program that was prepared and designed for implementation in six countries, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan, by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Union and the World Bank.
In Djibouti, the program aims to strengthen resilience in food and nutrition security by implementing a pilot project exploring the use of digital technologies for digital extension services and the provision of concrete agronomic advice on plant and animal health. In doing so, it aims to improve access to high-quality agronomic advice and promote sustainable agricultural practices, including through improved access to safe and high-quality seeds.
As a key contributor to these objectives, the Field Coordinator and Agronomic Specialist (Consultant) will play a central role in working with CIAT (International Center for Tropical Agriculture) to coordinate all field activities in Djibouti and to ensure effective implementation of project components to improve agricultural productivity and food security in the country.
Location: Djibouti
Duration: The consultation will cover a level of effort of 2.25 months over a 12-month period (1 May 2025 - 30 April 2026), with the possibility of extension.
II. Goals
The Field Coordinator and Agronomic Specialist (Consultant) will support the successful implementation of the BREFONS project in Djibouti by coordinating field operations, facilitating stakeholder engagement, and contributing to the development of innovative digital advisory solutions tailored to arid and semi-arid regions.
III. Scope of work
The Field Coordinator and Agronomic Specialist (Consultant) will be responsible for the following roles and responsibilities:
- Field coordination:
- Lead field activities, including identifying and engaging 150 producers (at least 40% women).
- Oversee field surveys, including baseline surveys, user preference surveys, and satisfaction follow-up surveys, ensuring accurate data collection, in collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant.
- Content development:
- Collaborate with the technical team to co-create and validate agronomic and veterinary content for videos and interactive voice response (IVR ) messages .
- Ensure that content is adapted to local linguistic and cultural contexts, with an emphasis on gender inclusion.
- Technical expertise:
- Provide agronomic expertise specific to arid and semi-arid agricultural systems in Djibouti