Specialist in the Preparation of the Action Plan for Dynamic Conservation - SIPAM Program

Organizational Setting

The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) is a FAO program that seeks to: leverage national and international recognition of the importance of agricultural heritage systems and institutional support for their safeguards; build capacity on local farming communities and local and national institutes to conserve and manage GIAHS, generate income and add economic value to goods and services on such systems in a sustainable fashion. To promote enabling regulatory Policies and incentive environments to support the conservation, evolutionary adaptation and viability of GIAHS.

A GIAHS site is “a living, evolving system of human communities in an intricate relationship with their territory, cultural and agricultural landscape or biophysical and wider socio environment. Humans and their livelihood activities have continually adapted to the potentials and constraints of the environment and shaped the landscape and the biological environment to different degrees”.

To be considered a GIAHS, the agricultural systems must show its global historical and current importance considering five criteria:
a)    Food and Livelihood security
b)    Agrobiodiversity
c)    Local and Traditional Knowledge systems
d)    Culture, Value Systems and Social Organizations
e)    Landscape and Seascape features

The REDESER Project is financed by GEF and implemented by FAO in the semi-arid region of Brazil (Caatinga biome). The objective of the project is to Halt and reverse the process of desertification through actions to address increasingly strong causes of land degradation and biodiversity loss in Caatinga ecosystems located in Areas Susceptible to Desertification, which cover 1.34 million Km (16% of Brazil) and are home to 34.8 million people (17%). 

The project activities are developed in four territories: Araripe, in southern Ceará; Seridó, in southern Rio Grande do Norte; Uauá, in Northeastern Bahia; and Xingó, in western Alagoas. In Uauá Territory, comprising Uauá and Monte Santo municipalities, the project implements activities at “Fundo de Pasto” communities.

The “Fundo de Pasto” agricultural systems are complex systems characterized by the common use of semi-arid lands for livestock production, focused on goats, extractivism of native semi-arid products and family lands intended for agriculture production. This system represents an innovative and dynamic way to manage the caatinga bioma on Brazil, in a mutual and ever going adaptation process of environmental conditions and social dynamics.

The “Fundo de Pasto” agricultural systems represent a heritage of rural communities of the North state of Bahia, that for almost three centuries reproduces a unique livelihood in an intricate relationship with Caatinga biome.  

To ensure the continuity of the sustainable cultural management of the system, its dynamic conservation through time, as well as the heritage and environmental, social and economic benefits it provides, an Action Plan for Dynamic Conservation of the agricultural system should be developed alongside with the technical scientific dossier to support the GIAHS site proposal. The Dynamic Conservation Action Plan aims to develop a series of strategic actions to help the community preserve its natural resource base, land management practices, crop diversity, and knowledge systems, while adapting to contemporary challenges such as climate change. It also seeks to strengthen the social organization of traditional communities and ensure the sustainability of agricultural systems linked to their traditional way of life. To achieve this, the Plan proposes adaptive measures to reinforce the sociocultural and ecological processes that underpin this historically evolved system, while improving the community’s food security and well-being.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent reports to the Assistant Representative in FAO Brazil – Programme.

Technical Focus

Under the supervision of the Assistant Representative of FAO Brazil, and with the technical guidance of the Better environment  Technical Area Coordination and the PPG Project Coordinator (FAO Brazil), the incumbent will be responsible for carrying out the necessary activities to prepare the Action Plan for Dynamic Conservation, to support the submission of the proposal  of the Traditional Agricultural System of Fundo de Pasto to the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Programme.

Tasks and Responsibilities

•    Develop the methodological proposal and work schedule to prepare the Action Plan for Dynamic Conservation.
•    Technical support in meetings with Fundo de Pasto communities and their representative organizations to collect information and ensure active participation in the Action Plan for Dynamic Conservation.
•    Identify and analyze the threats and challenges, including environmental and socioeconomic pressures, to the sustainability and viability of the system.
•    Identify and provide a detailed description of the initiatives (e.g., public policies, strategic actions, grassroots initiatives and/or planning instruments) that are ongoing, in the implementation phase and/or planned to take place at the local and regional levels, to address the threats and challenges identified.
•    Highlight and propose how the initiatives developed can contribute to the dynamic conservation of the agricultural system and to mitigating the identified threats and overcoming the challenges.
•    Provide technical support in meetings and workshops with stakeholders and partners of the Fundo de Pasto communities, from various sectors, such as Federal, State and Municipal governments, research institutes and universities, NGOs, community representative associations and cooperatives, private sector organizations, among others.
•    Communicate and interact with other consultants developing this GIAHS proposal to guarantee consistency and correlation between the documents. 
•    Develop the Action Plan document for the Dynamic Conservation of the Fundo de Pasto Communities, following the established model and guidelines, and ensuring the document's clarity, consistency, and technical quality.
•    In addition to the description of the initiatives that are ongoing, in the implementation phase and/or planned, the document must include: (i) the role and responsibility of each stakeholder in the implementation of the Action Plan, including local communities and the institutions involved at the local, national, and international levels; (iii) schedule of activities, indicating which actions should be carried out in the short, medium, and long term; (iii) budget estimates for the implementation of the Action Plan and the possible sources of funding; (iv) demonstrate how the identified initiatives can be useful for fostering funding and/or mobilizing resources at the local, national, and/or international levels.Develop a proposal for monitoring and evaluating the results of the Action Plan for the Dynamic Conservation of the agricultural system.
•    Include technical annexes, bibliography, and other supporting documentation produced.

FAO Standards and guidelines:

•    Liaison with OCC will be maintained, either directly or through an agreed focal point/coordinator, to ensure compliance with OCC standards, aligned messaging, and appropriate review and clearance processes.
•    All communication materials will follow FAO clearance processes and comply with FAO standards, including:
FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31: https://www.fao.org/strategic-framework/en  
FAO social media policy and guidelines: https://www.fao.org/2/socialmedia   
Social Media Branding Guidelines: https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cb5044en 
FAOSTYLE https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cb8081en 
FAO terminology http://www.fao.org/faoterm 
FAO Names of Countries https://www.fao.org/nocs/en    
Story guidelines, Story template, UN map standards, FAO logo policy and related branding guidelines (available to staff). 
•    Further guidance regarding FAO communications, policies and procedures can be found through the FAO intranet, OCC section.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING: 

Minimum Requirements  

•    University degree in Agronomy, Geography, Rural Development, Environmental Sciences, Environmental Management Social Sciences, Anthropology, or equivalent areas.
•    At least six years of experience working with Rural appraisals, participatory planning, rural development, and other related fields. 
•    Working knowledge (level C) of English and Portuguese. 
•    National of Brazil or resident of the country with valid work permit.

 FAO Core Competencies 

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills 

•    Experience with the use of participatory methodologies with rural communities, Indigenous peoples, quilombola communities, and other traditional/local communities.
•    Postgraduate studies, specializations, Master's, Ph.D., or postdoctoral degree in Agronomy, Geography, Rural Development, Environmental Sciences, Environmental Management, Ecology, Social Sciences, Anthropology, or equivalent areas.
•    Experience in participatory planning processes, including budget preparation considering formats used by international/multilateral agencies.  
•    Experience in providing technical support for participatory planning workshops, including mediation among different social actors (rural communities, civil society organizations, government agencies, universities, and representatives from different levels of government).
•    Experience in technical document preparation and data analysis.
•    Previous experience in drafting GIAHS-related documents (preparation and organization of scientific dossiers and Action Plans for Dynamic Conservation, establishment of partnerships).
•    Technical work experience with traditional communities in the Brazilian semi-arid region.
•    Availability for fieldwork and travel.