POSITION TITLE: Programme Policy Officer (Agroforestry, Resilience, Climate Change Adaptation)

GRADE:  Junior Consultant

ORG UNIT:  Korhogo, Côte d'Ivoire

DURATION:  January–November 2025

BACKGROUND:

Côte d’Ivoire is considered a low-middle-income country and ranks 171st of 188 countries in the Human Development Index. It is subject to pervasive food insecurity, malnutrition and gender inequalities, which severely affect smallholder farmers as they struggle with issues of land access and frequent climate-related shocks. Côte d’Ivoire has a population of 25 million people, of which 48.4 percent are female1 and 46 percent live below the poverty line. It is ranked 155th on the Gender Inequality Index.

WFP’s Strategic Plan for Côte d’Ivoire (2019 – 2025) focuses on capacity strengthening with a view to shifting WFP-led programmes to government and community ownership. As part of its activities, WFP supports smallholder farmers (SAMS), particularly women, in a holistic way and to diversify food consumption by introducing policies and practices to reduce post-harvest losses and promote sustainable access to markets. By applying the SAMS methodology, WFP aims to lay the foundations for a more robust economy that is less reliant on imports, offers better livelihood options for vulnerable populations and fosters resilient and sustainable national food systems.

The Women-Adapt project, funded by the GCF, leverages Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and the Food Assistance for Assets (FFA) approach to enhance climate resilience and restore livelihoods for women smallholder farmers in Côte d’Ivoire’s Poro Region. Focused on addressing severe land degradation and climate risks, the project integrates ecosystem restoration with sustainable agricultural practices.

Under NbS, activities include rehabilitating degraded lands through conservation structures such as trenches, contour plantations and windbreaks, while promoting agroforestry and watershed management. These measures aim to restore 1,340 hectares of land, improve soil fertility, and enhance soil and water conservation. Community participation ensures sustainable management of these assets, prioritizing equitable access, particularly for women. Concurrently, agroforestry nurseries and composting initiatives contribute to sustainable land management, and boosting agricultural productivity.

Through FFA, communities receive conditional cash transfers to support food security while creating productive assets. This dual benefit strengthens resilience against climate-induced shocks, ensuring long-term sustainability. Investments also extend to post-harvest infrastructure and market access, empowering women-led farmer organizations to reduce losses and increase income.

The project strategically integrates NbS and FFA, creating synergies that address environmental challenges and socio-economic vulnerabilities. By fostering ownership, gender inclusion, and collaborative partnerships, Women-Adapt provides a transformative pathway for climate-resilient development across 70 villages, benefiting 70,000 women and 210,000 indirect beneficiaries.

JOB PURPOSE:

The Agroforestry Consultant will play a key role in integrating multi-layered agroforestry systems (SAFs) into the Women-Adapt project in Côte d’Ivoire's Poro Region, with a strong focus on land rehabilitation, climate resilience, and sustainable livelihoods. The consultant will facilitate farmer-to-farmer exchanges, lead the design and implementation of regenerative agroforestry practices, and ensure effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) through the use of technologies such as satellite imagery and polygon mapping.

In addition, the consultant will oversee community mobilization, capacity building, and technical training, emphasizing participatory planning and local ownership. This role includes fostering collaboration with government partners, cooperating agencies, and technical experts to scale agroforestry interventions while leveraging lessons learned from similar projects in other countries in West Africa. By aligning land restoration efforts with agroforestry practices, the consultant will contribute to reversing environmental degradation, enhancing food security, and creating resilient landscapes for vulnerable communities.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority):

Design and Implementation of Agroforestry Systems

• Develop and oversee the implementation of multi-layered agroforestry systems (SAFs), including syntropic agroforestry, tailored to local agroecological conditions and project objectives.
• Conceptualize new SAF designs based on community preferences using tools like Canva to ensure visually accessible and participatory planning approaches.
• Lead land rehabilitation initiatives incorporating soil and water conservation technologies, such as trenches, contour plantations, windbreaks, and watershed management.
• Establish flagship SAF demonstration sites, ensuring scalability and sustainability across 20 additional villages in the Poro Region.

Community Engagement and Capacity Building

• Facilitate farmer-to-farmer exchanges to promote knowledge sharing and participatory approaches to SAF and land restoration practices.
• Conduct technical training sessions for WFP staff, partners, and community members on SAF methodologies, sustainable land management, and climate resilience techniques.
• Promote local ownership through participatory planning and active community involvement in all phases of implementation.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting

• Design and implement robust M&E frameworks, leveraging satellite imagery, polygon mapping, and drone technology to track progress and assess impacts of SAF interventions.
• Prepare comprehensive reports, including diagnostic evaluations of SAF pilot areas and recommendations for scaling and replication.

Stakeholder Coordination and Partnership Development

• Collaborate with government entities, NGOs, and research institutions to align SAF activities with regional and national objectives for resilience and climate adaptation.
• Serve as the technical liaison for international agroforestry experts, ensuring seamless integration of best practices and methodologies into the project.

Integration and Knowledge Sharing

• Ensure alignment of SAF and land rehabilitation activities within the broader Women-Adapt project framework and GCF objectives.
• Develop and disseminate training materials, technical documents, and knowledge-sharing resources to facilitate regional scaling and replication of SAF interventions.

Language and Regional Expertise

• Leverage field experience in West Africa to adapt SAF interventions to local context.
• Proficiency in French and English is essential.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK: COMMON STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOUR

Leads by Example with Integrity

Upholds WFP values, principles, and standards

Demonstrates and encourages others to uphold the WFP values, principles and standards

Respects others and values diversity

Values diversity using respectful and inclusive language, and encourages others to do the same

Stays focused and calm under pressure

Stays focused and calm when under pressure, encourages others to do the same, and offers guidance and support to manage difficult situations

Demonstrates humility and a willingness to learn

Demonstrates humility and a willingness to learn and share knowledge, frequently seeking and acting on feedback, and pursuing opportunities to develop

Drives Results and Delivers on Commitments

Delivers results for maximum impact

Identifies and aligns objectives to the required outcomes, holding self and/or others accountable for the delivery of results for maximum impact

Delegates appropriately

Delegates responsibly and provides appropriate support empowering others to deliver results

Adapts readily to change

Responds readily to change in different contexts and adapts accordingly

Fosters Inclusive and Collaborative

Is inclusive and collaborative

Promotes inclusive teamwork and psychological safety by encouraging colleagues to collaborate by sharing ideas and openly raising issues

Gives timely and constructive feedback

Supports development for others by giving timely and constructive feedback

Builds and shares new perspectives

Seeks out, trusts and listens attentively to diverse views to capture, learn, build and share new perspectives

Applies Strategic Thinking

Communicates and fulfils WFP’s vision

Communicates and fulfils WFP’s vision and operational outcomes to deliver meaningful solutions

Embraces curiosity and new ways of doing things

Demonstrates curiosity, designs and implements new ways of doing things when relevant

Analyses and evaluates data

Gathers data and different perspectives, shares knowledge and uses evidence to inform decision making

Considers the impact of decisions

Implements decisions, considering the risks and implications of actions for teams, projects and other initiatives