Field Operations Specialist -Western Province

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.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and malnutrition. The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by an 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.

Under the SIFAZ (GCP/ZAM/080/EC) project, FAO in Zambia has collaborated with the European Union, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) to implement a 7.5-year program on Sustainable Intensification of Smallholder Farming Systems in Zambia (SIFAZ). The project focuses on scaling up of sustainable food production and building resilience of food systems by smallholder farmers with an additional focus on climate change mitigation measures through building demonstrable synergies between research and promotion of appropriate sustainable agriculture intensification practices.
As part of the activities for the SIFAZ project, adaptive research, agribusiness, and agronomy strategies are put in place to establish economically viable, cost effective and cooperative based business models and transfer knowledge and skills on SIPs to sustainably allow smallholder farmers adoption and continued practicing of the SIPs. Specifically, the research, agribusiness, and agronomy strategies of the SIFAZ project will achieve the following\:
• To facilitate organization of smallholder farmers into baby and mother farm level trails for testing socio-economic and agronomic performance of sustainable intensification practices technology packages.
• To facilitate organization of smallholder farmers into effective groups that can effectively participate in selected farming value chains for selected crops and agriculturally based enterprises.
• To facilitate smallholder farmer and community level availability and access to critical inputs for ensuring farmer practice of recommended SIP packages, reduction of yield gaps and climate change mitigation.
• To facilitate effective partnerships between smallholder farmer groups and small to medium enterprises that undertake mechanization equipment and services input and output marketing for selected crops and services by smallholder farmers.
• To facilitate smallholder farmers adoption of SIPs for sustainable intensification of crop production whilst at the same time improve and preserve the natural resource base.

Reporting Lines

The Field Operations Specialist will work under the overall guidance of the FAO Representative in Zambia and directly reports to the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA). The incumbent will work in close collaboration with implementing partners from Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), NGOs, private sector, and relevant FAO technical units in FAO Zambia.

Technical Focus

The incumbent will support implementation of Partnerships for linking smallholder farmers to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and agronomy activities at field level. This activity is part of the field level implementation of Research, Agribusiness and Agronomy Strategies of the Sustainable Intensification of Smallholder Farming Systems in Zambia (SIFAZ) project.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Support and participate in the implementation of research, agribusiness and agronomy field activities including capacity building and training of beneficiary farmers and participating farmer organizations, linking of farmers and farmer organization to input, and output markets and service providers and agronomy activities in the assigned province.
• Support and participate in the application and implementation of research, agribusiness and agronomy knowledge products, including analytical work and practical tools, related to the project initiatives; promote knowledge sharing and best practices at meetings and conferences, and interact with provincial partners.
• Support and participate engagement of provincial and district SMDOs, Cooperative Inspectors and DMDOs to identify key plans and milestones for private sector engagement and facilitation of farmer cooperatives and SME partnerships. This will include supporting provincial and district teams to organize and undertake smallholder farmer and SME partnership facilitation events.
• Support and participate engagement in consultative processes to identify and engage potential SMEs operating in farmer locations targeted by the project (identified at national, provincial and district level) to partner with farmer cooperatives in produce off taking, financing, input provision and mechanization needs for smallholder farmers. This will include identification of SMEs relative to the functional collaboration required by the project (off taking, financing, mechanization, etc)
• Support drafting and negotiating of partnership framework involving smallholder farmers, the SIFAZ project and identified private sector (SMEs) in the province. This framework to clearly outline the key contribution of each stakeholder (smallholder farmers, the SIFAZ project, the Private Sector) into the partnership and key commitments to be upheld by each stakeholder to ensure the successful management of the partnership. This activity will include highlighting key requirements for each of the SME category (off taking, financing, mechanization, etc)
• Support any other activities critical to ensuring that the agribusiness strategy of the SIFAZ project is responsive to successful partnering of smallholder farmers and SMEs.
• Supports and facilitates project operational matters and handles day-to-day operational activities of the SIFAZ programme at provincial level and takes action, in consultation and liaising with other support units at national level, on problems which arise during the execution of project activities.
• Participates in the preparation of provincial and district project work plans, monitor progress and, where necessary, identify corrective measures to overcome operational constraints in consultation and liaising with other support units at national.
• Perform any other related duties, as required for successful execution of SIFAZ activities in the assigned district.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree in agribusiness, agriculture, natural resource management social sciences or other fields related to the FAO mandate.
• At least five years of relevant experience in field implementation of project activities, project operations and support involving agronomy and agribusiness activities.
• Working knowledge of English
• National of Zambia

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Extent and relevance of experience in field level coordination, supporting, advising and guiding the implementation of multi-stakeholder projects.
• Extent and relevance of experience working with national and local governments, private sector, NGOs, academic and research institutions, including the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), is considered a strong asset.
• Level of communication skills, good writing skills including ability to write concise technical reports in English is a strong asset.
• Familiarity with FAO and UN (in general) administrative, operational, and financial procedures is an asset.
• Good interpersonal skills.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION