Economist (Senior Consultant)

Organizational Setting

The Government of Abu Dhabi is pursuing an ambitious plan for the sustainable transformation of its agricultural sector, contributing to food security, economic growth, and sustainable use of natural resources, whereby agriculture production systems are integrated, diversified and viable. In support of this aim, the FAO Subregional Office for Gulf Cooperation Council States and Yemen (SNG) and the Abu Dhabi and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) are implementing Project GCP/013/UAE/AFS for formulating a Master Plan for Sustainable Agriculture in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi Emirate. The specific outcome is to design a comprehensive planning and monitoring tool and a roadmap for the sustainable development of diversified and integrated agricultural production system. The formulation of the master plan involves the development of a spatial decision support system (the Decision Support Tool - DST), aiming to guide decision-making processes at various levels to prioritize strategic interventions and investments to spur the transformation of agriculture towards viable, sustainable, diversified, and integrated agrifood systems. Several socioeconomic analytical models support the identification of most suitable crops, inefficiency, or potential determinants or both, best options to maximize farmers’ returns, while securing socio-economic and environmental sustainability.

Reporting Lines

The Economist works under the overall guidance of the SNG Subregional Coordinator, direct supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor and technical coordination of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) in close collaboration with ADAFSA and FAO assigned taskforces.

Technical Focus

The incumbent will lead the development and implementation of DST relevant models to inform the Master Plan for Sustainable Agriculture in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Review existing policies and strategies of ADAFSA and related strategies/policies at the Emirate level. • Prepare technical methodological notes and analyse the status and opportunities for transformation of crop and livestock production systems and different farm types and activities. • Contribute to the design of questionnaires to collect the data required for the application of spatial decision support system - DST models. • Analyse the structures and functioning of priority value chains and their performance from an economic, social, and environmental points of view. • Design, conduct, oversee the implementation of semi-structured interviews. • Provide technical inputs to designing investment programmes within the Master Plan priority components, ensuring homogeneous structures, and exhaustive information for design and costing. • Ensure timely and high-quality deliverables are provided, supporting the dialogue with ADAFSA. • Participate in, organize, or facilitate technical meetings and consultative workshops with stakeholders and key informants. • Contribute to the write-ups and drafting of programmed actions to be included in the Master Plan.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Master’s degree or Ph.D in economics, agricultural economics, natural resources economics, • agribusiness management or a closely related field. • Ten years of relevant experience in agricultural economics and development policy analysis, or in the formulation and implementation of food security, agriculture, rural development, agribusiness investment operations, water and natural resource management, and related analytical studies. • For Consultants working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of one of the other FAO languages (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian), preferably Arabic. • For PSA, working knowledge of English would suffice.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work. • Extent and relevance of experience in conducting quantitative economic analysis, economic modelling, and applying econometric techniques in one or more of relevant subject areas (such as productivity frontier analysis, cost benefit optimization, value chain analysis, partial and general equilibrium analyses). • Extent and relevance of experience in the development of sector studies, agricultural transformation, strategic documents, investment plans. • Familiarity with agricultural production systems in arid agroecological regions or in the context of limited natural resources availability. • Proven experience in organizing training and workshops. • Demonstrated ability to analyse technical and scientific information; to write clearly and concisely, edit technical reports and make effective oral presentations.