Food Security and Value Chain Analyst

Volunteering Finance & Economy

Overview

Analyze agricultural value chains to enhance food security

You have:

• Demonstrated experience and knowledge in developing agri-business value chains
• Strong experience in developing climate-resilient, gender-responsive livelihood interventions for the climate-vulnerable agro-pastoral communities

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

Djibouti is a country with a chronic and permanent food deficit, due to unfavorable conditions. Agriculture is poorly developed, and livestock production is low because it is plagued by natural disasters such as recurrent droughts. The country is therefore totally dependent on imports to cover its food needs and is therefore highly vulnerable to extreme shocks such as sudden increases in food or oil prices. Crop production is limited to oasis agriculture, very often associated with sedentary livestock. For a potential cultivable area of 120,000 ha of which 10,000 ha can be easily irrigated along the wadis of which only a little more than 1,000 ha are currently exploited. The agricultural potential of the country is limited by (i) the poverty of the soils (especially in organic elements); (ii) the low and random level of rainfall, which averages 150 mm; (iii) high temperatures ranging from 30 to more than 45°, resulting in high evapotranspiration (1800 mm). These agro-climatic conditions only allow the practice of small-scale irrigated agriculture, of the oasis type, whose production is dominated by market gardening on small traditional family farms (around 0.5 ha on average), in which women play an increasingly important role by participating in production activities and, above all, in the transport and marketing of products. The low yields are due to the poor mastery of agricultural techniques, particularly with regard to irrigation techniques and the use of unsuitable means of drainage (motor pump). Production is around 10,000 tons and covers only about 10% of the population's needs. Private sector involvement in Djibouti's land use and agriculture is still nascent. With an arid landscape, scant arable terrain, and limited water supply, agriculture in Djibouti has remained largely underdeveloped, focusing on subsistence-level production of drought-tolerant crops and rearing livestock. Consequently, Djibouti relies on imports for about 90% of its food needs, predominantly from neighboring Ethiopia. Agricultural endeavors within the private sector are mainly facilitated through cooperatives, with a notable number of these groups being led by women. These cooperatives are crucial to the local economy, producing and selling agricultural products in local informal markets. Yet, they face challenges in accessing broader markets, including the critical Djibouti city market, which serves the majority of the nation's population, and other major regional cities, thus limiting their expansion and national economic contribution. Moreover, these cooperatives often lack proper structure and coordination. Acknowledging the sector's potential to contribute to economic expansion and enhance food security, the Government of Djibouti (GoDj) is increasingly looking to involve the private sector in agriculture, with a focus on developing sectors such as dairy and other agricultural products.

Under the direct supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor and Team Leader of Greening Djibouti Portfolio, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: 1. Identify the relevant government strategies policies and administrative frameworks promoting agri-business and agro-entrepreneurship in Djibouti 2. Analyze the transboundary socio-economic and socio-political mechanisms and parameters governing the agri-business and agro-based markets 3. Assess the impact of climate change on the food security of the population in Djibouti 4. Support the design and undertake market analysis to develop dataset on supply and demand of various agriculture, livestock and fishery-based value-chains 5. Support the Capacity Gap and Needs Assessment to identify the institutional, political, and infrastructure potential and challenges to develop agriculture, livestock and fishery-based value chains 6. Develop a situational analysis report on the status of food security and price fluctuation in Djibouti 7. Support the feasibility of the existing value-chains and identify the areas of improvement to support the Vision 2035 ambition of economic diversification and SDG targets 8. Identify key challenges disaggregated by the cluster or value chain and the types of interventions in the region that are seen to be needed to address them 9. Mapping and analysis of the key stakeholders for promotion and scaling up of the value-chain based agri-business 10. Consider the gender dimension in the analysis of value chains: constraints and specific needs of men, women, and youth in value chains 11. Support mapping the cooperatives at the national and regional level and develop livelihood support interventions in support of climate-resilient value-chain development opportunities. 12. Support in preparation of a concrete roadmap with a costed action plan for cross-border agri-business development to secure the food supply chain with stable pricing for the population of Djibouti, including a resilience framework in the events of crises

☒ Accountability ☒ Adaptability and Flexibility ☒ Building Trust ☒ Commitment and Motivation ☒ Commitment to Continuous Learning ☒ Communication ☒ Creativity ☒ Ethics and Values ☒ Integrity ☒ Knowledge Sharing ☒ Managing Performance ☒ Planning and Organizing ☒ Professionalism ☒ Respect for Diversity ☒ Self-Management ☒ Technological Awareness ☒ Vision ☒ Working in Teams

in the area of agro-economical assessments, and agro-business development.

• Demonstrated experience and knowledge in developing agri-business value chains • Strong experience in developing climate-resilient, gender-responsive livelihood interventions for the climate-vulnerable agro-pastoral communities living in water-deficient areas

The UN security Level is at the level 3 for Djibouti-Ville. The average temperature varies from 23º to 29º in January and from 31º to 41º in July. Annual rainfall ranges from 127 mm in the capital to 380 mm in the mountains. There are local banking facilities only in Djibouti-Town and it is recommended to open a bank account. Credit cards are not widely accepted in Djibouti. There are few automatic teller machines (ATMs) in Djibouti city. French, Afar, Somali, and Arab are spoken by the local population and by the authorities. Availability of flight is as follows: one weekly flight AIR France from Djibouti to Paris, Two daily flights with ETHIOPIAN Airlines from Djibouti to Addis Abeba, twice a week flight with Turkish Airlines from Djibouti to Istanbul, once a week flight with Qatar Airways from Djibouti to Doha. At the arrival, it is recommended to book a room in an authorized hotel. There is also the possibility to rent a private accommodation soon after few days passed at the hotel. For taxi, you are recommended to use only those painted in white and green or those provided by your hotel. Please make sure they know your intended destination and negotiate the fare before starting the journey.

Volunteer living allowance: USD 16100.96 Entry lump sum: USD 400 W Exit allowance (paid on successful completion of the assignment): USD 1341.74

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Potential interview questions

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org