International Specialist on Capacity Development

Organizational Setting

The position is located at the FAO Representation in Georgia under the European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD) IV programme. The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by the 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.

Reporting Lines

The International Specialist on Capacity Development shall operate under the overall guidance and responsibility of the FAO Representative in Georgia; the direct supervision of the FAO Programme Coordinator and in close and collaboration with other FAO international and national staff of the ENPARD programme, FAO Representation Office and Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture (MEPA) of Georgia.

Technical Focus

The incumbent will be in charge of the day to day technical support to the ENPARD programme in terms of agronomy and food production and processing, with a especial focus in leading the extension component, including the technical support in the preparation of extension materials, the implementation of demonstration plots and Farmer Field Schools (FFS) both with a focus on Integrated Pest Management as one of the pillars of minimum pesticide utilization towards safe produce production and crop diversification towards better incomes for farmers. The incumbent will oversee the scaling up of Conservation Agriculture implementation to reduce the impact of climate change on grain production in relevant municipalities in the country. Technical interventions in other value chains will be under his/her direction, in collaboration with relevant specialists. The incumbent will coordinate the overall technical support to primary producers and Food Business Operators (FBOs), with a focus on food safety in the agricultural sector.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Lead the technical guidance to nurseries for the production of voluntary certified seedlings to improve the quality (Food Safety included) of their production; • Provide technical support to the FAO national team in the implementation of demonstration plots in nurseries, including for rootstock production and mother block production; • Work with International Experts to train orchard managers/technicians in country to implement an Integrated Orchard Management in their production units; • Support a Vineyard Working Group in Telavi area, in order to strengthen its collaboration in common projects such as that contrasting Lobesia botrana; • Work with wineries in the area of Telavi to initiate actions in the PDO “Tsinandali Red” providing them technical assistance to define the PDO and to define the technical requirements to produce the desired characteristics of the PDO; • Lead the ENPARD project components related to technical assistance to FBOs and primary producer and SMEs with a focus on agronomy and food processing and provide technical guidance to the national project team in the implementation of field activities; • Liaise with different stakeholders active in Agriculture, Rural Development, Food Safety and Food Processing and extension, provide them with technical support in Agronomy and Food Safety/Processing if required and promote the coordination amongst stakeholders and the information sharing within ENPARD Programme; • Provide general technical advice to the RDA, National Food Agency and the EU Delegation in terms of agronomy, Food Safety/Processing and capacity development and extension; • Provide general technical support in agronomy and food safety/processing related to the technical evaluation of individual investments applications for the ENPARD IV Programme; • Establish and mentor an Agronomy/Food Safety/Processing team constituted by local professionals in the area of Agronomy, Veterinary and Food Technology; • Provide overall technical assistance in developing and reviewing extension and information materials and guidelines related to Agronomy/Food Safety/Processing in several Agriculture value chains; • Provide technical backstopping, organise the different activities of extension and capacity development, including the implementation of Farmer Field Schools of several Agriculture Value Chains; • Provide technical guidance to the national team in the implementation of demonstration plots for extension purposes, including agronomic activities and taking into consideration also Climate Smart Agriculture; • Organize and supervise modular trainings to FBOs and Primary Producer SMEs through several regions of the country. Trainings will be focused on Food Safety Standards (Georgian and EU’s), Good Manufacturing Practices and other relevant Quality Certifications like HACCP; • Develop a continuous Internship Programme with Agronomy, Veterinary and Food Technology university graduates who will be later linked to different stakeholders needing these experienced professionals; • Continue the linkage to market efforts of beneficiary FBOS and primary producers. Pilot some value addition activities to vegetable products like pickled pepper which would be sold to caterers and restaurants; • Develop with Interns the Crop Budgets, Demo Plot Establishment Guide, Crop Calendars and others as a Knowledge Management Base for future interventions; • Liaise with the FAO Georgia Procurement Unit to support the procurement process of all necessary tools/small equipment to increase the capacity of beneficiary FBOs- Requisitions, TORs, TERs, Clearances, etc.; • Support the Human Resources unit to find international experts on Food Safety in each of the priority value chains to support. The international experts will support the FAO/ENPARD IV team to develop training material, train the local Food Safety team and train FBOs and Primary Producer SMEs as part of a Training the Trainers program; • Lead activities on the two main areas of agricultural production in the Administrative Border Line area of Shida Kartli - small grains and cattle production (mainly for dairy production); • Develop a training program for Conservation Agriculture and dairy production- the first aiming at a production system which increases resilience against Climate Change and the second towards a more Food Safety focus, reducing the incidence of mastitis and therefore reducing the somatic cell count of milk and also a safer milk and cheese for final consumers. Training programs should include a business component, which will help farmers see the cost effectiveness of new practices adopted; • Support the improvement of animal nutrition in the area, with improved pastures and with local ingredients which includes leftover of food industry in the nearby municipalities- aiming at balanced nutrition to increase the milk in a cost effective way; • Develop training material for farmers and for providers of technical assistance; • Establishment of FFS in the area and establishment of demonstration plots in close collaboration with Lead farmers and local authorities working with farmers.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced University degree in agronomy, veterinary or food technology, extended education in extension would be an asset. • At least 7 years of practical experience in implementation of projects with a component of extension in Agronomy/Food Processing/Food Safety • Working knowledge (level C) of English and limited knowledge (level B) of one of the other FAO languages. For PSA, working knowledge of English is required. Knowledge of Russian language would be an asset.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Work experience in field project development and implementation, with a focus on agronomy, food safety, food processing, extension and/or climate smart agriculture • Work experience managing and leading teams • Advanced knowledge on capacity development and participatory extension methods. • Knowledgeable of Georgia’s Agriculture context