Land And Water Officer (Spatial Analysis and Crop Suitability)

Organizational Setting FAO's Land and Water Division (NSL) foresees a future whereby governments, development partners, civil society, academic institutions and the private sector and farmers, all work together to ensure that land, soil, and water resources are wisely used, conserved and restored for sustainable and resilient agri-food systems that support food security, nutrition and human wellbeing. NSL provides policy guidance, technical and financial assistance to Members in developing policies, programmes, best practices and management tools for ensuring productive and efficient use of land, soil and water resources to meet present and future demands for agricultural products, while ensuring the long-term sustainability of these resources. It promotes equitable access to and sustainable management of these natural resources with a view to enhancing productivity, livelihoods, equity, health and ecosystem services. Under the FAO Conceptual Framework for Integrated Land and Water Resources Management, NSL will work towards a core set of five integrated and strategic Objectives and Action Areas that have been elaborated to cut across the thematic land, water, soils, and geospatial areas of work of the Division: (1) Good Governance; (2) Wise use and restoration; (3) Mitigation and resilience; (4) Integrated solutions; (5) Data, digitalization, technology and innovation.

The post is located in the Geospatial Unit of Land and Water Division (NSL) at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Reporting Lines The Land and Water Officer (Spatial Analysis and Crop Suitability) reports to the Senior Land and Water Officer, Head of Geospatial Unit, NSL.

Technical Focus The incumbent will support the development of crop suitability and yield information based on Global Agro-Ecological Zoning methodological framework and, at sub-national and local scale, based on crop models enhanced with remote sensing and spatial data. She or he will also support the integrity, security and accessibility of crop suitability data, coordinating with project teams to integrate data into the Global Agro-Ecological Zoning (GAEZ) framework and decision support systems developed in related projects, ensuring effective collection, management and dissemination of data while fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing among diverse project stakeholders.

Key Results Collection and analysis of information, data, statistics and project/meeting services to support programme projects, products and services.

Key Functions • Collects and analyses relevant technical, social, economic, environmental, institutional and technology related information, data and/or statistics to support the delivery of programme projects, products and services. • Undertakes analysis, provides technical input for plans and reports and edits/revises technical/scientific documents. • Participates in the development of improved work methods, tools and systems. • Updates databases and web pages. • Participates in multidisciplinary project/work teams. • Collaborates in the development of training tools and materials and the organization of workshops/seminars, etc. • Participates in the organization, conduct and follow-up of meetings, consultations and conferences, the development/production of required materials and the provision of information and assistance to partners.

Specific Functions • Supports the implementation of the Crop Suitability Assessment Framework in support of relevant FAO projects and initiatives. • Collaborates with international, regional and national organizations for updating the GAEZ framework, GAEZ input datasets, updating the GAEZ platform. • Collaborates with national and international partners to gather relevant information and insights for crop suitability mapping. • Conducts comprehensive analyses of crop suitability data, considering factors, such as climate, soil and land characteristics. • Supports the development and implementation of strategies to improve crop suitability in various regions, considering sustainable and resilient agricultural practices. • Contributes to the enhancement of FAO's decision-making frameworks, integrating the latest advancements in crop suitability assessment methodologies. • Provides technical assistance and guidance to FAO projects and initiatives related to crop suitability and Global Agro-Ecological Zoning. • Contributes to the formulation and implementation of multi-level decision making platform for crop suitability. • Collaborates with teams and external partners in creating robust methodologies for gathering, processing, and visualizing crop suitability data. • Collaborates in designing data management strategies to guarantee data integrity, security and accessibility. • Utilizes geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing and other geospatial technologies to improve the efficiency of data collection on climate, soil, terrain and land cover as inputs to agro-ecological zoning and crop suitability. • Supports strengthening national capacities, contributing to the design and delivery of training programmes and participating in capacity-building activities like workshops and seminars to improve national capabilities in data management and interpretation of results related to crop suitability and agro-ecological zoning. • Assists in tracking project progress and assessing the quality of data collection, management and distribution initiatives. • Supports the establishment of relationships with project stakeholders, including government agencies and relevant organizations. • Supports collaboration and information sharing among project partners.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________ CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements • Advanced university degree in geoscience, agriculture, environmental sciences and natural resources management, or a related field. • Three years of relevant experience in spatial analysis for agro-ecological zoning and crop suitability analysis. • Working knowledge (proficient - level C) of English and limited knowledge (intermediate - level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish).

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, particularly in field positions is desirable. • Demonstrated expertise in utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) tools and agricultural modelling for assessing crop suitability. • Strong understanding of Global Agro-Ecological Zoning, sustainable agriculture practices and their integration into decision-making processes. • Proven ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and research institutions. • Knowledge and skills in geospatial data management practices for organizing, retrieving and handling large datasets. • Extent and relevance of experience in the use of FAO approaches for agro-ecological zoning and crop suitability assessments. • Extent and relevance of experience in project management methods to track progress, manage tasks and ensure efficient workflows. • Extent and relevance of experience in capacity building programmes. • Limited knowledge (intermediate – level B) of French is desirable to ensure proper level of communication with project countries. • Extent and relevance of experience in preparing data for publication, including data cleaning, validation and documentation. • Understanding of the principles of open data and experience with publishing data in accessible formats. • Ability to effectively use digital tools for communication and collaboration within and across teams.