National Consultant -Cooperatives Specialist

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FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

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Application deadline 2 years ago: Tuesday 18 May 2021 at 21:59 UTC

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Organizational Setting

The mandate of FAO in Jamaica, Belize and Bahamas is to support national efforts to promote food security and sustainable development. In doing so, FAO works closely with the Ministries of Agriculture, Health and Education. Recently, FAO has begun to expand its partnership to include other ministries to reflect its focus on food security and nutrition. Its beneficiaries have also been expanded to include urban and peri-urban populations.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Country Representative for Jamaica, Bahamas and Belize, the National Consultant : Cooperatives will support the FAO Representative and the Assistant FAO Representative to deliver Output 2, Capacity building of the Extension Service Unit of MAMR in different training methodologies to improve the productivity and sustainability of small-holder farms; Output 3, Capacity building of the Cooperative Department of MAMR in rural business development, including processing, distribution and commercialization and also the Output 4, Technical assistance is provided for a policy and governance framework that sustainably integrates the outputs from the incubator programme and other local food production into the national school feeding programme.

Tasks and responsibilities

He/she will work closely with the Incubator team to :

  • Assess the current situation of cooperatives in Cayo District through the provision of support, technical knowledge and a road map of the existing cooperatives in the area.
  • Assist in the selection of suitable beneficiaries for the Incubator training program based on the intended objectives and outcomes of the project
  • Support the development of training tools and methodology for beneficiaries including young adults and rural women, to elaborate business plans with emphasis on sustainable and resilient food systems .
  • Assist in the development of appropriate content to support training interventions for the agriculture business incubator and Farmer Field School train-the-trainer workshops and Farmer Field School implementations that target – young adults, rural women and agricultural extension personnel.
  • Provide technical assistance on the elaboration of a manual for conducting analysis and feasibility studies and assessments related to food, agriculture, and fisheries projects.
  • Work alongside other members of the incubator team, to provide technical assistance to micro-entrepreneurs through the development and implementation of business plans to commercialize and add value to the food system in the Cayo District.
  • Assist in the development of a practical guide to develop local capacity to carry to inform business plans coming out of the agriculture business incubator.

Specific Tasks:

In implementing the activities, the expert must take FAO’s Gender Policy into consideration, ensuring to the extent possible, that there is equity in the benefits accrued to women and men as well as young persons. Gender and age disaggregated data should be collected and presented for all meetings, training and other activities. In addition, the following specific tasks will be undertaken.

  • Provide support to the incubator team
  • Follow up work plan implementation
  • Ensure regular communication with multi-sectorial stakeholders and the Technical and Steering Committees to ensure efficient flow of information between implementing partners and support agencies

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

  • Advanced university degree in Cooperative/ Rural Agricultural development, Economics, Social Sciences or other relevant degree.
  • At least three [3] years’ experience working in areas related to rural livelihoods and community development, social enterprises or cooperative development related work
  • Ability to communicate effectively in English.
  • National of Belize or resident in the country with a regular work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

  • Previous related experience in the Caribbean region
  • Understanding of and experience in the development and implementation of projects related to rural development, agri-business and food security management system
  • Skills and experience in engaging with public sector agencies
  • Well-developed inter-personal skills and a demonstrated experience of working in a cross-cultural environment; and,

Excellent writing skills, strong networking and relationship building skills, excellent communication and negotiation skills.

  • Prior demonstrated relevant experience designing projects and programs in particular those related to rural development
  • Previous work with an international organization or UN organization preferred
  • Experience in leading interdisciplinary teams
  • Good documentation, record keeping and report-writing skills
Added 3 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: fao.org