National Consultant – Survey design & knowledge development for young herders

Organizational Setting:

FAO Mongolia works with the vision "to be a leading, credible and responsive partner in ensuring food and nutrition security of the population". The office has been coordinating projects and programmes in research, capacity building, natural resources management, technology transfer, food and agriculture policy, livestock production systems management, emergency and post crisis management, forestry information, statistics, food security and nutrition, emergency response operations, crop production system management, and food quality and safety.

Reporting Lines:

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Mongolia, and the technical supervision of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) of FAO and National Project Coordinator appointed by the Ministry of food, agriculture and light industry (MoFALI), the Incumbent will play a key technical role in designing herder knowledge survey and training system and developing knowledge sharing materials to support young herders.

Technical Focus:

FAO and MoFALI is jointly implementing a Technical cooperation project to support young herders in order to ensure generation’s succession in the sector. The focus of the project is to support development of a sustainable training system that certifies herders to enhance good livestock husbandry practices and increase commercialization of livestock sector to contribute to economic diversification and enhance competitiveness of livestock sector.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• Lead design and conduct herder knowledge attitude and practice survey before/middle/end of the project;
• Identify impact factors to increase livestock productivity and resource utilization and based on it, assist households to take appropriate measures;
• Conduct on-site trainings to improve skills on livestock husbandry practices;
• Develop and disseminate knowledge materials on potentials to improving livestock quality and productivity and its importance;
• Work closely with a Service provider entity (to be selected by FAO) and provide technical inputs on designing and conducting baseline study and training needs assessment for young herders;
• Contribute to developing competency-based capacity building training curriculum for young herders and new herder generation with consideration of the existing similar packages and ICTs for user friendly application to increase reach-out and reduce location dependency by working closely with a service provider and relevant stakeholders;
• Provide support on the organization of field visits and study trips for young/women herders and new generations
• Provide technical inputs on training curriculum through consultations and piloting in the selected sites;
• Support Soum extension service units to promote knowledge and experience sharing on good livestock husbandry practices (pasture management; veterinary and breeding practices etc.)
• Support young herders and youth and women on knowledge sharing and apply the lesson learnt from field trip in implementing livestock husbandry practices (pasture management; veterinary and breeding practices etc.)
• Play a leading role toward a common goal to achieve expected outcomes of the project;
• Prepare the excellent quality of the final report and products: herder knowledge attitude and practice survey including findings and recommendations on impact factors to increase livestock productivity and resource utilization and appropriate measures to be taken by herders; and knowledge materials to assist improving livestock quality and productivity
• Perform other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced degree in life science;
• 10 years of work experience in diverse livestock fields;
• Working knowledge of English, and limited knowledge of another FAO official languages;
• Nationality of Mongolia.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Proven work experience in implementing sustainable livestock production practices and income generation, market access sector and youth participation in the livestock is highly desirable;
• Demonstrated experiences in designing and conducting studies and curriculum; and proven knowledge and experience on livestock extension services
• Managerial work experience in public, private sector and international level is an asset;
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to dialogue with diverse stakeholders to create consensus around issues and capable of working in multi-cultural environments.