National Expert on Food, Value Chain and Nutrition Policy

Organizational Setting

The COVID-19 and future similar pandemics are forcing an urgent rethinking of food supply chains, food provision from production centers (rural or peri-urban) to consumption centers in urban centers. In much of Asia, the COVID-19 pandemic has raised issues of supply chains, food safety and standards in urban food provision, and raised the policy imperative to secure food access to urban residents, especially the poor and the vulnerable. The COVID-19 pandemic has also raised the issues of food regulations, standards, and food market infrastructure adjustments as new policy priorities to prepare for and prevent future pandemics. As a result urban food governance and policy coordination has taken on increased significance to address a host of interconnected challenges from food access, provision of diverse diets to the poor and the vulnerable population, to safety and health and sustainable urban planning and green city development.

Strengthening urban agriculture, local food production, and short value chains to improve nutrition and access to food among the urban poor has emerged as one of the top policy priorities to respond to COVID and similar pandemics in the future. The role of governments is critical to local food and shorter food chains governance and to integrating this issue into urban planning. Many countries in the region have moved to promote urban food gardening, especially following COVID-19 pandemic. The role of local government in regulating and providing incentives is critical, including facilitating access to underutilized lots for urban gardening. Urban food governance require policies, regulations and infrastructure support for sustainable urban food development protective of the environment and human health.

In The Philippines, the COVID-19 pandemic has raised greater awareness to and given greater significance to urban food production and urban agriculture as a significant new source for tackling malnutrition and ensure food security for increasingly urbanized populations. There is also growing interest in short value chains enabled by distributions networks and e-commerce and supported by peri-urban agriculture around small towns and secondary cities. Policy coherence and harmonization across different line ministries (Department of Agriculture, health, urban planning and the environment) and local government units is critically needed given the interlinked challenges such as urban food provision, diversification of diets for urban poor, land use planning, local climate change adaptation planning, managing food waste and loss as well as tackling emerging issues such as rising ambient air pollution, water quality and their impacts on urban food quality.

Reporting Lines

The National Expert on Food, Value Chain, and Nutrition Policy reports to the Assistant FAO Philippines Representative for Programmes.

Technical Focus

Promote urban food production, through home gardening, smart farming and incentives to urban households – requires inter-ministerial coordination and policy concordance between the Department of agriculture, health and nutrition and environment, and local government units.

Enhance capacity to design, plan and integrate programs and initiatives combining urban planning with green city development, urban food production, land use management and local climate change adaptation and disaster response. This also includes technical support to local food security planning, highlighting urban food gardening as among the key initiatives.

Facilitate and enhance capacity for greater inter-ministerial coordination to address environmental impacts of urban food and home gardening development, especially regulating ambient air pollution, pesticide use for urban food production, and managing municipal food waste and loss.

Promote policy dialogue and promote policy coherence among local, municipal and national government decision-makers and food industry actors, cooperatives, and representatives of food industry associations to secure safe, accessible, and affordable food for urban consumers, especially lower-income and the poor.

Tasks and responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative, direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (Programme), the technical supervision of the FAO Philippines Programme Unit, the consultant will carry out the following tasks:

• Provide support in the review of the needs, priorities and development status of relevant initiatives pertaining to urban gardening, agro-business programs for cash crops, and short value chains within urban and peri-urban settings for the target urban city

• Under close supervision of FAO Philippines, coordinate with project task force, resource partners and other stakeholders, including conduct of relevant consultation activities for the project

• Through the guidance and close supervision of FAO Philippines, coordinate and facilitate multi-stakeholder consultations and lead the development of an action plan for short and localized value chain development, producer and final user linkages, including through e-commerce

• Develop a study on the food security gaps and needs of the target urban city and how agrarian reform beneficiary (ARB) groups can support these gaps by facilitating market linkages

• Develop a policy guide for use by urban councils, urban planners and municipal authorities related to program design, planning and promotion of investment incentives to promote peri-urban based short and localized value chains and logistics platforms to link producers to final consumers through private businesses and private-public partnerships

• Develop relevant concept note/s, technical reports and briefers based on consultations with the project task force highlighting the milestones of the project

• In line with a reporting template, prepare and submit a draft end-of-assignment report which documents the results of the various activities and outputs performed based on the responsibilities of the position;

• Carry out any other relevant duties within his/her technical competence as may be requested by FAO.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• The candidate must have an Advanced University Degree in Agriculture, Agriculture Economics, Urban Planing, Economics or related fields

• The candidate should have at least 10 years practical experience related to Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition, Urban Food Systems

• A national of the Philippines or a legal resident in the country

• Working knowledge and excellent writing and communication abilities in English and Filipino

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus

• Teamwork

• Communication

• Building Effective Relationships

• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Familiarity with farm tourism sites in at least one region of the Philippines

• Proven ability to conceptualize, plan and execute complex processes across a wide range of stakeholders, advance ability to work quickly and under pressure

• Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team and take leadership when appropriate

• General knowledge and skills in the use of standard office software, such as MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point)

• Good knowledge of the socio-economic and agricultural situation in the Philippines