National Paddy Seeds Production Specialist

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FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

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Application deadline 1 year ago: Tuesday 21 Feb 2023 at 22:59 UTC

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Organizational Setting

The project “Responding to the Economic Crisis: Protecting smallholder farmer livelihoods through safe and efficient use of fertilizer and quality seed for better productivity in paddy farming GCP/SRL/080/EC” aims at responding to the Economic Crisis in Sri Lanka, protecting smallholder farmer livelihoods through safe and efficient use of fertilizer and quality seed for better productivity in paddy farming. The project promotes transition of Sri Lankan agriculture towards more sustainable farming inputs including increasing the quality paddy seeds supply for the paddy farmers by scaling up the production of certified seeds for paddy. For this, the project will focus on increasing capacity of 1200 Sri Lankan farmers to grow quality paddy seeds for meeting the country’s requirement and strengthening government owned farms in seed processing and certification. This would address a vital missing component of lack of quality seeds for paddy and would be extremely beneficial for enhancing the productivity of paddy.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will provide technical leadership and backup in order to ensure the delivery of project outputs under the results 3 of the project to a high standard, and in a cost effective manner, taking into account national and international best practices and research results, and in accordance with FAO, Government and donor norms. He / She will be under the overall administrative leadership and supervision of the FAO Representative in Sri Lanka (FAOR) and the direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR (Programme) and the National Project manager. He / She is expected to function with the technical guidance of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) at the Headquarters in Rome, National Project Manager and in close consultation with the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka & The Department of Agriculture and the selected private sector agencies.

Technical Focus

The incumbent will be responsible for ensuring that the outputs and targets under the expected results 3 are met. Specifically, increasing capacity of Sri Lankan farmers to produce quality paddy seeds for meeting the country’s requirement and strengthening government owned farms for the processing and certifying paddy seeds” by upgrading the seeds production manual, training of farmers on quality seeds production, providing technical assistance for provisioning of inputs such as foundation seeds and fertilizer, improving seed processing capacity, private sector engagement for strengthening market linkages. Targeted 1200 medium and large farmers will capacitated and mobilized to produce 4800MT of certified paddy seeds in selected 4 districts Hambantota, Ampara, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka.

Tasks and responsibilities

  • Develop a standard procedure for producing quality seeds meeting the requirement of certified and quality declared seed.
  • Develop criteria for the selection of farmers under this output, 1,200 medium to large paddy farmers for enhancing quality seed production from the Mahaweli Special and provincial irrigated areas in Hambantota, Ampara, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura.
  • Prepare a technical guidance for farmers to comply with the seed quality assurance regulations and certifications through the consultation with the seed registration authority.
  • Provide technical inputs to strengthen four Government seed farms of MASL and DOA with provision of seed processing and drying machinery to enhance existing production and processing capacity;
  • Provide technical specifications to choose seed processing and drying machines;
  • Provide technical guidelines to select suitable rice verities to promote through the seed production programme;
  • Selection of farmers in collaboration with the Department of Agrarian Development, Department of Agriculture and MASL.
  • Development of curriculum and training of extension officials and farmers on paddy seed production and upgrading the quality seed paddy production manual.
  • Support targeted new seed paddy farmers with necessary technology, the supply of urea, basic seeds and seedling trays.
  • Support Government seed paddy farms with machinery to enhance production capacity.
  • Facilitate the process of establishing machineries in each government seed paddy farms
  • Identify Private Sector Partners to help strengthen market linkages;
  • Responsible for overall implementation of the seed production component

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

  • Advanced university degree in Agriculture, Agriculture Extension, Crop Management, and Plant and soil science.
  • At least 7 years of relevant experience in Agronomy, seed production, agriculture extension, training and capacity building.
  • Working knowledge (level C) of English language together with Sinhala or Tamil is required.
  • A National of Sri Lanka

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

  • Work experience in the project areas
  • Experience in paddy seed production and knowledge on paddy seed production machineries
  • Experience in working with the relevant stakeholders and the private sector
  • Familiarity with paddy seed production and marketing process

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  • FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
  • Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help please contact: [email protected]
  • Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
  • Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
  • For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
  • Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: fao.org