Seed Certification Advisor

Organizational Setting

Despite the popularity and the significant contribution that the hot pepper has made to the Jamaica’s economy and brand Jamaica over the years, there are a number of challenges being faced by stakeholders along the hot pepper value chain. Among the major challenges are compliance and application of international food safety and phyto-sanitary standards, as well as consistent supply of high-quality hot peppers and limited production of sufficient quantities. The Improving the Phytosanitary, Food Safety and Market Access for Hot Pepper Value Chain Pepper Project was conceptualized to strengthen the industry by enhancing the technical and resource capacity of local producers, inspection and regulatory bodies involved in Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) management and extension delivery to increase the capacity of stakeholders to adopt standards along the hot pepper value chain. This aims to increase the production of hot peppers and improve the export potential and market access opportunities for the sector. This project is aligned to the overall national development outcomes for Jamaica, that is the Government of Jamaica’s Vision 2030 plan and the FAO Country Programming Framework 2021 – 2024 for Jamaica. It also contributes to achieving selected targets of SDG 1 and 2 along with the four betters of the FAO’s Strategic framework 2022-2031 with a particular focus on Better Production and Better Nutrition and the FAO Regional Initiative 1 “Sustainable food systems to provide healthy diets for all”. This project is funded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility and is being implemented by FAO in close collaboration with the Bureau of Standards, Jamaica and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining (MOAFM). The project is working with key government entities involved in plant quarantine and inspection, research and certification of planting material, food safety and extension services.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the Project Manager, the consultant will provide support to the MOAFM in implementing the recommendation (SOPs, documents etc) for the hot pepper seed certification programme, conduct financial assessment of the programme to determine a fee structure for charges, implement the training component of programme coming out of the recommendations of 2023 FAO Seed Certification Report for the hot pepper the industry in Jamaica.

Technical Focus

The incumbent will be responsible assisting the different stakeholders in the hot pepper value chain in implementing the recommendation, SOPs, documentation for effecting Jamaica’s seed certification programme. The Consultant will be responsible for executing training in keeping with the FAO Guidelines as set out in the Seeds Toolkit Rome 2018 Publication and conducting financial assessment for the seed certification programme.

Tasks and responsibilities

1. Undertake a financial costing of certified seed production • Identify the relevant activities involved in Jamaica’s seed certification process and estimate the required resources ( use the most appropriate financial tool) to execute the activities. • Carry out an audit of the existing fees currently charged by each seed provider per variety. • Define variable and fixed costs associated with each of the identified activities. • Consult and work closely with the Research& Development Division and Plant Quarantine Branch of the MOAFM for key inputs for the draft report and proposed fee structure. • Provide a draft fee structure factoring the cost at each stage of the process (planting, reaping, receiving, drying, cleaning, treating, weighing, packaging and storing) overhead costs and well as the maintenance and sustainability of the programme. 2. Conduct training and sensitization sessions to implement and promote the seed certification programme amongst all relevant stakeholders (seed producers, technical officers, nursery operators, farmers, processors, exporters etc) • Conduct sensitization sessions targeting farmers on the importance of using certified planting materials to help increase hot pepper production. • Conduct training and sensitization on auditing, manual, documents and template • Provide infrastructure/ clean seed support to 10 farmers/ nursery operator across 3 parishes • Implementation of Seed Certification Activities/programme • Auditing & Monitoring of the Certification Programme

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Natural Science, Management, or Other Related Disciplines • At least seven years of professional experience in Agriculture, Clean seeds, Agronomic or other related Discipline • Working knowledge of English, and limited knowledge of one of the other FAO official languages (French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian or Arabic)

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Knowledge on clean seeds and production • Knowledge of the National Seed Policy and other legislations governing clean seeds in Jamaica • Knowledge of hot pepper domestic and international market. • Experience in conducting agricultural/plant-based research. • Ability to analyse and manage large volumes of data. • Demonstrable experience in compiling SOPs, manuals and other documentation. • Relevant work experience with key stakeholders and a strong understanding of the local hot pepper industry. • Previous work with an international organization or UN organization will be valuable. • Good documentation, record keeping and report-writing skills. • Ability to communicate effectively in English • Capacity for analysis and synthesis, and ease of verbal and written communication. • Experience in conducting participatory evaluations. • Abilities to organize and facilitate workshops and technical meetings. • Experience working in multidisciplinary and leadership teams. • Experience in conflict resolution and inter-institutional coordination. • Ease of working for results with limited supervision. • Proactive attitude. • Ability to organize time effectively and perform various tasks in a systematic manner. • Abilities to apply participatory methodologies and tools, teamwork, results-based management and document writing. • Ability to read and manage a large number of documents for the production of products and results. • Experience in facilitating multi-stakeholder consultations with various target audiences. • Excellent written and oral communication skills. • Facilitation and coordination skills. • Strategic advice.

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Added 13 days ago - Updated 1 hour ago - Source: fao.org