Agriculture/Plant Protection Extension Specialist

Date Posted: Nov 27, 2022

Job Detail

Location:

kabul
Company:

FAO Organization
Type:

Contract
Shift:

First Shift (Morning)
Career Level:

Experienced Professional
Positions:

1
Vacancy number:

2203197
Experience:

5 Year
Gender:

Any
Salary:

As per Company salary scale
Degree:

Bachelors
Apply Before:

Dec 08, 2022

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About FAO Organization

Project Background:

Combating land degradation and biodiversity loss by promoting sustainable rangeland management and biodiversity conservation project is a five year intervention of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) funded through the Global Environment Facility (GEF). This project aims to improve the sustainability of agriculture, forest, and land-use management through rehabilitating degraded rangelands, biodiversity conservation and enhancing and maintaining the livelihoods of Afghan rural communities in Khost, Laghman and Nuristan provinces in Afghanistan by employing the community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) approach. The project has three major components: (i) capacity-building at the national, sub-national, and district levels in community based natural resources management for sustainable rangeland and forest planning; (ii) Integrated management and restoration of degraded landscapes for biodiversity conservation and sustainable/regenerative rangeland management; (iii) Systematic creation and sharing of knowledge, project coordination, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and institutional capacity development.

The Senior GIS specialist will be responsible for all the geospatial data creation and management which would facilitate the implementation of participatory assessment and mapping of natural resources of the target districts. In addition, they will be preparing land-use/land-cover, watershed and topographic maps for RMAs and FMAs and target areas.

The Senior GIS specialist will closely work with appointed specialists and support the project task team in preparing maps of land-use/land-cover, rangeland hotspots, FMAs and RMAs, mission maps etc which would facilitate in devising strategies and plans for implementation of sustainable natural landscape planning. They will provide technical guidance for the implementation of forest restoration and management, agroforestry and small-scale greenhouses.

FAO is looking for qualified national staff fill the position of senior GIS specialist. This position will support the work of the GEF-funded” Combating land degradation and biodiversity loss by promoting sustainable rangeland management and biodiversity conservation” project in Afghanistan.

Job Description

Job Posting: 24/Nov/2022

Closure Date: 08/Dec/2022

Type of Requisition: NPP (National Project Personnel)

Primary Location: Afghanistan-Kabul

Duration: 11 months (with extension subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability)

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

Reporting Line:

The Agriculture/Plant Protection Extension Specialist works under the overall guidance of the FAO Representative and direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR (Programme) and in close collaboration and coordination with the Head of Emergency Response and Resilience Team and in close collaboration with the Head of the Agriculture Team.

Technical Focus:

The incumbent will contribute to the programme unit of FAO Afghanistan in identifying and addressing extension and agriculture development issues, development of technical guidelines and manuals, projects assessment, capacity development training packages, and provide technical support in the field of plant protection to the Programme Team.

Tasks and responsibilities

Provide technical support to the design, implementation, and monitoring of all projects which have activities focused on agriculture extension and plant protection;
Assess the damage impact of major crop pests in Afghanistan.
Produce a map of the incidence of damage across Afghanistan and conduct pest attack assessments, as required;
Provide a comparative analysis of damage assessment and the prevalence and distribution of crop pests and provide recommendations;
Conduct a round table meeting to present the damage assessment and analysis to FAO and key stakeholders;
Deliver a report on the above issues and the main findings, together with recommendations;
Contribute to the biological control of major pests such as locusts, sunpests and others in Afghanistan;
Provide technical support to stakeholders on the implementation of the Locusts assessment, surveys and control projects in Afghanistan;
Develop Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) techniques and practices guidelines for Afghanistan;
Conduct regular consultation workshops on CSA for the FAO projects technical personals to finalize the guidelines;
Conduct regular assessment on existing vegetables seeds production and distribution system in Afghanistan;
Provision of the technical specifications for the procurement of equipment as per project plan and budget;
In collaboration with Communications colleagues, develop brochures and other visual/IEC materials for the community awareness on Locusts and other pests control;
In collaboration with Communications colleagues, develop early warning messages and monthly bulletins on the movement and other key indications of locusts and other destructive pests in Afghanistan;
In collaboration with Training colleagues, develop ToT training materials on major pests and diseases of the major crops in local language;
Organize and conduct ToTs for the stakeholders at national and Regional levels;
Strengthen the community engagement through continued coordination and supporting the local stakeholders on Locusts assessment and other crop pests;
Contribute to the design, implementation and reporting of the locust and other pests management projects including reporting progress and main challenges;
Perform any other related duties as required.

Job Requirements

Minimum Requirements

Advanced (Master’s) degree or University (Bachelor’s) degree in the field of Agriculture with specialization in the field of plant protection or closely related subjects.
For advanced degree at least five (5) years of professional experience in the provision of plant protection, pests management programme/project development and support services, projects or program implementation, assessment and designing, capacity buildings, or other related disciplines with UN Organizations or international NGOs is required;
For university degree at least seven (7) years of professional experience in the provision of plant protection, pests management programme/project development and support services, projects or program implementation, assessment and designing, capacity buildings, or other related disciplines with UN Organizations or international NGOs is required;
Working knowledge (level C) of English and local languages (Pashto and/or Dari).
National of Afghanistan.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

Ability to effectively coordinate an extensive, multi-stakeholder project with results-based management;
Good written communication skills, including in emergency settings;
Demonstrated initiative and ability to deliver results within deadlines;
Experience organizing stakeholder meetings or workshops at national and provincial level;
Ability to establish and maintain good working relations with other staff/colleagues from different cultural backgrounds as well as with line departments, counterparts, and other stakeholders at the province level;
Previous experience working with international organizations, including INGOs, bilateral or multilateral agencies, and UN agencies is desirable;
Working experience in complex programme management
Excellent data visualization skills;
Excellent data reading and data reporting skills.
Experience of working with the United Nations or other international organizations (especially those working in the field of agriculture) is preferred;
Ability to work independently, to organize and coordinate with demonstrated ability to write clearly and concisely in working languages;
Additional relevant professional experience in Afghanistan, particularly in project cycle management, public administration or project operations is a strong advantage;
Experience of work under emergency conditions is preferred;
Experience organizing stakeholder meetings or workshops with various partners;
Proficient in Microsoft Office package.

Skills Required

Submission Guideline:

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list.
If you are in possession of language certificate/s from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT), please attach the certificate/s when submitting the application.
For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered.

Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile. If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org

Female applicants are highly encouraged to apply.

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT

Submission Email:

Careers@fao.org

Job Detail