Vegetables Integrated crop management practices /GAP Specialist

 Job Description  2200563 Vegetables Integrated crop management practices /GAP Specialist 

Job Posting

: 02/Mar/2022

Closure Date

: 17/Mar/2022, 12:59:00 AM

Organizational Unit: FNLEB

Job Type

: Non-staff opportunities

Type of Requisition: PSA (Personal Services Agreement)Grade Level: N/A

Primary Location

: Lebanon-Beirut

Duration: 70 workings days in an 8-month periodPost Number: N/A

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.

 

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination　　
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization.

 

Organizational Setting

The United Nations Productive Sectors Development Programme (PSDP) aims to support gender-responsive job creation and economic opportunities in the agriculture and agro-food sectors. Six UN organizations have joined efforts to implement this programme: UNIDO, FAO, UNDP, ILO, UN Women and UNICEF.

The PSDP includes interventions on three levels: the macro (national policy), meso (institutional) and micro levels. The micro-level aims at improved capacity of women farmers, women-led cooperatives and women-led micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as well as male-led entities in productive sectors to create and sustain gender equitable job opportunities and adopt environmentally sustainable practices. The programme has selected pilot value chains such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and pulses and the pilot areas of Akkar and North of Lebanon for the micro-level implementation.

With the aim of ensuring food safety and quality standards of agricultural produce within the selected value chains, 250 men and women farmers and 20 men and women farm workers, will be supported through awareness sessions and technical training on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). Women and men farmers will be further supported through monitoring their improved practices and provision of related inputs to help them acquire GAP certifications.

 

Reporting Lines

Vegetables Integrated crop management practices /GAP specialist will report to the project manager/CTA

 

Technical Focus

• Conduct field assessment of current farm practices, crop management and pest control practices and input use;
• Recommend improved practices for an Integrated Crop Management (ICM) including Integrated Pest management (IPM);
• Develop a training programme for improved practices of women and men farmers with gender lens;
• Develop a specific related training module for men and women workers on beneficiaries’ farms;
• Conduct ToT and coaching of project/MoA/IDRAC facilitators for the use and implementation of the training modules;
• Deliver 20 training sessions for farmers for improved skills taking into consideration women’s and men’s different roles in these activities, their different needs and capacities. A needs assessment (administered to a gender-balanced pilot group) will be undertaken to tailor the training module in the most effective way. The training will ensure a gender-sensitive and inclusive language (e.g. through examples and photos, avoiding gender stereotypes and biases in the material prepared); if needed, it will be made accessible to make with a lower level of literacy and education and lesser exposure to agricultural technical training;
• Provide training and field technical support to farmers (both women and men) on farm practices, pest management and crop management;
• Prepare list of inputs need for improved farm practices in line with the field assessment and training program, and in particular to IPM and ICM;
• Develop milestones for farmers training acquired skills and application of the recommended GAP linked with input provision and use;
• Train project/MoA/IDRAC facilitators on collecting above milestones;
• Assist in collecting baseline and end line information about the selected farmers’ agricultural practices before, during and post training;

 

Tasks and responsibilities

• Conduct field assessment of current farm practices, crop management and pest control practices and input use;

• Recommend improved practices for an Integrated Crop Management (ICM) including Integrated Pest management (IPM);
• Revise existing training materials on GAP of FAO and MoA and other sources;
• Develop a training programme for improved practices of women and men farmers with gender lens and with following specific modules:
  • Crop production (use of cultivars, crop sequence, best cultural practices, organic fertilization…);
  • Crop protection (IPM use and techniques, store and use of agrochemicals and its related tools to minimum use and application to established safety and maintenance standards, maintaining accurate records of agrochemical use, pheronomes and pheromones traps use…);
  • Harvest, and on farm storage and processing;
  • Farmers and farm-Workers welfare, health and safety.
• Develop a specific related training module for men and women workers on beneficiaries’ farms;
• Conduct ToT and coaching of project/MoA/IDRAC facilitators for the use and implementation of the training modules;  
• Deliver 20 training sessions for farmers for improved skills taking into consideration women’s and men’s different roles in these activities, their different needs and capacities. A needs assessment (administered to a gender-balanced pilot group) will be undertaken to tailor the training module in the most effective way. The training will ensure a gender-sensitive and inclusive language (e.g. through examples and photos, avoiding gender stereotypes and biases in the material prepared); if needed, it will be made accessible to make with a lower level of literacy and education and lesser exposure to agricultural technical training;
• Provide training and field technical support to farmers (both women and men) on farm practices, pest management and crop management;
•  Prepare list of inputs need for improved farm practices in line with the field assessment and training program, and in particular to IPM and ICM;
• Develop milestones for farmers training acquired skills and application of the recommended GAP linked with input provision and use;
• Train project/MoA/IDRAC facilitators on collecting above milestones;
• Assist in collecting baseline and end line information about the selected farmers’ agricultural practices before, during and post training;
• Document any success story related to women’s and young farmers’ uptake of ICM and IPM practices;
• Prepare reports as needed by the management.

 

 

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

 

Minimum Requirements   

• University Degree in Agriculture /Crop Production/Protection;
• Minimum 7 years of experience in farmers’ development and training in ICM at farm level within the private sector;
• Good knowledge of latest techniques and technologies available in the Lebanese market for the vegetables sector for GAP;
• Good knowledge of the vegetables growers and local conditions of Akkar and north of Lebanon;
• Previous work with food standards and GAP certification related institutions is a plus
• Working knowledge of English and Arabic;
• Nationality of Lebanon or resident in the country with a regular work permit.

 

FAO Core Competencies

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

 

Technical/Functional Skills

• Ability to combine, synthesize and analyse information;
• Good relational skills with people with different education levels, and social and cultural background;
• Proven skills of report writing and communication in English and Arabic very good knowledge of the communication and documentation standards.

 

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 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 or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org

• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.

• Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications.

• For other issues, 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. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• 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/ 
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.
 

If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org
 

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