District Value Chain Facilitator (04 positions)

Organizational Setting

These four positions are located in FAO district offices which include Nushki, Lasbela at Uthal, Kharan, Pishin locations of Baluchistan province, Pakistan. The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by FAO Representative, is to assist government to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

The current FAO Programme in Baluchistan aims to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable, inclusive economic growth in Pakistan by strengthening small-scale agribusinesses. To achieve this goal, the programme will support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME’s) and agribusinesses in the horticulture and livestock sectors to become more competitive by making improvements at all levels of the value chain, including the enabling business and policy environment. FAO Baluchistan aims to particularly enhance the engagement of rural women in agricultural production and value addition activities and enable to them to tap into economic opportunities in the selected value chains.

The position is at SB3-SC5 level.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of FAO Representative in Pakistan and in close coordination with the Provincial International Program Coordinator/Senior Project Officer, these positions will directly be supervised by the Hub Team Leaders.

Technical Focus

• Mobilization of farmers for joint learning events, farming together and undertaking other post-harvest value addition activities together;
• Facilitate participatory learning by doing and training on various agricultural activities, such as plants disease and insect pest management, integrated weed management, integrated soil fertility management, livestock health management, storage and processing, farm economics and financial literacy, produce marketing and business planning, and other issues that come up for individual groups;
• Establishment and facilitation of Farmer Field Schools (FFS) for participatory learning
• Trainings facilitated on specific crop or livestock-related issues pertaining to the commodity value chains under development;
• Contribute to extension materials development by providing information on farmer’s needs and demand;

Tasks and responsibilities

• Regular and close interactions with the farmers and local communities to understand the needs on the ground, existing issues and possible solution options;
• Mobilize farmers into interest groups using Farmer Field School techniques for learning, sharing experience and improving farming practices;
• Support the established farmer groups to undertake joint value addition activities with agricultural produces;
• Collect information from the field and support FAO technical team in developing knowledge materials, such as handouts, brochures, guidelines and training modules;
• Establish and facilitate of Farmer Field Schools (FFS) or Farmer Business Schools (FBS) for participatory learning and regularly visit the established groups to support them with daily activities.
• Provide support and facilitate farmer groups in introduction and establishment of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and improved (post) harvest handling and marketing of high value horticultural and/or livestock products;
• Prepare and submit monthly work plan and progress reports.
• Perform any other associated duties as required by the supervisor or Project Coordinators.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Social Sciences, Agriculture, Livestock Production.
• Minimum of 3-5 Years of relevant field experience, particularly in value chain development and agricultural development projects.
• Working knowledge (Level C) of English and fluency and knowledge of local languages used in Balochistan province is essential.
• National of Pakistan

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Practical knowledge of and experience in Community Mobilization skills and management of FFS/FBS.
• Experience in communication and diffusion strategies and techniques, reporting, documentation.
• Understanding of and competencies in participatory extension methods, training need assessments and development of capacity development plan.
• Remain open to change and ability to manage complexity.
• Ability to work and operate under challenging conditions and with discretion in a multicultural environment.
• Demonstrate capacity to plan, prioritize and deliver tasks on time to meet goals in a high-pressure environment.
• Possess strong supervisory, communication, team building and computing skills (word processing, spreadsheets and data-bases).

Selection Criteria

Candidates will be assessed against the requirements listed above.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION