International Consultant for Agricultural Food Value Chains/Economics

The Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT) is a multi-donor fund established in 2010 to address food insecurity and income poverty in Myanmar. LIFT has received funding from 14 donors – the United Kingdom, the European Union, Australia, Switzerland, Denmark, the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Luxembourg, Italy, New Zealand, Ireland and Mitsubishi Corporation. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is the Fund Manager to administer the funds and provide monitoring and oversight.

The overall goal of LIFT is to sustainably reduce the number of people living in poverty and hunger in Myanmar. LIFT’s purpose is to strengthen the resilience and sustainable livelihoods of poor people in Myanmar. LIFT’s purpose-level outcomes are increased income, decreased vulnerability, improved nutrition, and pro-poor policy developments.

LIFT works with implementing partners that include international and national non-government organisations, United Nations agencies, the Government of Myanmar, private sector organisations, academic and research institutions.

LIFT is active in the four main agro-ecological zones of Myanmar: the Ayeyarwady Delta, the Rakhine State, the central dry zone (including Mandalay, Magway and the southern Sagaing region), and the upland areas of Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin and Shan States and Tanintharyi Region.

So far, LIFT has reached more than 7.2 million people, or roughly 20 per cent of Myanmar’s population; and is active in almost half the country’s townships. LIFT is funding projects through to June 2019. For more details visit www.lift-fund.org.

Background on the assignment

The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) launched by the G20 is a multilateral financial intermediary fund. The objective is to improve incomes and food and nutrition security in low-income countries by boosting agricultural productivity. GAFSP addresses the underfunding of country and regional agriculture and food security strategic investment plans that are already being developed by countries in consultation with donors and other stakeholders at the country-level.  GAFSP provides readily available financing to scale-up agricultural and food security assistance on a coordinated basis in response to demonstrated commitment to results by countries. 

Myanmar was one of the eligible countries and applied to the GAFSP funding window 2017. LIFT has been supporting Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MoALI) for designing and developing the proposal with the help from both international and national expertise to address major issues, challenges interrupted for the country agricultural sector intensifying especially for the rural poor. GAFSP funding in Myanmar, for a total of $27 million will support efforts to create an enabling environment that reduces the incidence of poverty, malnutrition and food insecurity among the rural poor.

LIFT is continuing to support the development of the GAFSP operational/business plan by providing lead technical support.  LIFT is recruiting a consultant with wide experience in this sector to provide recommendations to LIFT on the effective inputs for designing and developing the business model for GAFSP implementation in Central Dry Zone. The consultant’s recommendations for the business plan design will provide the government/MoALI. The recommendations will also identify major issues that should be considered in the GAFSP implementing strategy as well.

Purpose  and Scope of Assignment

The objective of this assignment is to support LIFT in drafting and developing GAFSP operational/business plan, in partnership with FAO, ADB and government.  The consultant will be expected to consult various stakeholders along the agri-food value chain actors for the agricultural development of Myanmar especially for the Central Dry Zone. 

Perform other relevant duties as may be assigned by the supervisor. 

The consultant will be under the direct supervision of the LIFT Rural Finance and Agricultural Program Officer. The Consultant will have consultations in Yangon and will travel to the Central Dry Zone, Myanmar to conduct relevant consultations with the stakeholders along the food value chain within November and or December 2017. 

This assignment is expected to require about 15 working days within a one-month period including travelling days within Myanmar, consultations in Yangon, field visits and home based report writing (estimated 80% for field trips). The schedule shall be determined in discussions with LIFT program officer.  

Deliverables

• The consultant will provide work plan as agreed with the supervisor.
• The consultant will produce a report on the findings and provide recommendations for the design and focus of the GAFSP business model/plan at the end of the assignment and submit to the supervisor no later than 30th December 2017. The report will be in the format as agreed with the supervisor and will contain annexes, e.g. contacted stakeholders, meetings held etc.

Education

•  Advanced university education at Master or Ph.D. level with expertise in the area of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Economics, Agriculture and Water Resource Management, Rural Development or relevant field to the ToR is required.
• Additional two years of relevant experience with a Bachelor’s Degree is considered as equivalent.

Experience

• A minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in Agricultural Economics and Value Chain Development is required.
• Demonstrated field research experience in Asia for Development Policy, Food Policy, Agribusiness Management, Rural Economy, Environmental and Development Economics, Agricultural Sustainability, Poverty Alleviation and Policy Implications would be a strong asset.
• Understanding the context of Myanmar agriculture and related working experience in Myanmar would be an asset.
• Extensive knowledge and experience of working with the private sector and in different businesses of the agricultural sector would be an asset.
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• Computer literacy in Microsoft packages is required.
• Familiarity with Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) would be an asset.

Language Requirement

• Fluency in both written and spoken English is essential.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

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With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

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