National Agriculture Specialist

Phnom Penh

Organization: FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Location: Phnom Penh
Grade: Level not specified - Level not specified
Occupational Groups:
- Agriculture and Forestry
- FACMB
Closing Date: Closed

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

Qualified female applicants and qualified nationals of non-and under-represented member countries are encouraged to apply.

Persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

Organizational Setting

The FAO Representation in Cambodia is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed strategies for addressing country food, agriculture and rural development priorities. It develops and maintains relations with country-wide institutions including Government Institutions and Development Partners. The ‘Commodity value chain study to accelerate inclusive markets for smallholders’ is a project that will be implemented through a joint coordination mechanism between Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and Ministry of Commerce (MoC) and FAO. With a focus on improving smallholder access into new markets for cashew nut, Keo Romeat Mango, leafy vegetables, maize, chicken and pig, the project plans to undertake in depth analysis and mapping to identify how best investments can be made to tackle these barriers and inefficiencies. The project will investigate and develop evidence of market opportunities, commercial viability and potential benefits including agricultural market information system for smallholders for each selected commodity.

Reporting Lines

National agriculture specialist reports to FAO Representative in Cambodia.

Technical Focus

Working under the overall supervision and management of FAO Representative in Cambodia and technical oversight of the Lead Technical Officer and the operational guidance of project Team Leader/International expert, National agriculture specialist will be responsible for assessment on value chain analysis of the agricultural products such as the cashew nut, Keo Romeat Mango, leafy vegetables, maize, chicken and pig with a focus on production and post-harvest aspects.

Tasks and responsibilities

Under the guidance of the international expert and in coordination with the National value chain specialist, conduct the assessment of the cashew nut, Keo Romeat Mango, leafy vegetables, maize, chicken and pig value chains of Cambodia with a focus on production and post-harvest aspects\:

Coordinate mapping value chain actors.
Identify strengths and bottlenecks along the value chains and their institutional environment that have an impact on agricultural production and food losses and waste.
Establish links between performance drivers along the value chains with efficiency/competitiveness/inclusiveness issues.
Identify existing gaps from the production and technological points of views and provide information towards the formulation of public policies.

Participate in training/outreach meetings as required, as well as in the validation workshop to present the results of the value chain assessments with key stakeholders (private and public sector).
Contribute to the preparation of a study report on “Unleashing the potential of selected agricultural supply chains in Cambodia”, summarizing the findings and providing recommendations to government, donors/international organizations, and private sector stakeholders regarding the improvement of organization and performance of the chains appraised in view of increasing efficiency and competitiveness.
Contribute to preparation of the project terminal statement/final report for the FAO Representative.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

Advanced university degree in agronomy, agricultural engineering or related subject.
Relevant experience (5 years minimum) in agricultural production, including the use of value chain/food system approaches.
Fluency in English
Cambodian nationality.

FAO Core Competencies