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To contract the services of a National Consultant to Strengthen Contingency Planning for Seed Distribution for 4 women farmers groups

Dominica

  • Organization: UNWOMEN - United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
  • Location: Dominica
  • Grade: Consultancy - International Consultant - Internationally recruited Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Operations and Administrations
    • Logistics
    • Women's Empowerment and Gender Mainstreaming
    • Agriculture and Forestry
    • Transport and Distribution
  • Closing Date: Closed

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action, and peace and security.

Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 storm, made landfall in Dominica on 18 September 2017 directly affecting the lives of at least 71,000 people (almost the entire population). The hurricane, the strongest on record to strike Dominica, destroyed entire crops, and disrupted power and water supplies. Preliminary findings of the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) revealed a catastrophic impact on the productive sector with the Agriculture and Fisheries Sector disproportionately affected. According to the PDNA, losses are estimated at EC $125,000,000, damages at EC $58,000,000 and needs at EC $74,000,000.

Women smallholder farmers in Dominica, similar to their counterparts globally, are on the frontlines of the battle against climate change and disasters. Traditionally women are primary care givers and take on disproportionate responsibilities at both household and community levels, this has been found to be the case for the majority of women farmers in Dominica. As smallholder farmers, their vulnerabilities to climate change are further heightened. These multiple vulnerabilities translate into a compromised capacity to cope; and this was evident in the 19 to 20 October 2017 Rapid Assessment of the Impact of Hurricane Maria on Smallholder Women Farmers in Dominica. The extent of the damage to these womens farms has been catastrophic with 76% reporting major losses.

Women farmers comprise a much smaller percentage of the agricultural labour force than men (80% of the agriculture workforce is male). While more robust data on the farming sector is not available to confirm, it is widely acknowledged that Dominica’s food and nutrition security relies on the work and contributions of smallholder farmers, including women farmers. In order to bring the specific needs of this population to the fore, the UN Women MCO-Caribbean undertook this Rapid Needs Assessment, the results of which are intended to inform national interventions to support the recovery of livelihoods of farmers and the agriculture sector in the country. The Rapid Needs Assessment included an assessment of the following:

  • Needs, capacities and perception of risks.
  • Access to, and control over productive resources, goods and services, including information.
  • Participation in decision-making processes of the response and rehabilitation of the agricultural sector.

This assessment confirmed an immediate need for financing, seeds (particularly cabbage, carrots, cucumber, lettuce, parsley/celery and beets) and fertilizer to support the revitalization of the farms managed by the women included in this assessment.

There is also a high need for labour and time-saving tools and equipment, which the farmers can operate themselves, to reduce their labour costs.

Guided by the findings and recommendations of the assessment, the UN Women MCO-Caribbean provided seeds, tools and farm labour to support recovery efforts.

This consultancy will focus on strengthening the resilience of smallholder women farmers to disaster impacts, through strengthening contingency planning for seed distribution.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives of the assignment

Under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO - Caribbean Representative, with delegated daily supervision by the UN Women Programme Specialist – Economic Empowerment & Statistics, the National Consultant is expected to strengthen planning for seed distribution for 4 women farmers groups in Dominica.

Scope of Work and Deliverables

The National Consultant is expected to undertake the following:

  • Establish a roster of seed suppliers with details of the type of seeds stocked, average price, contact details, average quantity needed by each farmer group.
  • Develop 4 Contingency Plans (1 Contingency Plan per farmer group) that will include step-by-step preparedness and response actions specifically in relation to the following:
    • Preparedness: Identification and monitoring of seed storage capacity prior to impact
    • Response: seed distribution arrangements; and subsequent monitoring after impact
    • Roles and responsibilities of key members of each group to ensure implementation of the Contingency Plans
    • Identification of seed types and quantities to be stored and distributed.
    • Names and full contact details of members each farmer group identifies as a beneficiary of assistance for seeds.
  • Drafting of 4 Simulation Exercise Documents (1 for each farmer group) to serve as a guidance document for a simulation to test the effectiveness of the abovementioned Contingency Plans.
  • Conduct of 4 Simulation Exercises (1 per farmer group).

Reporting Requirements

The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO-Caribbean Representative, with direct reporting to UN Women Programme Specialist for Economic Empowerment and Statistics.

Competencies

Core Values/Guiding Principles:

  • Respect for Diversity;
  • Integrity;
  • Professionalism.

Core Competencies:

  • Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
  • Accountability;
  • Creative Problem Solving;
  • Effective Communication;
  • Inclusive Collaboration;
  • Stakeholder Engagement;
  • Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf.

Functional Competencies:

  • Strong gender and social research and analytical skills.
  • Excellent written and oral communications skills including the conveying complex concepts and recommendations, in a clear and persuasive style tailored to match different audiences.
  • Ability to interact independently as part of a team.
  • Ability to multi-task and operate effectively in stressful situations.

Required Skills and Experience

The National Consultant should meet the following criteria:

Required skills and experience:

Education:

National Consultant should meet the following criteria:

  • Advanced University Degree in any of the following: Agriculture, Agri-Business, Food Security, Soil and Crop management or equivalent.

Experience:

  • Minimum/At least five years of experience gender, agriculture and food security issues, preferably in disaster contexts.
  • Minimum/At least five years working directly with farmer groups, including women farmers, in Dominica on agriculture and/or agri-business is required.
  • Specific experience working with women farmers in a post-disaster context is an asset.

Languages :

  • Fluency in English is required.

References:

  • Minimum of three client references that include the name of the contact person, title and contact information.

Remuneration:

  • The consultancy fee will be negotiated before contracting. Each payment will be based on a predefined and formal agreement between UN Women and the consultant and will be disbursed based on satisfactory completion of agreed deliverables.

Hardware, Software and Communication:

  • The consultant must be equipped with a laptop, which must be portable and must run at least Windows 7. The consultant must be reasonably accessible by email and telephone (preferably mobile). The use of reliable, internet-based (Skype or equivalent) is required.

Location and Duration:

  • The consultant will be based in Dominica.
  • The consultant will be engaged for a maximum of 50 working days during the period 3 June 2019 - 3 August 2019.

Other:

  • Interviews will be conducted with the consultant.
  • The consultant contracted will be required to sign a statement of confidentiality and freedom from any conflict of interest with potential future contractors with respect to the TORs and work that they will be delivering.
  • The consultant should submit, along with his/her application, the curriculum vitae of team members.

Note:

Submissions to UNDP Jobs are limited to a maximum of 10 MB, virus-free or corrupted contents to avoid rejection, and no more than 1 email transmission.   As such, all application materials must be scanned into one document and submitted.

All applications must be submitted through UNDP jobs.  Please do not send applications to UN Women staff as they will not be accepted.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
This vacancy is now closed.
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