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International Consultant on Sapling Certification Scheme

Home Based - May require travel

  • Organization: FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
  • Location: Home Based - May require travel
  • Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • FEGEO
  • Closing Date: Closed

IMPORTANT NOTICE\: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

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FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender and nationality

People with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization

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Organizational Setting

The position is located at the FAO Representation in Georgia. The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by the FAO Representative, is to assist governments 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.


Reporting Lines

The International Consultant on Sapling Certification Scheme shall operate under the overall guidance and responsibility of the FAO Representative in Georgia; direct supervision of the Programme Coordinator, in close and collaboration with other international and national consultants of the EU funded projects in Georgia, and more concretely the UNJP/GEO/013/EC project, and also other staff of the FAO Representation Office of Georgia.


Technical Focus

The International Consultant will provide overall technical support in the establishment of a planting material certification system in Georgia (policy dialogue, rules and regulations, support to nurseries, implementation) and provide specific technical support.

Tasks and Responsibilities

  • Review the status of mother plants fields in Georgia, including rootstock, and provide recommendations for improving the ongoing mother plant fields, including the provision of new certified basic material to complement the existing stock, but also the management and infrastructure needed for isolation for maintenance of virus-free varieties stocks.
  • Propose a plan for the establishment of pre-stock or stock planting material facilities (i.e. greenhouse with physical isolation)
  • Assess current legislation in view of international and EU legal framework;
  • Prepare legal provisions necessary to set up the certification system\:
  1. Establishment of the system and requirements for participating parties including the definition of the authority/institution in charge of the system (secondary legislation, i.e. rulebook/bylaws);
  2. Issuing of the certificate and labels\: quality and phytosanitary requirements to be fulfilled by nurseries and by the materials to be certified (secondary legislation, connected to activities/legislation of the National Plant Protection Organization – NPPO - for phytosanitary aspects);
  3. Definition of technical methodologies and procedures for application by farmers (nurseries), inspection (including sampling and related analyses) and certification (tertiary legislation, i.e. guidelines, forms, instructions), possibly according to ISO 17065\:2012 “Conformity assessment - Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services”;
  • Conduct on-site trainings of staff from certification authority on\:
    1. Administrative procedures for application/issuing certificate;
    2. Technical methods of field inspection (rootstocks, mother plants for scions, seeds for vegetable seedlings)\: administrative control, visual inspection, sampling;
    3. Laboratory analyses\: variety identification, pests’ assessment (particularly viruses); this activity could be widened to lab staff of the NPPO;
  • Lead practical trainings for both inspectors and staff from nurseries, organizing simulations of controls, sampling, assessment of amount of certified plants/scions, grafting, pruning, etc.
  • Propose awareness raising activities for fruit growers and other farmers on benefits of certified materials, including the preparation technical materials for awareness or capacity development of nurseries staff.
  • Train nurseries on production of high quality, disease free, traceable planting material and more concretely train nurseries on\:
  • Legal requirements;
  • Administrative procedures\: book keeping for inspection purposes, application for certification;
  • Technical (agronomical) such as\:
    1. Management of the nursery for production of certified planting materials
    2. Propaedeutic activities to the establishment of plots for production of certified material
    3. Plot management
    4. Pest control management
    5. Use of labels
    6. Farm for the future traceable system
    7. Production of disease-free planting materials,
    8. True to type planting material production
  • Create awareness of intellectual property issues amongst nurseries
  • CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
    Minimum Requirements
    • Advanced university degree in agronomy or in a related field.
    • Minimum ten years of relevant professional experience.
    • Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of one of the other FAO official languages (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian) for COF.REG. Working knowledge of English for PSA.SBS.
    FAO Core Competencies
    • Results Focus
    • Teamwork
    • Communication
    • Building Effective Relationships
    • Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
    Selection Criteria
    • Relevant experience in setting up a sapling/seedling certification system.
    • Relevant experience in hands on training of nurseries in certification standards.
    • Relevant experience in Georgia, neighbouring countries, post soviet countries or middle income countries.

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

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    This vacancy is now closed.