NATIONAL COCONUT-BASED FARMING SYSTEMS SPECIALIST/TEAM LEADER

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FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.
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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 confidence.
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Organizational Setting:

For more than four decades, FAO has been working with the Government of the Philippines, civil society, community-based organizations and the private sector to address challenges in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector. Joint efforts have included increasing sustainability in agricultural production, promoting value-adding practices, improving post-harvest management, enhancing productivity and increasing the resilience of agriculture-based livelihoods to natural disasters, climatic hazards and armed conflict.

Reporting Lines:

The National Coconut-based Farming Systems Specialist/Team Leader Specialist will be under the overall guidance of the FAO Representative in the Philippines ad interim, direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (Programme), and guidance of the Team Leader of the Mindanao and Emergency Response and Preparedness Group (natural and human-induced), Lead Technical Officer from FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, and will work in close coordination with the National Coconut-based Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Specialist, Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) – Research and Development Branch and Department of Agriculture (DA).

Technical Focus:

FAO will provide technical assistance (through a TCP) on crop diversification and pest and disease management through Climate Resilient Coconut based-Farming Systems (CR-CBFS) including Integrated Pest Management (IPM) through Climate Resilient Farmer Field School (CR-FFS) to address low productivity of coconut farms due to natural hazards including pest and diseases. The project will assist priority coconut farming households from the PCA “KAANIB” program (“Kasaganaan sa Niyugan ay Kaunlaran ng Bayan” or bounty of the coconut farms is key to progress of the country). These coconut households were previously organized by PCA to promote and practice crop diversification and farm level processing.

Tasks and responsibilities

The National Coconut-based Farming Systems Specialist/Team Leader will carry out the following tasks:

1. Facilitate the over-all implementation of the project in close coordination with partners and stakeholders;
2. Review the existing coconut production system/farming systems in the following target pilot sites, and conduct participatory consultations with target beneficiaries and stakeholders relative to production/productivity gaps/challenges:

• Region IV-A – Quezon province
• Region VIII – Southern Leyte province
• Region XI – Davao Oriental province

3. Collate/identify climate smart/climate resilient agricultural practices that would (i) guide the identification of appropriate inputs and (ii) form a backbone of the Climate Resilient Coconut-based Farming Systems - Farmer Field School (CRCBFS-FFS) and Climate Resilient Farm Business School (CR-FBS) design and training for coconut-based farming systems;.
4. Provide technical recommendations on appropriate climate resilient crop diversification technology package including good agricultural practices (GAP) to improve the existing production/farming systems;
5. In coordination with the National Coconut-based IPM Specialist and PCA Research and Development Branch, formulate detailed criteria for the selection of pilot areas and farmer-beneficiaries for the demonstration farms on Climate Resilient Coconut-based Farming Systems and for learning sites for CRCBFS-FFS and CR-FBS;
6. Establish an input distribution plan covering the whole duration of the project, in line with the cropping season and within the framework of building resilient coconut-based farming systems;
7. Prepare the technical specification of agricultural inputs to be used in the demonstration farms for FAO technical clearance;
8. Monitor the distribution and use of the agricultural inputs for the pilot demonstration farms and ensure proper use;
9. In coordination with the National Coconut-based IPM Specialist and PCA Research and Development Branch, provide technical inputs to the development of guidelines/policy for climate resilient coconut-based farming systems for possible upscaling in major coconut growing areas in the country;
10. In collaboration with the National Coconut-based IPM Specialist and other relevant technical staff from DA -Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) and PCA, prepare site-specific training modules for Climate Resilient Coconut-based Farming Systems (CRCBFS) -Farmer Field School (FFS) and Climate Resilient Farm Business School (CR-FBS);
11. Provide technical inputs and serve as facilitator or resource person in the training of trainers (ToT) for CRCBFS-FFS and CR-FBS;
12. Provide technical inputs in the development and production of IEC materials on Climate Resilient Coconut-based Farming Systems;
13. Prepare the project terminal report; and
14. Carry out any other relevant duties within her technical competence as may be requested by FAO.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• The candidate must have an Advanced University Degree in in agriculture (with specialization in farming systems, horticulture, agronomy, soil science) or related fields
• At least seven (7) years’ of practical experience and a good working knowledge of coconut production and coconut-based farming systems including climate smart/resilient farming systems
• A national of the Philippines

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Knowledge on coconut production/farming systems as evidenced by international assignments, reports and/or refereed papers published in internationally recognized journals and bulletins
• Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team is of importance as is the ability to take leadership when appropriate
• General knowledge and skills in the use of standard office software, such as MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point)
• Language requirement: Excellent written and oral communication skills in English

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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.