National Agriculture and Climate Change Valuation Specialist

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

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background, and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented member nations, and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct and to uphold our values. FAO has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and FAO, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
• All selected candidates, therefore, will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• 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

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 Agriculture and Climate Change Valuation Specialist will be under the overall guidance of the FAO Representative and Assistant FAO Representative (Programme), direct supervision of the National Project Development and Coordination Specialist and PU Socio-Economic & DRR, CCA and ENR/ Forestry Team Leader, day to day guidance of the National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management and Climate Change Specialist, and technical direction of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) of FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP).

Technical Focus:

The Philippines is currently developing its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) submission to the Paris Agreement. The Climate Change Commission (CCC) has been facilitating this process through a whole-of-government approach to ensure inclusive process and foster ownership within among agencies. The Philippine NDC will be based on the overarching national policy and planning frameworks which include, among others, the Philippine Development Plan (PDP), National Framework Strategy on Climate Change (NFSCC), National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP), National Organic Agriculture Program, Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA), Philippine Energy Plan (PEP), and AmBisyon Natin 2040 which will sustainably transition the Philippine economy as fast as technologically feasible into low-carbon development, protecting without compromise the interests of the Filipino people, especially those most vulnerable. FAO support will focus on providing technical assistance to the Government and increase their capacities for a low-carbon development pathway for Philippine agriculture and fisheries.

Tasks and responsibilities

The National Agriculture and Climate Change Valuation Specialist will carry out the following tasks:

1. Lead in development of a valuation report on public and private investment costs and opportunities associated with the adoption of the Philippines’ agriculture NDC options. This will involve, among others:
   • Defining scope of the agriculture options to be studied;
   • Review of existing reports and studies relating to the agriculture options;
   • Quantification of adoption costs to government (public) and farmers (private);
   • Quantification of climate change adaptation benefits (where possible, in terms of health, employment, income generation, community business opportunities, reduction in water use, increase and income, and impacts to soils);
   • Cost-Benefit analysis (CBA);
2. Lead in the preparation of the excel based worksheets, databases, and economic model, as part of the process of the valuation study, with the view of turning over these materials to government. He/she must work in close coordination with the mitigation modelling experts of the project to align scope and data requirements.
3. Undertake data collection, meetings, consultations, interviews, workshops, with the agriculture agencies as required to complete the assignment;
4. Coordinate with the relevant offices of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Climate Change Commission (CCC) on all consultation, validation, and presentation activities necessary to the assignment;
5. Conduct coaching session for knowledge transfer to selected personnel of the partner government agencies;
6. 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 (masters) in agriculture, environmental, or development economics, or related fields;
• At least five (5) years of work experience dealing with economic valuation for the agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and ENR sectors, preferably in organizations or projects related to climate change adaptation and mitigation;
• A national of the Philippines or resident in the Philippines with a regular work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Familiar with the issues concerning the agriculture and fisheries sector of the Philippines
• 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

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