SMALL-SCALE FISHERIES DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

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 Small-Scale Fisheries Development Specialist directly reports to the Food Security and Nutrition Specialist.

Technical Focus:

In 2014, the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) endorsed the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines). The SSF Guidelines have a specific chapter in relation to the post-harvest sector, value chains and trade. As a vehicle to implement the SSF Guidelines, the FAO Fisheries Division implements various projects to support the implementation of the SSF Guidelines, including the new FMM/GLO/155/MUL sub-programme “Implementing the Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines for gender equitable and climate resilient food systems and livelihoods”, which formed its basis under a Norad-funded project “Empowering Women in Small-Scale Fisheries for Sustainable Food Systems” implemented between January 2020-June 2021, with focus on support to the post-harvest sector, women’s organizations and improving food and nutrition security in select countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

A wide range of practices in the post-harvest fisheries sector exist. Those practices which have proved sustainable and have been replicated by SSF stakeholders, if known and understood, can be used to inform future SSF development initiatives. The recently-ended Norad-funded project, “Empowering women in fisheries for sustainable food systems” conducted a general review to identify good practices related to infrastructure (landing sites, processing areas, markets), the adoption of new/improved technology, value addition, byproducts, market information and market access and access to important services such as microfinance in Sub-Saharan Africa, with particular focus on gender equity in the fisheries sector and improved food security and nutrition. Under the extended phase of the project (FMM-SSF Sub-programme FMM/GLO/155/MUL), the consultant will expand this research to the Philippines, as a new project country.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Small-Scale Fisheries Development Specialist directly reports to the Food Security and Nutrition Specialist and will work in coordination with the Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) Project Coordinator, the international consultant, and consultants involved in the project at FAO headquarters, at FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. The consultant will conduct secondary and primary data collection in the Philippines focused on identifying, validating and understanding more thoroughly good post-harvest fisheries practices, which have the potential to generate significant positive change within the project. More specifically:

1. Draft and submit a proposed report structure and workplan to be agreed by FAO. The report structure should demonstrate a focus on both technical and socio-economic practices and consider drivers and barriers to uptake and adoption, as well as gender and food security and nutrition considerations.
2. Using secondary sources of information such as reports, websites, journals, videos etc. and best means of communication (e.g. email, skype, web survey etc), undertake a desk based survey or interview process to identify examples of good post-harvest practices in-country.
3. Prepare a draft interim report for discussion with FAO colleagues.
4. In conjunction with FAO, develop a fieldwork plan and draft set of questions and / or a checklists for interviews and field visits to further investigate selected good practices.
5. Arrange and conduct field visits /assessments and interviews with key informants and stakeholder groups and perform data analyses.
6. In line with a reporting template, prepare and submit a draft assignment report which documents the results of the various activities and includes relevant case studies. Submit a final report that addresses feedback and comments from FAO.
7. Carry out any other relevant duties within his/her technical competence as may be requested by the FAO Representative.