Agro-Economist Verified listing

Agro-Economist will report to Assistant FAO Representative (Programme) and work as team member of FAO Technical Assistance Team, The incumbent will work at Agriculture Delivery Unit, of Sindh Water and Agriculture Transformation Project (ADU-SWAT), Agriculture Department and will support Project Director ADU-SWAT in day to day technical matters and project execution under Component-3 of SWAT. The Ag-Economist will also need to report on progress update to Project Coordination and Monitoring Unit (PCMU), which is overall client of this assignment.

Technical Focus

The Agro-Economist will provide strategic and technical advisory support to the Agriculture Delivery Unit under the Sindh Water & Agriculture Transformation (SWAT) program to advance sustainable, competitive, and climate-resilient agricultural development. The assignment focuses on strengthening agricultural production systems, crop protection, and climate-smart agriculture through policy advice, digitalization, technological innovation, and improved farm input and mechanization systems, with particular emphasis on enhancing productivity, diversification, and market orientation for small- and medium-scale farmers, including women farmers. The role also includes supporting multi-stakeholder collaboration, developing crop sector strategies for targeted communities, and providing technical backstopping for capacity development, policy support, and knowledge-sharing initiatives to improve livelihoods, nutrition, and incomes in both rural and urban contexts within the SWAT project framework.

Tasks and responsibilities

•    Advise ADU in developing agricultural production and crop protection initiatives for more efficient, competitive, sustainable, climate-resilient and socially inclusive agriculture development, especially for small- and medium-scale farmers.
•    Advise SWAT team in agricultural digitalization and technological innovation for sustainable crop production, crop diversification, and climate-smart agriculture to improve people's nutrition, livelihoods, and incomes in both rural and urban areas.
•    Support in promoting Climate Smart/Resilient Agriculture through innovation, and technologies and develop multi-sectoral and stakeholder collaboration.
•    Collaborates in, provides technical backstopping to and ensures the quality/effectiveness of capacity development and knowledge-sharing activities such as policy support, organizational development and individual learning events including preparation of related information, learning materials, and online tools.
•    Act as a knowledge resource to develop crop sector strategies for the targeted communities (small- and medium-scale farmers/women farmers) in SWAT project areas.
•    Support in improving productivity of agricultural operations, and enables a shift from subsistence to more competitive, market-oriented farming through appropriate mechanization systems, improved technologies seed-delivery systems and other farm inputs (fertilizers etc.)

Minimum Requirements    

•    Advanced degree (Master’s or Ph.D.) in Agriculture Economy / Statistics, Climate Smart Agriculture / Agronomy or related discipline etc.
•    At least 10 years of international experience in sustainable agriculture, climate-smart practices, and adaptation strategies, preferably in large-scale development projects.
•    Working knowledge of English, Urdu and Sindhi
•    National of Pakistan