Climate Resilient Agronomist Verified listing

The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative (FAOR) in Pakistan, direct supervision by the project Technical Advisor and in close coordination with the International FFS Specialist/Component 2 lead, Provincial Coordinators and Project Team.

Technical Focus

Climate Resilient Agriculture (CRA), practices and technology transfer, including identification of climate resilient crops, varieties and sustainable key inputs; Agro-climate information, advisories and early warning; Agricultural extension, including developing effective training methods and modules and delivering training for FAO, government staff and FFS facilitators as well as coaching farmers in the field

Tasks and responsibilities:

Technical Support and Advisory

•    In close collaboration with the FAO District Team Leaders and PMU experts, design, support and supervise the implementation of a climate-resilient and market-oriented production programme of high-value crops, identifying climate resilient crops, varieties and sustainable supply of key inputs.
•    Support the District teams with specific knowledge and advise on all aspects of the designed market-oriented crop development, including field and horticultural crops, seed production, tunnel farming, homestead gardening, vegetables seedling production, fruit tree nursery development, etc.
•    Liaise with relevant departments of Provincial Governments, research institutions and other technical assistance projects to ensure coordination and collaboration required for implementation of the Project's crop production interventions.
•    Provide technical backstopping to Farmer Facilitators and government extension staff on all CRA practices relevant to the cropping systems of the province (cotton-wheat, rice-wheat, sugarcane, high-value vegetables, and homestead gardens).
•    Develop recommendations on the design, site selection, installation and management of adaptive research plots for improved crop production as part of the Project's FFS programme.

Farmer Field School (FFS) Programme Support

•    Guide and supervise the Project's Farmer Field School (FFS) programme for adaptive research and participatory learning of new and improved technologies and practices to increase crop production of participating farmers), including curriculum development, training of master trainers and FFS Facilitators, implementation and monitoring of FFSs.
•    Develop, follow up and monitor the implementation of Farmer Field School activities. Supervise the sound implementation of the FFS days and field demonstrations.
•    Ensure the integration of CRA and OFWM practices into FFS curricula for both CBFS and WOS.
•    Support the establishment and management of demonstration plots for adaptive research, ensuring that CRA practices and OFWM practices are correctly demonstrated.

Training and Capacity Building

•    Ensure the inclusion of training/capacity building on the use of climate, water and agriculture information.
•    Develop effective training methods and modules and deliver training for participating farmers in the field and capacity building for FAO and Government staff.
•    Facilitate and participate in capacity building events and trainings on selected CRA practices, facilitation skills, farmer training curricula, OFWM, use of ICT, and monitoring methods.
•    Train Farmer Facilitators and government extension staff on CRA and OFWM practices through Training of Trainers (ToT) and refresher courses.
•    Contribute to the development of training materials, manuals, handouts, and visual aids on CRA and OFWM practices in local languages (Urdu, Sindhi).

Demonstration Plots and Adaptive Research

•    Assist in identification and selection of farmers for each demonstration plot.
•    Perform demo plot profiling and prepare profiling reports.
•    Establish approved number of demo plots in selected locations using established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
•    Apply SOPs for selecting demo plots and beneficiaries and obtain beneficiary consents for using selected lands for training purposes.
•    Share the outcomes of adaptive research on a timely manner.
•    Analyse collected data and draw conclusions on the impact of CRA practices in on-farm settings on costs, yields, profit margins and resilience vis-à-vis weather variability.

Agro-climate information/advisories and early warning

•    Contribute to the development of information/advisories and messages to be disseminated to farmers, both through FFs and campaign/digital tools.
•    Work with Communication Specialists and Provincial Coordinators to develop detailed collaborative workplans with ITC Agriculture Extension for the campaigns.
•    Advise on the design and implementation of feedback mechanism(s), especially to document the extent to which farmers understand the advisories/messages and act on them.

Monitoring, Reporting and Documentation

•    Closely work with district team lead and sectoral specialists for collection and compilation of all information related to CRA practices, economic analysis, and cost-benefit analysis data from the respective province.
•    Assist district lead and sectoral specialist in the day-to-day monitoring of CRA interventions and compile monthly monitoring sheets (online/offline).
•    Ensure timely submission of CRA work plans and progress reports (monthly, quarterly, and final) to supervisor.
•    Document, report and develop database, based on the progress of trained beneficiaries' information.
•    Identify and develop case studies and success stories for periodic reports.
•    Assist in monitoring implementation of activities to achieve project outcomes.

Minimum Requirements

•    Advance University degree in plant/crop sciences, agronomy, climate smart agriculture
•    8 years of proven experience in Pakistan's agricultural sector, specializing in crops, marketing, with a minimum of 3 years in practical field experience in Climate Resilient Agriculture (CRA) and at least 5 years in training extension staff on Climate Smart Agriculture.
•    Fluent working knowledge (reading, writing, speaking) of Urdu/Punjabi/Saraiki (for Punjab) or Sindhi (for Sindh),
•    National of Pakistan.
•    Women with agricultural background are highly encouraged to apply