Coffee value chain development specialist, Nairobi, Kenya 230 views0 applications

Coffee value chain development specialist

Job Posting: 17/Sep/2020

Closure Date: 01/Oct/2020, 9:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit : FRKEN

Job Type: Non-staff opportunities

Type of Requisition : PSA (Personal Services Agreement)

Grade Level : N/A

Primary Location: Kenya-Nairobi

Duration : 30 DAYS (OVER 3 MONTHS)

Post Number : N/A

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

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.

Organizational Setting

The main objective of the FAO Country Office which is led by the FAO Representative is to assist governments and partners in developing policies, programs and projects aimed at to ensure food security and reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop agriculture, fisheries and forestry, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner. The FAO office is also committed to implementing field projects and programs to implement the policies, strategies and action plan mentioned above. The country office has an important role on support to the country and partners in increasing the resilience of livelihoods to food and agriculture threats and crises.

The position is located in the FAO Representation in Kenya

Background

The Full-Size Project ‘Integrated Landscape Management for conservation and restoration of the Mt. Elgon in Western Kenya’, aims to promote the sustainable and integrated management of the Mt. Elgon landscape through the development of inclusive responsible coffee value chain and sustainable staple food production systems. The project is a child project under the overarching Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration (FOLUR) Impact Program funded by GEF7 which aims to: promote comprehensive land-use planning; improve governance and align incentives; scale up innovative and practical applications in commodity value chain partnerships; leverage investments through linkage with private and public partners; and promote institutional collaboration in integrated approaches at the global, country, and landscape level. The Impact Program targets large production landscapes that have the potential to deliver global environmental benefits at scale and can be sustained after the program concludes.

In line with the FOLUR program framework, the project’s interventions will be structured through four components: under the first, it will strengthen the ‘enabling’ environment and the local capacity for the development of Integrated Landscape Management Systems; under the second it will support the promotion of sustainable food production practices (focus on maize) and the development of responsible and inclusive commodity Value Chains (focus on coffee); under the third it will enhance the capacity to restore degraded natural habitats and sustainably manage them; and under the fourth, it will ensure project coordination, collaboration with the Global Knowledge to Action (K2A) Platform for knowledge exchange and capacity development and M&E.

Project preparation activities will consist of desktop studies as well as multi-stakeholder consultations and workshops to ensure involvement of key stakeholders in project design processes and generate project ownership, and systematization of knowledge about needs, potential and commitments of actors and agents at national and sub-national levels (i.e., project sites at municipal level). The activities will contribute to awareness raising on the project and ensure active participation by technical sectors and political support to maximize design synergies and buy-in during the project development phase.

The main outputs that will contribute to the preparation of the full project document (FPD) will consist of relevant baseline data and information collected during the preparation period, workshop reports, consultant’s analysis and cost/efficient proposals, financing plan, risk analysis and mitigation measures and realistic targets and indicators. The final product will be the detailed design of project components, including Results Framework, budget allocations and co-financing mobilization, on the basis of which the FAO-GEF Project Document and the CEO Endorsement Request will be prepared. The GEF7 core indicators will also be completed as well as the Environmental and Social screening checklist and certification form in the FAO format based on the Environmental and Social Management Guidelines.

The project will focus specifically on two Counties surrounding the Mt. Elgon Water Tower: Bungoma and Trans-Nzoia. Within these localities, the nature and extent of the specific target sites for field-level activities will be confirmed during the PPG phase, based on considerations including the existence of globally important environmental values and addressable associated threats, community buy-in, and resource availability.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will work under the overall administrative supervision of the FAOR in Kenya, the technical guidance of the Lead Technical Officer, the International GEF design Expert, the FAOKE GEF focal point and the National PPG consultation coordinator, and in close collaboration with other national experts and national and local authorities: Technical Focus

The objective of this assignment is to lead, in close collaboration with the national and international experts, the formulation and completion of the outputs under outcome

• 1 while contributing to other outcome
• 1 and
• 1 linked to promoting sustainable, responsible and inclusive coffee value chain development while promoting zero-deforestation and biodiversity conservation.

Outcome

• 1: Improved efficiency and sustainability of coffee and maize production systems

Indicators (and targets): (i) # of new business models adopted based on improved climate resilient farming practices with innovative finance mobilized

(ii) Area of landscapes under improved practices (50,000ha).

Tasks and responsibilities

• In support to the design of Component 2 (outcome 1), draft a report on Coffee Value Chain (VC) development in the project area, while taking stock of existing information with the objectives to:
• Map the value chain : Identify and map the main actors and key stakeholders (in particular cooperatives / producers’ organizations, national and international private sector companies, local NGOs, multi-stakeholder platforms, extension services) and how they are linked and interact in the value chain; assess the flow of products and services, information and financial resources along the value chain – both descriptive and as a value chain map.
• Functional analysis of the value chain : Profiling of the industry structure, skills and production technology by identifying, describing and quantifying in physical terms the sequence of operations concerning commodity production, processing, marketing and final consumption and related agents carrying them out. Describing the factors affecting the value chain actors and analyse current incentives and support mechanisms and identify potential incentives (such as certification).
• Analysis of input and output markets: Examine the input and output market and their structure. Procurement processes, accessibility to and availability of varieties required as well as related standards and information. Identification of final buyer for output market, type of contractual arrangements and transaction costs involved. Analyse degree of competitiveness, the existence of monopolies, monopsonies, oligopolies, and market share and market segmentation for both input and output markets.
• Analysis of the agronomic production profile in project area : Identifying the current dominant agronomic production practices for coffee; specification of agricultural management practices of soil & water management, pest & pesticide management, practices of land clearing and land use change, tree nursery practices (if managed by farmers as opposed to upstream actors) and use labour to achieve market standards; identify key barriers to adopt sustainable practices and propose clear interventions/activities to overcome them in the scope of the project.
• Analysis of the potential to use nature-based solutions to treat pulp and wastewater at selected coffee mill : Through literature review and interviews with key stakeholders evaluate the potential to pilot the treatment of waste products along the value chain and propose a set of detailed activities for component 2 (outcome 1) to guarantee successful implementation in the context of the project, and associated budget (following FAO budget lines) and corresponding output and outcome indicators.
• Undertake a policy environment and institutional analysis : Analysis of the institutional set-up: identifying and appraising the set of interactions taking place among agents and the formal and/or informal rules governing them; analysis of existing national policies, strategies and institutional set-up; review and map the existing collaboration mechanisms at local, national and regional level and identify gaps and barriers to strengthening the multi-stakeholder governance for development of the coffee sector and scaling up of the landscape approach in other coffee growing areas.
• Review the existing partnerships/platforms at the regional and international level (for ex ICO and ACO) and propose ways to promote knowledge sharing and capacity with the project
• Analyze capacity development needs of the different actors of the coffee VC : Take stock of capacity development efforts, existing guidance documents and training materials that have been developed in Kenya for sustainable coffee VC development; based on literature review and interviews with key informants, identify knowledge and capacity gaps at production, processing, marketing and final consumption and capacity development modalities that could fill these gaps;
• Building on the above, propose a set of detailed activities for component 2 (outcome 1) to guarantee successful implementation in the context of the project, and associated budget (following FAO budget lines) and corresponding output and outcome indicators and contribute to propose set of activities and associated budgets under component 4 on how to engage with relevant regional and international coffee platforms.
• Elaborate the section on coffee private sector engagement of the full-sized project document and provide inputs to any other relevant sections of the full-sized project document and its supporting materials, including relevant baseline information, tracking tools, social and environmental assessments, results framework, national benefits, capacity development, etc. information, analysis, comments, and others related to issues of gender and livelihoods.
• Undertake field missions and participate in workshops/ meetings/ consultations as required, and complete and submit mission reports covering a brief summary of mission activities and conclusions, key persons/ organizations consulted and recommendations for the finalization of the project documents.
• Provide a preliminary outline, proposed methodology, draft and final copies of all expected outputs.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced university degree or PhD degree from an internationally recognized university in economics or business
• Ten (10) years of relevant professional experience in Kenya with extensive working knowledge of nature-based and sustainable Coffee VC development
• Working knowledge of English and Kiswahili
• National of Kenya

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Extensive working knowledge of international and African coffee markets and opportunities/incentives/certification/standards for VC development
• Proven record of work with ground-root communities to develop Coffee VC;
• Experience supporting the design of GEF projects is desirable
• Skills for leadership, communication, and flexibility and dynamism for the integration of suggestions and recommendations that seek to improve the quality of the final products
• Excellent communication skills (speaking and writing)

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

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing).
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help, or have queries, please contact: [email protected]
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.
• Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications.
• For other issues, visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/

HOW TO APPLY To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered. Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile. If you need help, or have queries, please contact: [email protected]

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