Summary
Date Posted: Tuesday, October 10 2023, Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Technical Focus
• The incumbent will support development and implementation of strategies and partnership frameworks for promoting smallholder farmer enterprise development and linking smallholder farmers to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME). The enterprise development and investment areas cover smallholder mechanization, commodity aggregation and agricultural input marketing.
• A partnership framework with public and private sector outlining strategies for linking smallholder farmers to markets for inputs and outputs and ensuring that positive agronomic achievements translate into sustainable income generation, improved nutrition, and food security for the smallholder farmers.

Tasks and responsibilities
• Facilitate development and implementation of enterprise development strategies with a focus in the following investment areas: smallholder agricultural mechanization enterprise development; cooperative based agricultural input marketing enterprises; and agricultural commodity/produce marketing and off taking enterprise development.
• Facilitate effective partnerships between smallholder farmer groups and small to medium enterprises that undertake mechanization equipment and service provision, input and output marketing for selected crops and services by smallholder farmers. This includes organizing consultative processes to identify and engage potential SMEs operating in farmer locations targeted by the project (identified at national, provincial and district level) to partner with farmer cooperatives in produce off taking, financing, input provision and mechanization needs for smallholder farmers.
• In collaboration with the SIFAZ technical team, facilitate and promote private sector led enterprise development capacity building and agricultural input product knowledge promotion among smallholder farmers cooperatives that maximise appropriate agricultural input use and agribusiness investments. This includes facilitate drafting and negotiating of partnership framework involving smallholder farmers, the SIFAZ project and identified private sector (SMEs).
• Contribute to development of gender sensitive digital content targeted for smallholder farmers with information critical to the sustainable adoption of SIPs and agribusiness activities by targeted smallholder farmers.
• In collaboration with the SIFAZ technical team, outline information-packaging needs highlighting smallholder farmer’s agribusiness performance critical for SME decision making and linkage. Such information packaging to highlight scope, content and frequency of information taking into account the SIFAZ information management framework already in place and the smallholder farmers business plans.
• Contribute to the support for development of agribusiness knowledge products, including analytical work and practical tools, related to the project agribusiness initiatives; promote knowledge sharing and best practices at meetings and conferences, and interacts national partners.
• Facilitate engagement of provincial and district SMDOs, Cooperative Inspectors and DMDOs to identify key milestones, cooperative preparedness and partnership with SMEs. The focus is to ensure the provincial marketing team has clear plan for private sector engagement and facilitation of farmer and SME partnership. This will include supporting provincial and district teams to organize and undertake smallholder farmer and SME partnership facilitation events.
• Support any other activities critical to ensuring that the agribusiness strategy of the SIFAZ project is responsive to successful partnering of smallholder farmers and SMEs.

Candidates Will Be Assessed Against The Following

Minimum Requirements
• Advanced university degree in agricultural economics, agribusiness, social sciences, or other fields related to the FAO mandate.
• At least five (5) years of relevant experience in field implementation of agricultural extension activities, project operations and support involving agronomy or agribusiness activities.
• Working knowledge of English.
• National of Zambia.

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

Selection Criteria
• Extent and relevance of experience in agribusiness and enterprise development among smallholder farmers.
• Extent and relevance of experience in public and private sector partnerships in enterprise development and capacity building among smallholder farmers.
• Extent and relevance of experience in development of routine data collection and analysis methodologies; identification of key technical variables, synthesis, and interpretation of analytical results in agribusiness and enterprise development.
• Extent and relevance of experience working with national and local governments, academic and research institutions, including the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), is considered a strong asset.
• Level of communication skills, writing skills including ability to write concise technical reports in English.
• Familiarity with FAO and UN (in general) administrative, operational, and financial procedures is an asset.

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 60

Level of Education: Associate Degree

Job application procedure
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