Short Information:
- Organization: FAO
- Location: India, Delhi
- Type: Full Time
- Job Title: National Food System Expert
- Close on: 21 Mar 2023
About Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to eradicate hunger and malnutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. It was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in Rome, Italy.
The FAO works with governments, civil society organizations, and the private sector to achieve its goal of a world without hunger. Its areas of focus include food security, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and rural development. The FAO provides technical assistance and advice to countries in these areas, as well as conducting research and providing information and statistics on food and agriculture.
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The FAO’s work is guided by its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 which aims to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. The organization also plays a key role in responding to emergencies and crises related to food and agriculture, such as natural disasters and conflict.
Overall, the FAO’s mission is to create a sustainable world where all people have access to enough nutritious food to lead healthy and productive lives.
About UN Jobs in India-National Food Systems Expert
In this context, the GEF-7 cycle’s “Transforming Indian Agriculture for Global Environmental Benefits and the Conservation of Critical Biodiversity and Forest Landscapes” Project is now being implemented by FAO India. Focusing on four states, this project will last five years (Punjab, Haryana, Chhattisgarh and Odisha). The project will: 1) have a significant positive impact on the environment globally by reducing land degradation, biodiversity loss, and greenhouse gas emissions; 2) benefit the nation in a win-win way by increasing the environmental sustainability of food systems and the income and resilience of farmers; and 3) produce additional benefits for other food system stakeholders, such as better access to safe and wholesome food and employment opportunities.
The National Technical Coordinator will be in charge of coordinating the technical and service inputs of the National Project Management Unit (NPMU) Core Team of National Experts and Short Term Experts under the direct supervision of the FAO Representative in India (FAOR), technical director of the Lead Technical Officer, FAO, and in routine consultation with the GEF Division. The following responsibilities will be performed by the National Technical Coordinator:
Coordinating technical and service inputs of the National Project Management Unit (NPMU) Core Team of National Experts and Short-Term Experts.
Responsibilities
Lead the project to effectively address various issues within the different parts of India’s agriculture or food value chain to effectively implement necessary sustainable solutions that have been detailed in the project document
• Support development of action plans and policy briefs for the growth of sustainable food systemsin the country
• Undertake complex contextual analysis and lead meetings covering the entire food value chain- agriculture, logistics, corporate, etc.
• Lead the necessary engagement with relevant stakeholders in the government and private sector to influence policy making and transformation as per the lessons learnt from the project
• Mentor and develop a team at NPMU/SPMU for continued progress to bring about transformation in the food systems being targeted at scale
• Planning and Budgeting
– In-charge of overall management of the NPMU
– Coordinate the preparation and implementation of the Annual Work Plans and Budget (AWP/B) of the NPMU and provide guidance to the SPMUs for the preparation of the state level AWP/B
– Liaise with State and Central Departments for mobilising co-finance resources and ensuring effective convergence of project activities with the identified co-financing schemes
• Project Implementation
– Ensure strong coordination/ learning and sharing among the project states
– Report to the NPSC, and the Joint Secretary, Crops division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
– Ensure time bound implementation of project activities
– Ensure strong technical quality assurance of project’s reports outputs and outcomes based on global, national and state-level best practices
– Coordinate with the FAO Country Office, FAO Lead Technical Officer (LTO), other National Experts
• Monitoring, Review and Studies
– Report to the NPSC, and the Joint Secretary, Crops division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
– Adhere to all reporting requirements of the MoAFW, GEF, and FAO
– Implement project developed monitoring and evaluation system to monitor project outputs and outcomes
– Mobilize technical expertise as and when required
– Coordinate preparation of the Project Implementation Report, midterm and final evaluation reports
– Coordinate policy analysis at national-level and support preparation of food system roadmaps for the project states
• Miscellaneous
– Represent the project in all meetings and forums as required
– Coordinate with the FAO Country Office, FAO Lead Technical Officer (LTO), other National Experts
• Any other duties assigned by the project implementing agency
UN Jobs in India-National Food Systems Expert Requirments
Education:
- a Doctorate or master’s degree equivalent in the fields of food systems, environmental sciences, natural resource management, agricultural sciences, or agribusiness.
Experience:
- a minimum of ten years of professional experience in management of agriculture and the environment, or in an area closely related.
Languages:
- Working knowledge (level C) of spoken and written English is essential and working proficiency in Hindi is desirable.
How to Apply?
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