Climate Smart Agriculture Expert - Agromet, Anticipatory, action, biogas

Organizational Context

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) supports the transformation to efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands (SAP) implements strategies and projects for food, agriculture, and rural development, fostering relationships with subregional institutions. This role supports activities in Kiribati and Samoa under the UN Joint Program on Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment, focusing on climate-smart agriculture and gender-transformative approaches.

Job Purpose

This role focuses on advancing climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices, agrometeorology, and anticipatory action within the Pacific Islands context, specifically in Kiribati and Samoa. The expert will contribute to community development, stakeholder consultation, and project delivery, with a key emphasis on women farmers' engagement and empowerment. The position involves the daily implementation and management of project activities, with specific attention to biogas technology in Kiribati and drought preparedness and early warning systems in Samoa, addressing challenges such as data limitations and technical capacity gaps.

Responsibilities

In Kiribati, the expert will support climate-smart agriculture training, lead biogas component training, review and address issues with existing biogas systems, assist with Vinyl digester installation, provide maintenance instructions, and draft mission reports. In Samoa, responsibilities include leading drought hazard mapping with an agricultural impact focus, conducting training of trainers, strengthening agriculture drought early warning systems, developing drought triggers and combined drought indices, and creating standard operating procedures (SOPs) for drought preparedness and anticipatory actions. The role also involves providing technical input for a FAO Damage and Loss Methodology SOP, conducting a study on remittances for anticipatory action, and supporting validation workshops for SOPs.

Work Experience

Requires a University Degree in Science, Agriculture, Environmental Science, or related fields. A minimum of 3 years of experience with biogas systems and 2 years in Meteorology and Agrometeorology is necessary. Prior experience working in the Pacific Islands, specifically Kiribati and Samoa, is essential. Candidates must be nationals of Samoa or Kiribati.

Skills

Essential skills include results focus, teamwork, communication, building effective relationships, and knowledge sharing. A minimum of 5 years of experience providing technical advice on national agriculture projects and demonstrated project management experience are required. Knowledge of stakeholder engagement, climate-smart agriculture, disaster risk management, emergency responses, and experience with Country Strategic Frameworks are crucial. Proficiency in implementation, monitoring, and reporting of pilot demonstrations, along with strong writing and reporting skills, is also necessary.

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