Tourism-Linked Farming Expert

Organizational Context

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is executing a project to strengthen sustainable agrifood systems through tourism linkages in the Pacific Region, specifically supporting the Cook Islands and Fiji. The initiative aims to enhance connections between tourism operators and local farmers, promoting viable agrifood systems that increase local food sourcing, reduce import dependency, and improve rural incomes. This position is home-based with travel to the project countries.

Job Purpose

The consultant will provide essential technical leadership, quality assurance, and advisory support for the design, implementation, and documentation of tourism-linked agrifood systems models in the Cook Islands and Fiji. This includes developing a roadmap for scaling these models, with a strong emphasis on market diagnostics, establishing buyer-seller linkages, ensuring farmer readiness, promoting value addition, upholding food safety and quality compliance, optimizing aggregation and logistics, and fostering the inclusive participation of women and youth within these systems.

Responsibilities

The consultant will review project documents, national strategies, and market information to establish a baseline and identify information gaps. They will develop and agree on a time-lined activity and travel plan for Fiji and Cook Islands, and conduct an inception meeting to confirm the scope and methodology. Responsibilities include leading the development and management of Letters of Agreement with service providers, designing tools for market diagnostics, and providing technical guidance for stakeholder consultations. The role involves analyzing market demand, local supply capacity, and identifying constraints and opportunities. The consultant will develop and support the implementation of pilot models for tourism-linked agrifood systems, facilitate validation workshops, and develop country strategy papers and action plans for scaling these initiatives. They will also prepare technical notes, guidance materials, and organize a regional workshop to share lessons learned.

Work Experience

A minimum of five years of relevant professional experience is required in areas such as agrifood systems, value chain development, market linkages, agritourism, or rural enterprise development. Experience in tourism-linked agrifood systems, value chain development, and market linkage facilitation is particularly relevant. Demonstrated capacity to design and document commercially viable pilot models and practical implementation tools is also necessary.

Skills

Key skills include strong technical knowledge of agrifood systems, value chain development, market linkages, and agritourism models, especially within small island developing states. The ability to assess tourism sector demand, farmer supply capacity, aggregation, logistics, food safety, and quality requirements is crucial. Proven capacity to design viable pilot models, implementation tools, strategy papers, and action plans is needed. Excellent analytical, drafting, communication, and presentation skills are essential, along with strong facilitation and stakeholder consultation abilities. Experience integrating gender, youth inclusion, and climate resilience into interventions is advantageous. Knowledge of Pacific Island contexts and agritourism is a plus.

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