Nutrition Specialist Food and Agriculture Organization Experience: 3 to 5 Years Islamabad, Pakistan Apply By: 04-10-2024

FAO Pakistan with financial assistance from the Green Climate Fund is implementing a project called Transforming Indus Basin with Climate Resilient Agriculture and Water Management in Punjab and Sindh Provinces. The project aims to develop the country’s capacity to get and use the information it needs to cope with the impacts of climate change on agriculture and water management. The overall goal of the projects is to enhance the capacity of agricultural and pastoral sectors to cope with climate change, by up scaling farmers’ adoption of climate change adaptation technologies and practices through a network of already established Farmers Field Schools, and by mainstreaming climate change adaptation concerns and strategies into on-going agricultural development initiatives, policies and programming. 

Modelling of climate change scenarios for Pakistan shows that if agriculture and water management in the Indus River Basin continue along a ‘business as usual’ pathway, increasing temperatures and changes in precipitation will pose serious threats to the future livelihoods of farmers and to the Pakistani agricultural sector. In response to this challenge, the project will help shift Pakistan and Indus Basin agriculture from its current situation of high vulnerability toward an alternative paradigm wherein better information and farming practices will significantly increase resilience to climate change. To do this, the project will develop the country’s capacity to get and use the information it needs to cope with the impacts of climate change on agriculture and water management by putting in place state-of-the art technology (Component 1); building farmers resilience to climate change through skills, knowledge and technology (Component 2), and creating a wider enabling environment for continuous adaptation and expanded sustainable uptake of climate-resilient approaches (Component 3). 

Component 1 aims to develop the national capacity especially that of the Government by introducing and integrating climate- and water-relevant analytical tools and information, which will overcome the current gap in monitoring and analytical capacity of water, land use and climate change. On the other hand, Component 2 will transform practices among producers in the Indus Basin, through training on CRA and OFWM. Component 3 will play a crucial role in bridging components and key actors to promote climate change adaptation. 

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative, working very closely with the Gender Specialist, and in close coordination with International Technical Officers, Provincial Coordinators, National Farmer Field School Specialist, Training Specialist the incumbent will report to the project Technical Adviser and will undertake the following tasks and duties

Ensure timely delivery of all activities/issues related to gender, the project gender action plan, food security and livelihoods in the ‘Transforming Indus Basin with Climate Resilient Agriculture and Water Management’ Project.

Responsibilities:

• Support and promote the main pathways from agriculture to nutrition through food production, agricultural income and women’s empowerment
• Assist in developing and increasing the understanding of household food security, nutrition and livelihoods issues in the project intervention districts
• Ensure that mainstreaming nutrition is included throughout the implementation of agriculture value chain and climate agriculture resilient practices (CRA)
• Define priority nutrition practices, participants, influential actors, social norms and living styles in agriculture value chain
• Facilitate production diversification, and increase production of nutrient-dense crops and small-scale livestock thereby contributing to the resilience and to better nutrition
• Support the project efforts towards quality implementation of initiatives that address women empowerment and improving access to nutritional support that include post-harvest management, value addition food processing and storage,
• Support implementation of on-farm, off-farm and employment livelihood pathways to address gender issues and enhance households’ nutritional status.
• Ensure that the CRA practices and technologies do no harm to the nutritional status of the project stakeholders
• Participate in the designs of gender and nutrition surveys, conduct appropriate studies to identify key indicators and barriers that limit farmer to understand the pathways that link agriculture and nutrition, analyse results and write reports
• Assist the Project Farmer Field School Facilitators to incorporate Farmer Nutrition School training sessions in both women and male farmers FFS
• Provide support and facilitate Women farmer groups in introduction and establishment of Climate Resilient Agriculture (CRA) practices for improved nutrition & resilience and income generating activities on selected Farmer Field Schools for female farmers enterprises
• Explore and implement opportunities for public-private partnerships to address food and nutrition security
• Develop and disseminate methodological packages, guidelines and other technical materials, including lessons learned from practical field climate resilient nutrition interventions;
• Contribute and share knowledge, information, best practices and lessons learnt on Nutrition to ensure the best practices and lessons learnt are replicated and aware of by partners project staff;
• Produce nutrition communication materials in local language to promote social and behavioural change and strengthen community participation for better food production and nutrition;
• Developing monitoring and evaluation tools to ensure that nutrition interventions are implemented and the expected outcomes are periodically met;
• Participate in the development and facilitation of trainings for partner and staff development on gender and nutrition specific initiatives;
• Works with the relevant government structures to facilitate gender and nutrition-related activities and monitoring in the operational areas for implementing gender and social development strategies
• Facilitates the adoption and implementation of Nutrition guidelines, International standards into local context
• support Multi-Stakeholder Platforms to implement strategies to address social barriers that affect households in the intervention areas
• Conduct periodic review meetings and workshop with partners and stakeholders for learning, sharing and action so far taken and make recommendations for policy studies, brief and forums
• Contribute to Farmer Field Schools (FFS) training materials/curriculum development
• Incorporate nutrition aspects into the project gender actions plan, implement and monitor them in coordination with the MEAL team
• Developing monitoring and evaluation tools to ensure that nutrition interventions are implemented and the expected outcomes are periodically met;
• Participates in project detailed implementation planning and annual reviews, to ensure Gender and nutrition responsive project planning processes are implemented throughout the life of the project;
• Maintain a library of materials on nutrition, and produce user-friendly and operationally oriented gender and nutrition guideline
• Coordinate with Project communication specialist, prepare, and timely submit periodic progress reports, success stories/case studies.
• Serve as project point-of-contact/lead for the integration of nutrition and gender considerations into all evaluation development, data collection, and analysis
• Evaluate the nutrition and gender subcomponents of each of the value chain components
• Perform other related duties as required.

Candidates Will Be Assessed Against The Following:

Minimum Requirements   : 

• Advanced university degree in Food Nutrition, Social Science and Nutrition Science, Public Health, Family Science and Rural Development, or relevant discipline.
• Minimum 08 years of practical experience in the design and implementing of nutrition related agriculture value chain projects and gender mainstreaming;
• Working knowledge of English.

Functional and technical Skills :

• Field experience, particularly in implementing projects or interventions to improve nutrition through the food and agriculture sector, Climate change Livelihoods, Food Security and agricultural development, integrating gender in agriculture development projects;
• A good understanding of project cycle management approaches and tools;
• Experience in facilitation of learning process, networking and knowledge management;
• Knowledge of value chain development and market systems, nutrition, private sector, governance, small ruminants and poultry production
• Demonstrated experience applying a variety of participatory and strengths-based learning design and delivery approaches, blended learning and evidence-based learning theory desirable
• Proficiency in relevant computer software applications and office software packages is essential.
• Knowledge of United Nations and International Organizations’ administrative policies and procedures.
• Ability to communicate effectively and fluent in English langue
• Excellent interpersonal skills and to work in a team-oriented multi-cultural environment
• Respect for gender diversity and social inclusion.
• Good knowledge of communication and documentation standards

Source: https://jobs.fao.org/careersection/fao_external/jobdetail.ftl?job=2402971