Recruitment notice: AGROECOLOGY ADVISOR

DESCRIPTION OF THE OFFER

CALL FOR INTERNAL APPLICATIONS FOR THE RECRUITMENT OF AN ADVISOR IN AGROECOLOGY AND ORGANIC AGRICULTURE FOR THE “SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS AND AGRICULTURAL POLICIES” PROJECT OF DEUTSCHE GESELLSCHAFT FÜR INTERNATIONALE ZUSAMMENARBEIT GmbH FOR THE CITY OF YAOUNDE.

The Rural Development Cluster (CDR) is made up of several projects in the sector which plan to improve the economic situation of the rural population, particularly women and young people in Cameroon. The target group of the projects varies between the technical ministerial departments involved, specialized institutions, practical agricultural training schools and the private sector, associated with producer and processor organizations and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The position holder will allocate 100% of their working time to the “Sustainable Agricultural Systems and Agricultural Policies (AgSyS)” Project. This project, whose coordination is based in Yaoundé, is looking for, as part of the implementation of its activities, an Advisor in agroecology and organic agriculture for the Yaoundé office.

The overall AgSYS project is part of the new special initiative of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ) “Transformation of agricultural and food systems” (SI AGER), which aims to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal No. 2 (SDG2) – Zero Hunger. It plans to focus more on sustainability-oriented reform processes, particularly in the agricultural sector and with emphasis on collaboration with the private sector.

The objective of the AgSyS project is formulated as follows: “Transformation processes towards more sustainable agricultural systems in partner countries and globally are supported”. Particular emphasis is placed on the development of green economies in the context of climate change as well as on gender equality and the strengthening of civil actors (interactor council platform). The four areas of intervention of the project are 1) transformative agricultural policy, 2) institutional anchoring of proven solutions, 3) advocacy and empowerment of “change agents”, 4) financing of transformation and 5 ) to establish links between the levels of transformation.

Description of tasks

Under the supervision of the Project Manager and the Advisor in advisory support to political partners and those in the private sector, the post holder will be mainly responsible for ensuring and/or facilitate :

• The coordination of AgSYS’ advisory and technical support activities in terms of the development of agroecological practices and a market for (organic) certified consumer products in Cameroon, in close collaboration with the global Knowledge Center project. Organic Agriculture in Africa (CCBA) and other Cluster projects;
• Coordination with the Directorate of Regulation and Quality Control (DRCQ) within the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER) regarding the law on organic agriculture, implementation regulations, capacity building and scaling up ecological cyclical/organic production techniques;
• The work of specialized organizations (funding recipients) such as the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and the Organic Agriculture Research Institute (FIBL), also for capacity building and scaling agroecological methods in different sectors, including export sectors such as cocoa and cotton;
• Collaboration with inter-professions and networks of entrepreneurs on the integration of agro-ecological practices and a market for (bio-)certified products, in close collaboration with the other Advisors/stakeholders of the project;
• The preparation and facilitation of exchange platforms and/or workshops and participation in different exchange formats (working groups, task forces, etc.);
• The mobilization of experts for specific subjects and the coordination of possible studies on the economic, ecological and social impact of ecological/organic production models;
• Coordination with specialized institutions in specific areas linked to agroecology such as with IRAD on the production of bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides;
• Contribution to the development of training and communication materials, visit and evaluation missions and the development of reports.

REQUIRED PROFILE

Qualifications, skills and experience required

Qualification

• Master in Agriculture or Agronomy, with good knowledge of agroecological practices and agricultural policy

Professional experience

• At least 3 years of professional experience in a similar position

Other knowledge/skills

• Knowledge of policies, actors and challenges in the agriculture and rural development sector in Cameroon;
• Very good knowledge of the field of agroecology, including cyclical production systems with bio-fertilizers, the production and use of biopesticides, agroecological methods in different agroecological zones, the value chain development approach, certification and marketing of organic products;
• Good knowledge of organizational and SME development;
• Good mastery of methods and techniques for facilitating interdisciplinary and inter-institutional dialogues;
• Excellent writing and presentation skills;
• The spirit of teamwork, good communication with partners at all levels;
• Experienced in drafting Terms of Reference and calls for tenders and supervising the work of consultants, implementing institutions and funding beneficiaries, in close collaboration with the administration and finance teams;
• Efficient and autonomous in his work; ability to work under pressure and in a multicultural team; good sense of work organization and respect for deadlines;
• Very good knowledge of French and English.

Contract start date  :  January 1, 2024

Contract period  :  2 years (renewable)

Duty station  :  Yaoundé

Internal classification of the position: Band 4,  under the hierarchical supervision of the Project Manager

Deadline for admissibility of application files:  October 15, 2023

Composition and submission of applications

• Composition (required) of application files:  Cover letter, CV ( 2 pages maximum –  applications which do not respect this rule will not be taken into account )
• All applications will  only  be received on our career site, via the e-recruiting platform accessible through the link:

https://gizkamerun.jobs.net/fr-FR/search?keywords=&location=Cameroon&placeid=ChIJIQ8-cFM3YRARU5uCmUXEAys

Female candidates are strongly encouraged.