Short-term Consultant

Within the implementation of the following project “Promoting the local economy in North East Bekaa ENI / 2019-042-129 / European Neighborhood Instrument / Lebanon, North-Eastern region of the Bekaa valley within the Governorate of Baalbek/Hermel” funded by the European Union, JPII will be supporting farmers to be engaged in Aromatic and medicinal plants cultivation to diversify their production using marginal lands.  

In this context, JPII is looking for a short-term consultant to perform a comprehensive value chain study and business model on aromatic and medicinal plants.

Project aspects:

JPII will reach out to at least 90 farmers from 8 villages (Arsal, Laboue, Ain, Nabi Osmane, Bejjaje-Jabboule, Fakeha, Ras Baalbeck, and Qaa) to demonstrate the benefits of growing AroMed crops through training sessions and the establishment of a demo-plot. Initial sessions will highlight the possibility of using marginal lands, low investment costs, production techniques, market and profit potential, to be followed by seasonal meetings and communication to provide beneficiaries with progress updates and coordination.

Processing and access to market are pre-requisites to develop the AroMed value chain. Initial assessments show high level quality essential oil is in demand on both domestic and international market. By following the same approach, JPII will pilot a distillation plant for essential oils to supply competitive quality and yield, addressing mainly the domestic demand.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Implementation of a comprehensive value chain study on aromatic and medicinal plants (oregano, lavender, rosemary, chamomile, sage and other). The study will assess the production conditions, existing experiences in Lebanon, processing ventures and methods, a business model for a small-scale farm and processing activity (distillation for essential oil production and drying), marketing access in Lebanon and abroad and opportunities for skill development and employment generation (mapping of available data and information to key stages of the value chain).

SELECTION CRITERIA

CVs will be pre-selected according to their coherence with the required profile. Selected candidates will be called for a discussion meeting.

Interviews will take place in JPII Foundation HQ, Rue Gouraud, 191 Gemmayzeh, Beirut or in the field office, in Nabi Osmane- Beqaa (Baalbek Hermel) or on-line, if not possible due to COVID19 pandemic.

We thank all those who will send their application, but we inform that only candidates pre-selected for an interview will be contacted