Agriculture Technical Advisor Consultant - ARE Activity

Project Name: Lebanon Agricultural Rural Empowerment Activity

Consultancy Title: Agricultural Technical Advisor Consultant

Reporting to: COP/DCOP

Ceiling LOE: up to 120 days/year

Period of performance: 12 months from contract start date

Project Background

The Lebanon Agriculture and Rural Empowerment (ARE) activity, funded by USAID and implemented by Chemonics International, supports Lebanese rural and peri-urban communities to obtain technical and financial resources in order to facilitate increased productivity, sales, and exports, improved business income, while also ensuring livelihood sustainability. To support this purpose, ARE will increase jobs; improve incomes; improve female participation and employment opportunities; increase domestic and export sales; increase private sector investment; improve access to finance; link value chain actors to domestic and international markets; and improve production through improved practices, technology, increased volume, and/or decreased cost. ARE supports two key expected results:

1. Increased domestic and export sales at both firm and farm levels.

2. Livelihoods improved, especially in rural areas and for women.

Summary of Position

The Lebanon Agriculture and Rural Empowerment (ARE) program is undertaking an Agricultural Technical Advisor Consultant to support the ARE team and partners by providing a wide range of services, and expert guidance and support to farmers, agricultural businesses, and other stakeholders.

Deliverables and Timeline

1. Training and Capacity Building:

Organize workshops, trainings, seminars, and field demonstrations for farmers and agricultural workers on agreed-upon topics (including good agricultural practices, ISO, integrated pest management, etc.).

Develop training materials and resources on agreed-upon topics and facilitate these trainings.

2. Procurement support:

Develop specifications for agricultural and processing materials, equipment, PPEs, etc.

Support with the technical review of bids and proposals.

Support with the inspection and receipt of agricultural and processing equipment and supply.

3. Advisory services:

Advise on the development of ARE’s agricultural and agribusiness strategy design per sub-sector and/or value chain (including crop selection, planting schedules, crop rotation, and sustainable agriculture practices, livestock management, including feeding strategies, health care, breeding practices, integrated pest management strategies, use of environmentally friendly pesticides and fertilizers, etc.) and provide technical review to ensure alignment with market needs/trends and therefore to provide innovative insights to proposal design. 

4. Project Management and Implementation:

Support RPSE team with the development of grants and proposals particularly a compelling farm- and firm-related needs assessments to, respectively, design and implement relative interventions to improving agricultural productivity, sustainability, or infrastructure.

Monitor and evaluate the impact of agricultural projects, providing reports and feedback to ARE.

Facilitate outreach with other stakeholders (ministries, public/private institutions, etc.)

Coordinate and share learning and innovation around ARE’s agricultural strategy’s cornerstones and success stories.

Contributes to project deliverables like weekly, quarterly, and annual reports; annual work plans, as directed by the Deputy Chief of Party and/or Chief of Party.

5. Other tasks as assigned by the Chief of Party (COP) or Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP).

Place of Assignment

The Agricultural Technical Advisor Consultant can work remotely, however is welcome to work from ARE’s program office space in Beirut and will be expected to travel to areas of operation throughout the country as needed.

Reporting

The Agricultural Technical Advisor Consultant will report directly to the ARE’s COP/DCOP.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in agricultural engineering, agricultural economics, marketing, management, business or another field related to ARE’s technical activities;
• Minimum of 10 years of recent relevant experience (within the last 15 years) in agricultural production, post-harvest production and access to markets;
• Demonstrated experience in agricultural/agri-food product development, engagement in agricultural and agri-food products trade and access to markets;
• Demonstrated experience in the design and implementation of agricultural business plans and feasibility studies and/or market systems analysis for agricultural value chains;
• Must be familiar with local communities and private sector, particularly focused on agri-business;
• Demonstrated ability to work independently as well as in a team structure, versatility, and integrity;
• Strong interpersonal, analytic, and written communication skills;
• Fluency in spoken and written Arabic and English required.

Ineligible Consultants:

Government employees: any person paid by the Lebanese Government, occupying an established position, either temporary or permanent, part-time or full-time, within a Lebanese Government institution.

Individual consultants or firms that appear on the List of Parties Excluded from Federal Procurement and Non-Procurement Programs. The list can be found at http://epls.gov.