Climate Smart Agriculture Specialist NGO Careers – World Vision Uganda

Job Title:  Climate Smart Agriculture Specialist

Organisation: World Vision Uganda

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

Reports to: Project Manager-FMNR

About the Company:

World Vision Uganda is a Christian Relief, Development and Advocacy Non-Government Organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. We currently work in over 41 districts in Uganda. World Vision is committed to the protection of children and we will not employ people whose background is not suitable for working with children. All employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of all applicable background checks, including criminal record checks where possible. “Our Vision for every child, Life in all its fullness.  Our prayer for every Heart, the will to make it so.”

Climate Smart Agriculture Specialist

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide technical support and ensure adherence to standards and quality in implementation of program models and approaches.
• Provide technical advice and support on climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices tailored to the specific needs of refugee and host communities.
• Recommend and implement CSA techniques such as soil conservation, water management, and agro-ecology that are suitable for local context.
• Perform desk review of existing and potential CSA and Agro-ecological practices that support transitions to sustainable agriculture.
• Analyse needs and adoption barriers for CSA approaches among farmers, producer organizations, and agribusinesses and device measure to address these barriers.
• Co-design with target farmers, Local governments and relevant stakeholder climate smart interventions based on context-specific farming systems.
• Oversee the implementation of CSA activities, including the introduction of improved crop varieties, sustainable farming methods, and efficient water use practices.
• Ensure that cross-cutting aspects such as gender equity and social inclusion are included and well integrated into CSA approaches.
• Use learning to develop and scale up implementation strategy, approaches and activities; integrating agriculture resilience into additional technical areas as needed.
• Lead the design of CSA assessments of farmers, extension services, government partners, and small and medium agribusinesses.
• Identify and rank crops affected by climate change and natural hazards, and recommend priorities to be addressed, based on assessed impacts and relevance of the crops to food security, incomes, added value and exports.
• Assess barriers, gaps and needs for the adoption and implementation of climate smart agriculture approaches for the selected crops, at all levels, (policy, governance, research, technology development, information, capacity building, etc.).
• Assess the current capacities and needs for capacity development of agricultural producers and extension providers to reduce the adverse impacts of climate change and natural hazards, which are affecting the farming systems.
• Propose priorities to be addressed through capacity development, related to the impact of climate change and natural hazards on agriculture, and provide recommendations for extension and knowledge tools required for the public, extension agents and farmers
• Recommend strategies for eventual preparation of demonstration programmes, inclusive of demonstration plots in close coordination with relevant team members.
• Work with public and private agricultural extension service providers to ensure the effective adoption of CSA practices.
• Ensure integration of VSLAs among farmer groups and associations.
• Ensure core project models and approaches are implemented according to schedule and minimum standards.
• Better living conditions for the affected persons as they will be able to meet most of their basic needs.
• Awareness created among different stakeholders on URRI interventions in the area.
• Improved farmers’ knowledge on sustainable natural resources management for enhanced production & productivity.
• Participate and contribute in environment coordination meetings to support the project
• Better living conditions for the affected persons as they will be able to meet most of their basic needs.

Stakeholder engagement, networking and collaboration.

• Work with partners across the consortium to ensure coordination of activities with other stakeholders especially government line ministries (Ministry of water and environment and ministry of Agriculture Animal Industries and Fisheries.
• Participate in consortia joint engagement, planning meeting, environment sector working groups, monthly coordination meetings and workshops.
• Map strategic partners and develop clear working relationship to support promotion of sustainable natural resource management practices.
• Participate in quarterly review meetings to reflect on approaches, tools, impact of interventions, best practices, exit and sustainability strategies as well as create opportunities for action-learning
• Organizing periodic planning meetings with consortium partners to guide effective implementation and learning
• Improved relationship between World Vision, UNHCR livelihood focal persons and local government line departments.
• Collaborate with refugee leaders, local government agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders to promote CSA adoption and support.
• Collaborate with districts and stakeholders on ongoing government programs on environment enhancement, to facilitate integration and sustainable implementation of project activities.
• Work with relevant agencies, institutions and individuals to promote sustainable environmental management to mitigate damage
• Provide consistent business support, mentorship and follow up of farming enterprises including livestock to ensure a successful enterprise
• Conduct regular scoping of business, identify gaps and take measures to fill the gaps to reduce business failure of nature based enterprises
• Identify opportunities for value addition of nature based products and provide instant training to project participants
• Create and sustain positive working relationships internally with other technical staff; externally with the Consortium partners, district local governments and other stakeholders, and maintains an up-to-date understanding of key development trends in the project area.
• Ensure coordination with the government activities and structures in the implementation of URRI Project
• Facilitate partnerships and networking opportunities to enhance the project’s impact and sustainability.
• Improved relationship with consortium partners, OPM livelihood focal persons and local government line departments.
• Strong cohesion among farmer groups and institutions.
• Improved farmers’ knowledge on good agronomic practices for enhanced production and productivity.

Training and capacity building of staff and partners

• Identify needs and organize trainings to develop capacity of program staff and partners to increase their competence in climate smart agriculture
• Design and deliver training sessions and workshops for program staff and participants on CSA techniques and sustainable agricultural practices.
• Develop educational materials and resources to support knowledge transfer and skill-building.
• Develop training manuals and workshop content for farmers, government partners, small and medium agribusinesses and other stakeholders on climate smart agriculture
• Identify awareness-raising strategies (training plan activities and training curricula) for each of the identified target groups (public, smallholder farmers, extension providers), on basis of the identified capacity development needs (awareness raising/training activities), to address the adoption of climate smart agriculture and climate change adaptive measures (good agricultural practices).
• Organize reflection and lesson learning meetings with field technical and partner teams
• Build capacity of project participants to adopt high value, export standard and environmentally friendly enterprises
• Cordial relationships with key external sources of technical expertise for capacity building.
• Awareness created among stakeholders on WV interventions in the area.
• World Vision has strong bilateral relationships with key partners, donor and government counterparts.

Documentation, Reporting and Knowledge Management

• Support preparation and review of monthly, quarterly and annual progress and special reports requiring technical input in a timely manner.
• Work closely with Programme Manager; to prepare realistic annual and quarterly work plans
• Support quarterly reviews and reflections on review of progress towards program objectives.
• Participate in design of monitoring tools and technical analysis of environment and natural management section in studies including assessments, monitoring, evaluation and cross sectoral learning.
• Support documentation and sharing of impact/success stories and best practices to promote learning
• Technical coaching plan developed and applied for all consortium program staff and participants
• Contribute to the dissemination and sharing of best practices and lessons learned for corporate development planning and knowledge building.
• Activity reports submitted on timely basis.
• Support documentation of quality reports submitted timely on monthly, quarterly, Biannually or annual basis.
• Technical coaching plan developed and applied for all project participants
• Project achievements, successes and lesson learned shared
• Resource Mobilization and Program Development
• Lead field engagement with strategic partners to preposition World Vision for future opportunities
• FMNR profiled and promoted as a key regreening approach with in Uganda stakeholder groups, including government and donors
• Provide field context to ensure development of quality project designs, concepts and fundable proposals
• Provide leadership in conducting assessments as required in the program area and themes
• Opportunities for collaboration with external stakeholders and for securing resources are identified and taken.
• More programs developed for the project area.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Minimum of a Bachelors degree in Natural Resources, Environmental Sciences, Forestry, Agro-Forestry, Agriculture or any other relevant discipline.
• Broad knowledge and understanding of sustainable and appropriate natural resource management practices, biodiversity, community participatory approaches, disaster risk reduction, climate change and energy technologies and renewable energy.
• Any experience in implementing Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration, Regreening Communities and agroforestry programs is strongly desired.
• At least three years’ experience working with vulnerable communities and familiarity with humanitarian programming and implementation.
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in field-based programme management roles working in natural resources, environment and food security with International NGOs or local government.
• Proven facilitation skills and experience in facilitating technical trainings for program staff and different categories of participants.
• Technical skills: academic and/or direct programming experience and expertise in at least three of the following thematic areas is required: natural resources, environmental management, climate mitigation and adaptation, financial inclusion, value chain development, nature based enterprise development, emergency livelihoods programming,
• Experience with relevant technical models such as farmer managed natural regeneration, savings for transformation, building secure livelihoods, enabling rural innovations, local value chain development.
• Experience in Programme Designing, Assessments, Monitoring & Evaluation.
• Acquaintance with donor relations and evidence based programing
• Experience of data collection, collation, analysis, and report writing
• Good interpersonal skills, strong communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Proven conceptual & analytical skills, ability to take an evidence-based approach to program design.
• Proven facilitation skills and track record demonstrating high integrity, innovativeness, creativity, reliability and dependable
• Proactive personality, self-driven and strongly motivated.
• . Track record demonstrating high integrity, innovativeness, creativity, reliability and dependable
• . Team player, Self-motivator, able to work with limited supervision;
• . Effective in written and verbal communication in English. Ability to communicate in applicable local language(s) is an added advantage.

Applicant Types Accepted: Local Applicants Only

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified candidates are encouraged to submit your application and complete Curriculum Vitae by applying online through visiting World Vision International’s e-recruitment jobs portal at the web link below.

Click Here

Deadline: 13th February 2025

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