The Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU) is responsible for leading FAO’s response to regional priorities for food security, agriculture and rural development through the identification, planning and implementation of FAO’s priority activities in the region. It ensures a multidisciplinary approach to programmes, identifies priority areas of action for the Organization in the Region and, in collaboration with departments and divisions at Headquarters, develops, promotes and oversees FAO’s strategic response to regional priorities.
In response to the growing demand for seizing the opportunities brought by digital technologies, FAO REU established its specialised team for Digital Agriculture in 2020. With a mission to act as a catalyzer for the digital transformation of agriculture across Europe and Central Asia, the team provides critical capabilities to country offices, technical units, and Members, while leading the implementation of key corporate initiatives, such as the FAO Digital Villages (DVI) and the Hand-in-Hand (HiH) initiative.
Over the last couple of years, the team has been supporting several Members in designing and implementing national digital agricultures strategies and programmes, introducing key IT solutions, as well as working at field level to increase access and uptake of ICTs by smallholder farmers. With the roll-out of the Digital Villages Initiative in the region, the team aims at accelerating a digitally-enabled transformation of rural areas by capitalizing on FAO’s longstanding experiences and practical knowledge in rural development.
The purpose of this Call for Expression of Interest is to provide FAO with a list of qualified candidates to support the digital agriculture program of work. Assignments pursuant to this Call for Expression of Interest may be at the Organization’s regional office in Budapest (Hungary), home based, or on field missions, as required.
The incumbent(s) can be based in Budapest at the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, or can work remotely, preferably in a location in Europe and Central Asia.
Reporting Lines
The Digital Agriculture Analyst will work under the overall supervision of the Regional Programme Leader and the direct supervision of the Digital Agriculture Team Leader.
Technical Focus
The incumbent(s) will contribute to the implementation of FAO’s Strategic Framework linked mainly to Digital Agriculture (BP5):
Provision of analytical and technical support for conducting research and assessments, studies, formulating strategies, programmes, and supporting projects for the digitalization of food and agriculture and rural areas.
Tasks and responsibilities
• Analyze digital solutions, emerging technologies, and good practices involving the use of ICTs and summarize findings into various written outputs;
• Perform various analyses and support drafting studies in the field of agriculture, and assess the readiness level for digital agriculture transformation both at a country-wide scale as well as village level;
• Support projects aimed at providing technical assistance to Governments for the elaboration of national strategies and action plans for the digitalization of agriculture, as well as support local institutions and groups in developing DVI roadmaps;
• Support projects aimed at advising Governments on digital agriculture solutions to introduce; gather functional and technical requirements;
• Coordinate and support the delivery of training and workshops with a focus on digital technologies in agriculture and rural areas, for government staff, non-state actors, farmers, etc;
• Support the implementation of technical assistance projects in the field;
• Take notes from meetings, events and conferences and draft reports;
• Support outreach initiatives, such as conferences and webinars;
• Provide general, operational and administrative support to the Digital Agriculture Team;
• Establish, promote and maintain relationships with relevant FAO Technical Units and Country Offices, advising on the use of digital technologies in agriculture and rural areas;
• Perform other related duties as required.
Minimum Requirements
• University degree in economics, agricultural economics, international relations, business administration, computer science, international development, or a related field.
• At least 1 year (category C) or at least 5 years (category B) of relevant experience in research and analysis, and/or conducting studies and drafting analytical reports, and/or supporting operations and programme implementation, and/or developing national strategies, and/or implementing development projects, preferably in the field of food and agriculture and digitalization.
• Working knowledge (Proficient, Level C) of English or Russian and limited knowledge (Level B) of one of the other Arabic, Chinese, Spanish and French (for consultants). Working knowledge of English, French, Spanish, Arabic or Russian (for PSAs).
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