FAO searching for consultant on PES

The FAO project working on Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) and other Incentives for Ecosystem Services (IES) in Agriculture is searching for a new member for their team.

The consultant will work within the framework of the Division’s work on Incentives for Ecosystem Services in Agriculture (IES), specifically the Swiss-financed project “Remuneration of positive externalities/Payments for ecosystem services in the agriculture and food sectors”. The project is analysing field experience and will organize a dialogue process in selected countries to discuss and inform these findings, with a view to assist member-countries in integrating incentive mechanisms in the transition to sustainable agriculture.

Under the general supervision of the Deputy Director, NRL and the direct supervision of the project coordinator, Bernardete Neves, the consultant will assist the project team, in HQ and in the field, in the implementation of all project components specifically by:

1. Finalizing selected case studies written in 2013-2014, with a deeper understanding of the incentives offered, their design and financing channels and institutional and policy enabling environment.
2. Developing part 1 of the toolbox: tools for IES design and upscaling, based on the plan developed in 2014. This will include: (i) overview sustainable agriculture production systems, and their adoption barriers, (ii) describing and analyzing current combinations of incentive mechanisms mechanism with regulatory instruments, to improve agriculture’s environmental impacts, and food security, (iii) description of the rationale behind IES, main actors and their roles, (iv) annotated selection of tools for ecosystem service assessment and impact.
3. Assisting in integrating findings from 1. and 2. into background materials for the dialogue events to be organized by the project during the year. 
4. Contributing to synthesis of the findings from the policy events, as input for the IES models and respective implementation guidelines, to be developed as part 2 of the IES toolbox.
5. Supporting the team in the organization of meetings and events. 

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES
Minimum requirements:

• Advanced university degree in agricultural economics, geography, rural development or closely related fields
• Five years of experience in agriculture and rural development, including incentives for adoption of improved practices especially
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and in writing

HOW TO APPLY
Interested applicants are required to create an online Personal Profile form (PPF) in iRecruitment. To create the PPF, please follow the instructions available at: http://www.fao.org/employment/irecruitment-access/en/
The PPF should also be sent via e-mail to: IES-Info@fao.org

• Deadline for application: 28 February 2015

Applications received after the closing date will not be given consideration. Only short listed candidates will be contacted.