UNDP Jobs - 50040- Short Consultancy Crop Production Monitoring

Short Consultancy Crop Production Monitoring

Location :

Abuja, NIGERIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

10-Oct-2014

Application Deadline :

30-Sep-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

20 days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

5 months

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

The Nigerian Federal Ministry for Agriculture & Rural Development (FMARD) has embarked on the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA), which sets out goals for enhancing production in a sustainable and inclusive manner as a driver for development. In this perspective it is important to support decision making with timely, regular and reliable assessments of agricultural production, and namely crop production, in the country. This should be regarded as part of a larger information system in support of agriculture, food security and nutrition policies and programs through the monitoring and evaluation of relevant data and indicators. Important is also assessment of the potential for a sustainable increase in agricultural production, either via expansion of land under cultivation or via a reduction of the gaps between potential and actual yields for the different key value chains identified in the ATA.

A ‘road-map’ should be established for setting-up a crop production monitoring system, as part of a broader agricultural, food security and nutrition information system. This should be implemented through a phased approach, setting priorities and defining specific targets/timelines for implementation as well as requirements and relevant costs. The generation of sound crop production statistics will receive priority although other components will receive attention. Support is sought from an indivual or team for outlining the roadmap.

Duties and Responsibilities

Tasks:

Identify possible gaps and needs based on existing assessments of the relevant systems and information already available in Nigeria;
Provide a brief overview of most effective crop production monitoring systems worldwide. A special emphasis should be placed on experiences carried out in Africa and in environments relevant for Nigeria;
Evaluate pros/cons with reference to their possible application in Nigeria. This is especially in terms of reliability and timeliness of the information provided, as well requirements of the system and related costs;
Provide an outlook of developments in the near future that can have an influence on the proposed system;
Suggest a ‘roadmap’ for the establishment a crop monitoring system, adapted to the Nigerian situation, to be developed within the FMARD and in collaboration with the relevant line Ministries at federal and state levels;
In coherence with the proposed ‘road map’ provide a brief outline of the necessary needs in terms of data, models, tools, technological infrastructure, capacity building and skills as well as the relevant financial requirements;
For demonstration purposes dvelop a pilot focussing on the crop production statistics component of the system.

Expected outputs:

A a scoping document containing a review of the key players (both public and private) and relevant systems in place worldwide, of their respective pros and cons, and especially evaluated in terms of their relevance to Nigeria. This document should specify the requirements as well as the indicative costs for the set-up of the system. The document will also contain the details for a pilot study to be implemented with special reference to the crop production statistics component.It should be understandable for senior management and non-technical staff.

Competencies

Clear vision on the role of satelite data and information for M&E and policy decisions at regional, federal, state and local level;
Clear vision on the comparative role and contribution of information and knowledge for the various stakeholder groups;
Strong analytical skills and reporting skills;
Ability to effectively communicate with professionals of different background and various disciplines;
Familarity in working with national systems in Africa and Nigeria/ATA;
Up to date knowledge on current crop monitoring and forecasting systems and tools across the globe;
Excellent writing skills and capacity for visualsing systems and linkages.

Required Skills and Experience

Education of individual/team:

University degree(s) in agriculture or environmental sciences with specialisation in agronomy, economics, food security, geographic information systems, spatial statistics, and satellite image analysis.

Experience:

Over 15 years of experience in the design, development and operation of crop production monitoring and forecasting systems;
The experience should be at national or higher levels and should include use of satellite products e.g. weather data, for crop monitoring;
Experience in spatial sampling and statistics applied to the social and environmental disciplines is also highly desirable;
Specific experience related to setting up of surveys for crop area and yield estimates using geo-referenced area frames as well as satellite information;
Relevant experience of working at national level in African countries highly desirable.

Langueage:

proficiency in English.