Closure Date: 22/Oct/2018, 10:59:00 PM
Organizational Unit: RNERD
Job Type: Non-staff opportunities
Primary Location: Saudi Arabia-Riyadh
Duration: 11 months
Organizational Settings
FAO Technical Cooperation Programme provides technical and advisory assistance to the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture to support implementation of its recently approved “Sustainable Rural Agricultural Development Programme” within the context of operationalization of the Saudi Vision 2030.
Reporting Lines
Reports to Dr. Abubakr MOHAMED, Programme Director in KSA
Technical Focus
FAO Technical Cooperation Programme provides technical and advisory assistance to the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture to support implementation of its recently approved “Sustainable Rural Agricultural Development Programme” within the context of operationalization of the Saudi Vision 2030.
This programme aims for an improved, diversified and sustainable livelihood for rural people and smallholders. Based on the assessment of the agro-ecological potential and comparative advantage of the various regions of the kingdom, the programme will target eight promising agricultural commodities and subsectors namely; rainfed grains, subtropical fruits, coffee Arabica, aromatic plants, bee keeping and honey production, livestock production, small scale fisheries and aquaculture, and cottage industries. The programme will be implemented in rural areas of several regions of the Kingdom mainly Southwestern regions. Requirements for international technical expertise to support implementation of the programme have been identified.
Tasks and responsibilities:
Under the direct guidance and supervision of the Programme Director in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the operational oversight of the Senior Field Programme Officer (SFPO) in the Regional Office for Near East and North Africa (RNE), and technical guidance of the of the Lead Technical Officer in RNE and the Lead Technical Unit (LTU) in Rome, in consultation with the technical experts of the FAO-KSA technical cooperation Programme, in collaboration with the National Programme Coordinator (NPC), the designated national implementation partners and relevant stakeholders, the Beekeeping Breeding Expert consultant will assist with provision of technical assistance for the development the value chain processes, improve processing, grading packaging, value addition, marketing and others. More specific, the consultant will carry out the following tasks:
- Study and analysis current methodologies and practices for bee queen rearing in Saudi Arabia, and provide advice on strengths, weakness, threats and opportunities
- Using global best practices for queen rearing, spreading, development and management, suggest and design methodology for queen rearing and management to ensure building/development of sustained apiary and quality honey production,
- Identify suitable queen breeds which are to be selected on the basis of productivity, environmental and climatic condition suitability as well as for disease resistance,
- Design, pilot/demonstrate and provide technical guidance for the colony management and prepare full technical manual for colony management.
- Prepare manuals and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for queen rearing,
- Design and start implementation of methodology and action plan to demonstrate, fast tract, increased honey production in selected farms.
- Design and start the implementation bee breeding training programme targeting agriculture officers, technicians and beekeepers.
- Prepare full-fledge bee colony (Queen, workers and drones) feeding programme which is to provide for increased and sustained production.
- Conduct capacity development assessment and knowledge gap analysis and training needs assessment, and design and implement training programme covering all stage of beekeeping and honey processing and marketing.
- Perform other related duties as required.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
- Advanced university degree in apiculture or agriculture engineering or any related field.
- 12 years of work experience in beekeeping industry development and management.
- Working knowledge of English. Knowledge of Arabic is an asset
FAO Core Competencies
- Results Focus
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Building Effective Relationships
- Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
- Demonstrated work experience in development and implementation of beekeeping projects at small producers level,
- Strong project management skills including familiarity with the development of results frameworks; logical framework, project work plans and budget.
- Analytical skills and ability to write clear and concise reports is considered a strong asset.
- Strong skills in organizing and leading consultative processes involving various stakeholders.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills.
- Proficiency in English is essential and familiarity with Arabic language is desirable.
