Building Capacity on Gender Issues in ‘Climate Smart Agriculture’ Strategies

Terms of Reference

Consultant: Coordinator

Approximately 1 July 2011 – 30 November 2011

Context

CCAFS and FAO are each working to merge agricultural development and climate change solutions to achieve climate smart agriculture, i.e. agriculture that sustainably increases productivity, resilience (adaptation), reduces/removes greenhouse gases (mitigation), and enhances achievement of national food security and development goals. Both organizations see a gender-sensitive approach as crucial to achieving climate smart agriculture, however to date attention to women’s and men’s roles, needs and resources are largely lacking. Thus, in the longer term, CCAFS and FAO aim to mainstream gender issues into climate smart agriculture through capacity building and research so that women participate and benefit to the same extent as men.

As a first step toward mainstreaming gender issues into climate smart agriculture, CCAFS and FAO are collaborating on the development of capacity building tools and methods. FAO is developing a training manual on mainstreaming gender issues into participatory action research on climate change and agriculture. This training manual will be tested during a 3-day training session at FAO headquarters in September or October 2011. The trainees at this training session will be staff of CCAFS partner organizations who will travel to Rome from Asia and Africa for the training. The trainees will subsequently test out the knowledge gained in the training session by carrying out short participatory action research studies in their home countries. To benefit from their experience, FAO will host the trainees and invited external experts in Rome for a 2-day workshop during which they will carry out an in-depth evaluation of how the material covered in the training worked in the field. This evaluation will assist FAO and CCAFS in identifying good practices and planning for longer term capacity building activities as well as identifying knowledge gaps. FAO and CCAFS plan to share some of their initial insights gained from this collaboration at the UNFCCC Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa (COP 17) in early December, 2011.

Objective of the Assignment

The Consultant will facilitate FAO’s contributions to the CCAFS-FAO collaboration on gender and climate change by carrying out ongoing coordination duties. In addition, the Consultant will coordinate the organization of the three key events of the partnership: a training workshop, an evaluation workshop, and a side event/presentation at COP 17 in Durban, South Africa. The Consultant will be continuing the work begun by a Consultant who will be going on maternity leave and is thus expected to overlap with that Consultant.

Under the supervision of and in close collaboration with the Senior Officer, Marja-Liisa Tapio-Biström, Climate, Energy and Tenure Division (NRC) and the Senior Officer, Yianna Lambrou and Capacity Development Staff, Gender, Equity and Rural Employment Division (ESW), the consultant will carry out the following activities:

  • Oversee the smooth functioning of the CCAFS-FAO partnership. The Consultant will serve as the main point of contact at FAO for the CCAFS-FAO partnership, liaising with FAO technical staff, trainers, advisors, CCAFS staff, and others. Upon commencement of the assignment, the Consultant will be debriefed by the outgoing Consultant on the duties and tasks expected of him/her. In general the Consultant is responsible for monitoring the workplan and budget, ensuring activities are proceeding toward on-time completion of outputs, and keeping the Senior Officers informed as necessary. The Consultant is also be responsible for ensuring that the partnership is working toward producing outputs that will be relevant and beneficial to FAO, particularly with regard to the efforts of NRC and ESW divisions to mainstream gender issues into climate change work at FAO.
  • Finalize organization of training session at FAO headquarters (to be held in September or October 2011) including finalization of training manual. The Consultant will be responsible for completing any final edits to the training manual on gender and climate change and ensuring its final approval. The Consultant will also be in charge of ensuring that the training manual is printed for use during the training session. In collaboration with FAO staff, the Consultant will ensure that all of the arrangements for the training session at FAO headquarters are completed. This will include overseeing participants’ travel arrangements, meeting room arrangements, agenda finalization, and other related tasks. The Consultant will also be responsible for working with the trainer in advance of the training and reviewing his/her training plan as well as assisting her/him as needed.
  • Organize workshop at FAO headquarters in early November. After the conclusion of the 3-day training, the trainees will test their knowledge in the field through field research. Once the fieldwork is complete, FAO will host a 2-day workshop with the trainees as well as invite external experts in order to reflect upon how the training was used in the field and draw out lessons learnt for future capacity development and research. The Consultant will be responsible for organizing this workshop, including identifying/liaising with external experts; overseeing travel and meeting room arrangements; developing and finalizing the agenda; and ensuring on-time contributions from all participants.
  • Oversee and contribute to a two-page policy brief on addressing gender issues in climate change and food security research and development. Based on the outcomes of the field research and the 2-day workshop, FAO and CCAFS will prepare a 2-page policy brief including policy recommendations on how to address gender issues in climate change and food security research and development to be disseminated to partner organizations and climate policymakers. The Coordinator will contribute writing to this document, will compile contributions from others, and will oversee on-time completion by FAO’s team. The brief will be finalized by the end of November.
  • Organize presentation and/or side event at COP 17 in Durban, South Africa. CCAFS and FAO will present the initial findings from the work carried out during this partnership at COP 17 in December 2011. Although COP 17 takes place in December, preparations for either a side event and/or presentation(s) at side event(s) will need to begin in July or August. The Consultant will be responsible for liaising with CCAFS and identifying opportunities for FAO to present at COP 17. The Consultant will help in the preparation of materials to be presented.

Key Performance Indicators

  • Meeting with outgoing Consultant (early July 2011)
  • Preparations for training – training manual printed, logistics arranged, meeting with trainer (by early September)
  • Three-day training (completed by early October)
  • 2-day workshop (completed by early November)
  • 2-page policy brief (completed by end of November)
  • Side event/presentations at COP 17 (preparations completed by 30 November)

Qualifications

  • Advanced university degree in social sciences
  • Experience in project coordination, preferably related to gender and social issues in natural resource management and/or climate change, agriculture and food security sectors
  • Experience in organizing workshops, training sessions, or similar events
  • Excellent writing skills
  • Fluency in written and spoken English
  • Familiarity with FAO and/or CCAFS is an asset

Remuneration

The Consultant’s time to carry out this assignment (approximately 5 months) will be compensated by FAO. This assignment is based at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy and candidates must be willing to work in Rome for 4-5 months.

How to apply

Send CV to Marja-Liisa Tapio-Biström () and Yianna Lambrou () with the subject: CCAFS-FAO Gender Coordinator, by 3 June 2011.

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