Since early 2018, the AVSF-IRAM-INADES International consortium has been providing technical assistance to the ECOWAS Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food for the implementation of the Support programme for the agro-ecological transition in West Africa (PATAE).

This programme was launched with initial funding from the French Development Agency for a period of 4 years. The objective is to support agro-ecological intensification in the sub-region in order to promote the emergence, adoption and dissemination of ecologically intensive and sustainable practices on family farms. The program aims to :

• on the one hand, to support field projects promoting agro-ecological transitions at the local level (a call for proposals launched in 2018 resulted in the selection of 15 projects in the process of being launched, distributed among Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Senegal, and Togo)
• on the other hand, the animation of exchanges and capitalizations feeding public policies favourable to agro-ecological transitions in the region

To this end, a Project Coordination Unit (PCU) has been set up within ARAA in Lomé. It is currently composed of a coordinator, an administrative manager and a secretary.

ECOWAS obtained additional funding from the European Union in 2019 for a period of 5 years to complete and extend the content of this programme. The aim is to strengthen support for the dissemination and implementation of good practices in sustainable agricultural intensification, through support for agricultural training and advisory support and extension mechanisms for technological innovations for sustainable agricultural intensification adapted to the production methods of small producers. In addition, with this support, the activities of exchanges, capitalization and consultations for the development of public policies are extended to all 15 ECOWAS countries.

In order to strengthen the Programme Coordination Unit to ensure complementary activities and programme extension, the AVSF-IRAM-INADES International consortium is seeking :

Program Officer in charge of training support/advice in agroecology.

Location

• Lomé - Togo, within ARAA
• Frequent work trips to be foreseen in all ECOWAS member countries

Main missions

• Responsible for the implementation of the project's axes on training and support and advice for farmers,
• Elaboration of ToRs for the various expert assessments of the situation and studies
• Establishment, monitoring and animation of funding windows for the strengthening of training initiatives (agro-ecology training centre) and support and advice to producer organisations in relation to research
• Contribution to the strengthening of networks and exchange platforms on training (training centres, EFTPA and ESA) and on support and advice.

Profile and skills required

Engineer or equivalent (at least 5 years' higher education) Agronomy, Agroeconomy, environment, international development and project management) with experience (10 years) in agricultural training and support and advice schemes, animation of networks in sustainable agriculture

Proficiency in the establishment or strengthening and of agricultural training centres; Training experience in regional programmes, projects and mechanisms in agroecology and sustainable agriculture would be a bonus.

Good knowledge of computer tools (at least MS Office Word, Excel, Powerpoint software)

At least 5 years' professional experience in the field of rural development and programmes directly or indirectly related to the implementation of agro-ecological practices in rural and farming areas is required.

Proficiency in French and English, read, written and spoken, is essential..

Possession of a higher than expected degree reduces the number of years of experience required by 3 years

Conditions of the employment contract

• Project duration : 2018-2023
• Contract duration 1 year - renewable until the end of the project
• Contract start date: September 15, 2019
• Consultant

Candidates will send their application (letter of motivation and CV) in French before 1rst September 2019 to: inadesformation.recrute@inadesfo.net with the reference "AT Formation PATAE".