STTA Climate Smart Agriculture Experts _ Erbil & Baghdad
Fulltime- Short term contract
September 5, 2021
September 19, 2021
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The purpose of the Iraq Governance Performance and Accountability (IGPA) - Takamul project is to advance effective, accountable, and transparent governance in Iraq. This USAID effort, implemented by DAI, will work with the Government of Iraq (GOI) at all levels to better respond to citizen needs by supporting reform initiatives and Iraqi change agents on inclusive governance and public sector transparency, accountability, and economy. “Reform initiatives” includes support to improve service delivery functions, public financial management, and open government initiatives. IGPA/Takamul will support the GOI and the citizens of Iraq in forming partnerships and collaborative efforts to solve problems jointly. IGPA/Takamul has four (4) objectives:
1. Enhance GOI service delivery capacity
2. Improve public financial management
3. Strengthen monitoring and oversight of service delivery and public expenditure
4. Support Iraqi change agents to ensure sustainability of reform
Under the Climate Change Governance activity, Task Order 6, IGPA will support the Government of Iraq (GOI) as it seeks to increase its efforts at addressing climate change issues as part of its commitment to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The approach and activities of TO6 involve a mixture of mitigation and adaptation, and reflect IGPA’s experience and lessons learned while undertaking programming in the key service delivery sectors of water, solid waste, electricity, and agriculture. Additionally, TO6 will leverage the project’s productive relationships with Iraqi decision-makers and civil society to focus on strengthening governance – the provision of technical assistance to improve decision making, planning, resourcing and the creation of policy, regulatory and legislative frameworks that will support climate change action and build resilience of GOI institutions at all levels.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this task order is to provide technical assistance under the general scope of the overall contract through three tasks: a) Improving climate change governance in key sectors b) Supporting GOI in addressing climate changes, including engaging Iraqis and COP26 participation; c) Supporting provincial level climate change governance.
IGPA Task Order 6 must coordinate and complement activities closely with the Governments of Iraq, other USG- funded activities, and other donor-led initiatives designed to strengthen climate change adaptation in ways that leverage their investments to ensure burden sharing and build upon achievements and lessons learned from past climate change adaptation initiatives.
The purpose of this position is to support the revision of current agricultural extension programs to promote climate-smart practices, as well as reviewing and revising current policy and regulatory frameworks to reflect these climate-smart practices where applicable. The promotion of these climate-smart practices will require the Climate Smart Agriculture Experts to identify and disseminate information to stakeholders on the short-term benefits of these new practices, as well as the long-term negative effects of some of the current practices being employed. The Climate Smart Agriculture Experts must also play a coordination role with the provincial government in order to apply and oversee the implementation of climate smart practices within provincial extension services.
CONSULTANT KEY TASKS AND DELIVERABLES:
Under this Scope of Work, the Climate Smart Agriculture Experts will contribute to, but not be limited to, the specific tasks and deliverables specified below:
1: Development of a revised curriculum for climate-smart agriculture practices
- Description: Focusing on the issue of increasing soil salinity, provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and Ministry of Health and Environment (MOHE) to develop a revised curriculum for agriculture extension services that incorporates regional and international best practices that are applicable to the Iraqi context.
- Coordinate with the MOA and MOHE to schedule a series of joint working groups to develop the revised curriculum
- Conduct informal trainings for the MOA and MOHE staff and other stakeholders (academia, NGOs, including women, anyone from the Iraqi Meteorological Service SMD) on the rehabilitation of irrigation and drainage networks, the introduction of new salt-tolerant crops, and other new farming practices that can be used to enhance crop production. Ensure that these topics are included in the revised curriculum.
- Guide and support the MOA and MOHE staff during the joint working groups in incorporating these climate-smart practices into the revised curriculum for agriculture extension services.
- Deliverables:
- Attendance sheets from each joint working group session.
- Training materials (including PowerPoint slides, handouts, etc.)
- Finalized revised curriculum for agriculture extension services.
2: Implementation of the revised curriculum for climate-smart agriculture practices
- Description: Spread awareness of the new climate-smart agriculture practices incorporated in the revised curriculum and enable and encourage farmers and other stakeholders to use these new approaches in their daily work through an awareness package and training sessions in selected provinces throughout Iraq.
- Create a package of user-friendly information based on the revised curriculum that can be distributed to farmers and other stakeholders. Include clear explanations of the climate-smart practices, the short-term and long-term benefits of applying these practices, and the long-term consequences of continuing to use certain current farming practices.
- Identify Iraqi farmers and other stakeholders with pre-existing knowledge of and/or interest in the relationship between agricultural practices and climate change. Conduct training of trainers workshops to prepare these selected Iraqi farmers and stakeholders to train their peers on the revised curriculum and climate-smart agriculture practices.
- Distribute the awareness package materials to Iraqi farmers and stakeholders in selected provinces. Organize and facilitate training sessions conducted by the identified trainers on climate-smart agriculture practices in these selected provinces. These training sessions and the dissemination of the awareness package should serve as a means to pilot the revised curriculum in selected provinces.
- Deliverable:
- Awareness package to accompany the revised curriculum for agriculture extension services.
- Training materials and attendance sheets for training of trainers workshops.
- Training materials and attendance sheets for climate-smart agriculture training sessions.
3: Revision of policies and institutional and regulatory frameworks for climate-smart practices
- Description: Undertake a review of existing regulations and institutions for producing climate data and other policy tools available to the MOA and MOHE, and develop a revised framework to respond to increased soil salinity and other impacts of climate change, including if required, draft legislation.
- Conduct an independent review of the GOI’s existing regulations and frameworks for assessing and responding to climate change. Consult with the MOA,MOHE, and other stakeholders to gain additional information and resources to facilitate this review.
- Develop suggested amendments and additions to current Iraqi regulations and institutional arrangements relating to climate change data, risk insurance, and soil degradation and summarize these recommendations in a written report and PowerPoint presentation.
- Present the report and PowerPoint presentation to the MOA, MOHE, and relevant stakeholders.
- Facilitate ministry engagement with relevant stakeholders, including agribusiness associations and relevant Council of Representatives committees, to encourage more widespread acceptance and implementation of these recommendations.
- Deliverable:
- Written report that summarizes recommended amendments and additions to current climate change regulations, institutions, policies, and frameworks.
- PowerPoint presentation based on written report.
- If needed, draft legislation that reflects the recommended amendments.
- Master’s degree in climate science, environmental studies, agriculture, public policy, law or related field preferred.
- Bachelor’s degree in climate science, environmental studies, agriculture, public policy, law or related field required.
- Minimum of 7 years of experience in agriculture-related climate change programming.
- Experience on USAID environment, climate change, and/or agriculture sector-oriented projects is preferred but not required.
- Demonstrated experience supporting projects on agricultural practices, agriculture policy development, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
- Experience in the Middle East is preferred.
- Arabic language skills are preferred.
- Native level English (speaking, reading, and writing) required.
- Excellent technical and report writing skills.
- Ability and willingness to travel in Iraq.
