CB Expert- Agroecology

Position: CB Expert- Agroecology Location: Bhubaneswar, Odisha with travel to BRLF geographies of operation Number of Positions: One Reports To: Program Officer; Southern Zone (Odisha) with dotted line relationship with Head- Research, M&E and Capacity Building. Nature of Employment: This is a project-specific position offered as a full-time three- year contract with benefits.

Renewal is possible, depending on project extension and availability of funds.

1. ORGANISATION BACKGROUND: The Ministry of Rural Development set up Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation (BRLF), Government of India (GOI), as an independent organization under the Societies Registration Act to facilitate civil society action in partnership with the State and central Governments to transform the livelihoods and lives of rural households, with an emphasis on women, particularly in the Central Indian Tribal Region.

BRLF is a unique and first-of-its-kind initiative.

The Foundation is a partnership between the government, on the one hand, and private sector philanthropies, as well as public and private sector undertakings (under Corporate Social Responsibility).

Major functions of BRLF are fostering strategic partnerships with state govt for improving program outcomes, providing financial grants to Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to meet their human resource and institutional costs for up-scaling of proven interventions, investing in institutional strengthening of smaller CSOs, capacity building of professional human resources working at the grassroots, and to create a knowledge Hub for the sector.

2. ROLE DESCRIPTION: The primary responsibility of this position will be to lead the co-creation, development and transaction of capacity building learning modules in sustainable agriculture and food strategy; co-create and implement pilots with farming communities and stakeholders for creation of demonstration sites, build capacities of stakeholders and share learnings to inform capacity building approaches in sustainable food systems.

The CB Expert - Agroecology will work with a range of stakeholders, including close collaboration with local farming communities, , partners, other experts, academic and training institutions and consultant agencies for development and implementation of capacity building programs. S/he will also work in collaboration with the Odisha state

project management unit team for integration of CB learning components in programmatic strategy of Agriculture production clusters in the state.

The overall project dimensions that the CB Expert Agroecology will be contributing to include working with farming communities on integrated land and water use management models, promoting agriculture cluster-based approaches, innovative and sustainable agriculture practices, forest and grassland ecosystems to develop sustainable farming models, co-creation and establishment of demonstration plots/farms/ field schools for promoting agroecology-based models; developing capacity building models for food loss management; promote Agri-entrepreneurs; developing training modules and ToT programs.

Lead timely and effective design and implementation of capacity-building programs for agriculture and sustainable food systems projects / activities / interventions , aligning with the project needs.

In collaboration with the BRLF team, elevate and fast-track the capacity-building initiatives for the development, piloting, and implementation of agroecology and sustainable food systems solutions that increase production while protecting nature.

Lead agriculture and livestock-related market scoping, capacity needs analyses, baseline reviews, and other studies aimed at informing or measuring the impact of capacity-building components of project activities.

Monitor and evaluate key KPIs, agriculture/livestock-related data, and project reporting to track the performance/impact of capacity-building programs and adapt as required.

Lead co-creation of benchmarked learning module content for technical, entrepreneurial and leadership development of various stakeholders associated with the project.

Lead the development of a digital learning infrastructure for capacity-building initiatives.

Conduct and ensure timely implementation of capacity-building activities to enhance the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of key stakeholders associated with Agriculture and NRM projects.

Provide appropriate high-level representation for activities with governments and partners to develop and implement BRLF actions.

Maintain oversight of the project s technical and financial management, including annual work planning, budgeting, and reporting related to capacity-building components.

Assist the project implementation team in supporting communities in planning, prioritizing, and implementing sustainable production and consumption activities through technology-based learning solutions.

Support communities in gaining access to information, resources, and opportunities and connecting with other relevant stakeholders, which is likely to empower them to manage resource conservation and livelihood interventions more effectively.

Measure the number of benefits (including non-monetary) households and community members accrue from agriculture/livestock projects.

On behalf of BRLF, establish good working relationships with CSO partners, local communities, and their leaders and endeavour to uphold its reputation.

Share and document learnings to support the wider development of resilient community livelihoods in the region and globally.

Coordinating with Government departments and key stakeholders, including preparing progress reports in a timely manner whenever required. Ensure smooth implementation of project activities and achievement of the planned outcomes.

Development of training modules and facilitation of training for agri- entrepreneurs, progressive farmers, and community leaders.

Bachelor s or master s degree in the field of Agricultural Sciences / Animal Science/Agri-Business Management/ Agronomy / Food Science & Technology / Natural Resource Management. (A relevant master s degree is an added advantage).

A minimum of 7-8 years of active engagement and experience of working with local rural communities on agriculture and sustainable production.

Proven experience in developing learning modules for capacity-building initiatives for government functionaries, community-based organisations (PG, PC, FPO, CLF), PRIs, organisational leaders and development professionals.

Key Skills & Competencies: Experience in developing and implementing agriculture, livestock value chain,

and sustainable food systems-related projects, preferably with a strong natural- resource management component.

Proven experience and knowledge of instructional design Proven experience in designing and leading large-scale capacity-building

Good report writing and communication skills in English and Odia. High levels of computer literacy; competent use of Microsoft Office (Excel,

PowerPoint and Word). Ability to build good relationships and work collaboratively with diverse

stakeholders in a respectful, participatory manner. Experience working with communities to support natural resource management

and agriculture. Experience with participatory (action) research and co-creation of conservation

initiatives with a wide range of stakeholders is highly desirable. Experience with qualitative and quantitative social science research methods,

including surveys, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, research on sensitive topics and their analysis, and understanding of research ethics.

Ability to work effectively in a multicultural and diverse setting. Experience dealing with power differentials and inequalities within and across

communities is desirable. Self-driven with a proactive approach to problem-solving. Demonstrated ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks. Open to travel across BRLF project locations. Commitment to BRLF and its mission.