Local Agronomist - Shida Kartli Region

Organizational Setting

The position is located at the FAO Representation in Georgia. The main aim of the FAO country offices, which are headed by the FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner.

The Local Agronomist will be recruited under the UTF/GEO/034/GEO-F project titled: “Formulation and design of Land Consolidation in Georgia (hereafter referred as “UTF Project”)”. The position will be focused on providing local support to the project in the selected pilot areas (pilots are selected in Kareli and Gori municipalities).

The overarching goal of the project is to support the introduction of a fully operational land consolidation instrument in Georgia integrated with irrigation rehabilitation in the World Bank Georgia Resilient Agriculture, Irrigation, and Land (GRAIL) Project. The project is expected to contribute to future increased agricultural production and investments, more efficient use of land and of water for agricultural purposes, more dynamic agricultural land markets, improved access to credit, and improved access to land and strengthened land rights, including for women who own land alone or jointly with men.

Land consolidation in Georgia is expected to result in more efficient farm structures through reduction of land fragmentation and the voluntary facilitation of farm enlargement and in this way contribute to local agricultural development. Land consolidation is planned to be introduced in a multi-purpose approach, integrating the objective of agricultural development with additional public objectives related to nature, environment and climate change adaptation and mitigation depending on the situation in the project areas.

The project will result in a National Land Consolidation Strategy document, draft legal framework for land consolidation, initiation of implementation of land consolidation pilot projects and the initial development of technical and administrative capacity for implementation of land consolidation projects and management of a future national land consolidation programme.

The incumbent will work under the overall responsibility of the FAO Representative for Georgia, and the direct supervision of the National Project Coordinator, and in close collaboration with all relevant units of the FAO Country Office in Georgia and international experts.

The incumbent will provide technical support to the implementation of the UTF Project with focus on all land consolidation related activities.

• Provide technical support for the successful implementation of the land consolidation pilot project under the GRAIL project in selected rural areas under the technical supervision of FAO and the operational supervision of the Head of the LMA Land Consolidation Unit.
• Support on the ground all matters related to the day-to-day implementation of the pilot project, including communication with local public authorities, landowners and farmers. Support community engagement and participation in land consolidation activities, building consensus, preventing conflicts, and promoting compromise.
• Under the technical supervision of FAO and the Head of the LMA Land Consolidation Unit contribute to the identification and inventory of all landowners and farmers in the pilot areas; conduct together with other LMA team members interviews with all landowners and collect additional data from secondary sources as needed.
• Contribute to the preparation of the Land Consolidation Feasibility Study Report for the pilot area, including analysis of agricultural situation in the pilot areas and assessing its potential.
• Support the land valuation process.
• Participate in the land re-allotment process.
• Support alignment of land consolidation activities with agricultural support programmes and Government policies to incentivise participation and ensure the engagement of landowners and farmers.
• Support local stakeholder consultations, adoption of the Land Consolidation Plan, and its subsequent registration and implementation.
• Contribute to the development of the National Land Consolidation Programme under the GRAIL Project, based on pilot experiences.

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Agriculture, Land Management or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in agronomy, horticulture, plant production or protection, amelioration or soil management. Any knowledge of land consolidation will be an asset.
• Working knowledge of English (C - level for both speaking and writing).
• National of Georgia.

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

• Computer literacy with…