Value Chain Consultant Full-Time

Job Description

Strengthening food, nutrition, and incomes security through sweet-potato and potato agri-food systems in Niassa and Inhambane provinces of Mozambique is a three-year project implemented by international potato Center (CIP) with support from the embassy of Ireland in Mozambique. The goal of this project is to contribute to the transformation of the agricultural sector in  Inhambane and Niassa provinces of Mozambique into a source of food, increased and equitable rural incomes, employment, and empowerment of women and youth using nutritious high yielding roots and tuber crops namely sweet-potato and potato respectively.  The specific objectives of the project are (1) enhancement of incomes and employment opportunities for smallholder farmers, youth, and women through better sweet-potato and potato market systems. (2) increased smallholder productivity and production of potato and sweet-potato through use of improved seed systems, technologies, and skills.  (3)  improved capacity to deliver potato and sweet-potato technologies to enhance agriculture transformation for development and resilience building. (4) improved evidence base on effectiveness and scalability of potato and sweet-potato technologies and delivery mechanisms to enhance food security, nutrition, and incomes. The key entry point for effective implementation of this project with both sweet-potato and potato (newly introduced crop) is a detailed study of potato value chain in Mozambique in general and Niassa and Inhambane in particular. It is in this background that the project intends to hire a high-quality consultant at PhD level to carry out a detailed potato value chain analysis in Mozambique and target provinces to inform the status of potato production, seed system and preferred varieties, opportunities, and constraints. The results of the consultancy helps to identify entry points for effective implementation of the new project supported by the embassy of Ireland in Mozambique.

Objectives

• Develop a demand driven product profile and a characterization of both rural and urban potato markets in Niassa and Inhambane considering consumption preferences and drivers of dietary transitions to identify new market and value chain development opportunities in both provinces.
•  Conduct a detailed potato value chain analysis, particularly market and consumer preferences to determine and quantify the opportunities and constraints for potato marketing and value chain development in Niassa and Inhambane and Mozambique in general.

Requirements

Activities

• Determination of potato varieties produced in Mozambique with particular emphasis on Niassa and Inhambane.
• Detailed potato product profiling to meet the consumer demand e.g. size, shape, frying quality, yield.
• Determination of the preference characteristics of potato varieties by farmers and consumers  including a characterization of both rural and urban potato markets in Niassa and Inhambane.
• Identification of opportunities and constraints in Potato value chain in Mozambique in general and Niassa and Inhambane in particular.
• Conduct a detailed potato value chain analysis at national level and in the provinces of Niassa and Inhambane.

Qualifications/special skills

• A PhD degree in Agronomy, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Economics.
• At least 10 years of experience.
• Deep knowledge of Value chain of roots and tuber crops.
• Deep knowledge of potato crop and its agronomy.
• Excellent English writing and verbal communication skills.