Afghanistan: International Seed Program Advisor

Project Background:
Building on the Agriculture Master Plan, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA), in collaboration with its development partners, has defined a number of appropriate priorities for agricultural investments and policies under the National Agricultural Development Framework (NADF). In order to increase farmers’ incomes and improve the food security situation, the GIRoA is giving foremost attention to strengthening of the agricultural production base. In this respect the government has asked the World Bank for assistance in strengthening agricultural input supply systems. Specifically, the GIRoA has requested the World Bank for assistance in the implementation of the Afghanistan Agriculture Inputs Project (AAIP), which consist of the following four components: (i) Improve seed production system (ii) Establish infrastructure and policies regarding quality control and safe use of fertilizers and agrochemicals; (iii) Improve input delivery systems; and (iv) Establish efficient project management, implementation and coordination mechanisms.
The development objective of AAIP project is strengthened institutional capacity for safety and reliability of agricultural inputs and sustainable production of certified wheat seed.
Under its Seed Component, the project assists the Agricultural Research Institute of Afghanistan (ARIA) with their mandates of variety selection, maintenance breeding and production of Breeder’s Seed, the Improved Seed Enterprise (ISE) with their mandate to produce Foundation and Registered Seed, and the Afghan National Seed Organisation (ANSOR) and its member Private Seed Enterprises (PSEs) with their mandate to produce and market Certified Seeds. (NB Seed Certification is supported by another project, funded by the EU) Moreover the project will support the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) with the overall coordination of the seed sector.
Support provided by the project consists of hardware (equipment, constructions, etc.) and software (capacity building, organisation, legislation, technical support, etc.). In order to coordinate the activities and provide the support mentioned, the project‘s Management Unit (PMU), apart from administrative and other technical units, contains a seed team consisting of a National Seed Program Coordinator and two National Seed Officers. It also provides short and long term national and international consultants and staff to the implementing partner organizations.

Job Summary:
Within this context, the project requires the services of an International Seed Program Advisor, who will act as a counterpart and advisor to the National Seed Program Coordinator and assist the Project in ensuring a smooth implementation of all seed related activities. He/she will also be responsible for the capacity building activities of the seed component of the project.
Key Responsibilities of International Seed Program Advisor:

Under the overall supervision of the Project Director and in close collaboration with the National Seed Program Coordinator and the Senior Technical Advisor He /She will perform the followings:

• Monitor and assist overall planning and implementation of the Seed Component of the project with all relevant partners and institutions in the public and private sectors;
• Study and analyze other ongoing seed sector interventions to ensure synergy and complementarity;
• Liaise with the National Seed Board regarding seed industry coordination, including implementation of the national seed policy, seed law and regulations and seed certification measures;
• Coordinate the preparation of technical documents/materials on seed sector development;
• Represent the project in workshops and other events organized in the seed sector;
• Coordinate training of national staff in essential fields including seed production, seed processing, quality assurance, enterprise development, seed industry privatization/commercialization, etc., both in-country and abroad;
• Obtain relevant information and assist in the preparation of project progress reports for the Seed Component of the project;
• Any other tasks as required by the Project Director.

Required Knowledge, Skill and Abilities:

• Advanced university degree in Agriculture seed technology or a related field;
• At least 10 years experience in seed sector development and management;
• Familiarity with the agricultural production and an understanding of field
problems, particularly as it relates to seed production, conditioning, storage and marketing;
• Working experience in relevant field in developing countries, preferrably in Asia or Afghanistan;
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with government officials, international donor agencies, technical field staff, NGO representatives; etc;
• Work experience in World Bank-assisted project would be an advantage;
• Fluency in English Language is required