Background: The International Institute of
Tropical Agriculture (IITA) invites applications for the position of Agricultural
Economist.
IITA is an international non-profit research-for-development
(R4D) organization created in 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and
supported primarily by the Consultative Group of International Agricultural
Research (CGIAR). Our R4D is anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan
Africa. We develop agricultural solutions with our partners to tackle hunger
and poverty by reducing producer and consumer risks, enhancing crop quality and
productivity, and generating wealth from agriculture. We have more than 100
internationally recruited scientists from about 35 countries and 900 nationally
recruited staff based in various stations across Africa. Please visit http://www.iita.org/ for more information
on IITA.
IITA seeks a qualified Agricultural Economist to support the
Africa RISING projects. Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the
Next Generation (Africa RISING) comprises three projects supported by the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of the US
Government’s Feed the Future Initiative. Through action research and
development partnerships Africa RISING is aiming at providing options for
sustainable intensification of smallholder farming systems to help farmers to
move out of hunger and poverty. The three projects are led by IITA in West
Africa and East/Southern Africa, and the International Livestock Research
Institute in the Ethiopian highlands. The International Food Policy Research
Institute (IFPRI) is in charge of the M&E and impact assessment for all
projects.
The successful candidate is expected to work closely with
the Project Coordinator and the chief scientists. S/he will serve as key
liaison between the IITA led projects and IFPRI.
Position/Responsibilities
The Agricultural Economist will report to the Coordinator of
the Africa RISING Projects led by IITA through the chief Africa RISING
scientist for West Africa based in Tamale.
- Develop
and implement activities aimed at evaluating the profitability and
adoptability of agricultural and livestock technologies and technology
packages promoted in the project
- Analyze
how proposed technologies fit into households current conditions (labor
requirements, timing of labor requirements, social acceptability of
technologies, gender, cash requirements etc)
- Evaluate
and compare profitability of alternative technologies or options
(treatments)
- Carry
out ex-ante impact assessment of selected technologies and advise on
technology prioritization
- Measure/model
the aggregated impact of individual interventions or treatments at plot
level on the farm scale and beyond
- Conduct
selected adoption studies to measure technology uptake in project sites
- Liaise
with IFPRI M&E specialists to support baseline and follow up surveys
- Ensure
availability of information on key indicators of the project
- Contribute
to project monitoring and evaluation database based on the program’s
overall M&E framework
- Contribute
to overall project impact assessment
- Publish
research findings and contribute to dissemination of research results and
development outcomes to stakeholders
- Facilitate
information sharing among project partners
- Mentor
and supervise project socio-economic research associates and field
technicians.
Educational Qualifications
PhD in agricultural economics or development economics from
a highly recognized university.
Core Competencies:
- Seven
to ten years of experience with agricultural and livestock technology
evaluation at international level.
- Strong
knowledge and experience with economic evaluation of agricultural
technologies
- Household
and sector modeling experience (mathematical and econometric)
- Experience
in planning and conducting socioeconomic surveys in rural Africa
- Knowledge
of Microsoft Office and complementary econometric techniques and software
(e.g. STATA)
- Knowledge
of GIS and geospatial analysis
- Demonstrated
ability to write and publish journal articles in reputable outlets
- Excellent
spoken and written English, ability to communicate in French is desirable
- Ability
to work independently in a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, and
multi-cultural environment.
Duty station: Tamale, Ghana, but will involve
extensive travel to Africa RISING project sites in West and East/Southern
Africa.
General information: Initial appointment is for
two years. IITA offers a competitive remuneration package paid in US dollars.
Applications: Applications including covering
letter, curriculum vitae, names and addresses of three referees should be
addressed to the Head, Human Resources Service. Please complete our online
application form using this link:http://www.iita.org/irs-online-application
Closing Date: 17th December 2013
or until a suitable candidate is found.
IITA is an equal opportunity employer and particularly
welcomes applications from women candidates.
Please note that only short listed candidates will be
contacted.
