Closing date:

Consultant – Drought risk management

Organization:
Asian Disaster Preparedness Center

This job posting has closed

1. Background:

Drought is a prevalent hazard in the Greater Mekong Basin (GMS) countries including Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. With climate change, the intensity and frequency of droughts will increase, threatening agriculture (encompassing crop, livestock, fisheries/livestock, forestry) and agricultural livelihoods that are extremely water sensitive in the region.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) are working together to develop a regional drought risk management programme for GMS countries with a focus on Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar. The programme aims to address critical challenges in drought risk management in agriculture, which are:

  • Limited capacity of relevant national and local authorities (hydro-meteorological services, water resources management, disaster risk management, agriculture and others) to use drought risk and crop yield monitoring and forecasting tools to enhance drought forecast and early warning.
  • Limited linkages between forecasting and early warning (EW) and agencies responsible for water management, irrigation and agriculture.
  • Lack of effective mechanisms to trigger early actions to reduce vulnerability, reduce and mitigate drought impacts.
  • Limited access of farmers particularly smallholder farmers to EW information and risk reduction measures such as drought resilient/climate-smart agriculture and water management practices, alternative crops and other tools.

2. Objectives of the assignment:

ADPC’s Geospatial Information Department is seeking a Drought Risk Management Consultant, for a 4-month consultancy. The consultancy is home-based, with required travels to Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar for consultation visits and conducting workshops.

Under the supervision of the Director of the Geospatial Information Department, the consultant will undertake the following activities:

2.1 Analyze institutional linkages and capacity on drought risk monitoring, forecasting and early warning-early actions (EWEA)

The consultant will conduct a comprehensive review of institutions that play key roles in drought risk management in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar. The comprehensive review will be done through the following means:

  • Review and document existing policies, guidelines, decision-making procedures, protocols, information management, communication loops, and flows, and laws related to drought risk management in Myanmar, Lao PDR, and Cambodia as well as Thailand and Viet Nam.
  • Interview senior officials from a meteorological, hydrological, water resource, and agricultural, and disaster management agencies.
  • Assess the technical capacity of officials and institutions on drought information generation, dissemination, interpretation, and applications.

2.2 Document and share good practices through a partnership with other regional platforms and actors. Under this component, the consultant will conduct research to document good practices in the areas of:

  • Drought monitoring, risk assessment, and forecasting.
  • Drought information management and dissemination.
  • Water resource management and planning related to drought risk management.
  • Drought-resilient agriculture.
  • Effective institutional arrangements, coordination, communication for risk reduction, preparedness and response.
  • Use of other instruments to manage the drought risk, such as social safety nets, etc.

In addition, the consultant will research and document case studies and examples of good practices from Thailand and Vietnam and will make recommendations on means for cooperation and replication in Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Cambodia.

2.3 Review and prioritize practical approaches to effective drought risk management for different agro-ecological zones and agricultural systems in GMS countries.

To be able to take effect early action based on improved drought monitoring, crop, livestock and/or fisheries/aquaculture yield predictions and early warning, farmers/herders/fishers need to have knowledge of the options available to them. Different systems will require different options to enable farmers/herders/fishers and water managers to take effective actions to reduce the risks and mitigate the impacts of droughts.

A review of existing approaches and tools will provide the overall set of options, which can then be prioritized for the different areas of intervention. This review will also identify gaps, which need to be addressed to provide farmers, extension workers, and water managers with the necessary tools and approaches to deal with droughts at the local level.

This component requires the consultant to undertake 2 activities in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar as follows:

  • Review existing approaches and tools used by farmers to take effect early actions to mitigate drought risk.
  • Make recommendations on priority early actions that can use improved drought monitoring and forecasting information.

3. Work schedule:

The consultant is expected to commence this assignment as soon as possible for a duration of four (4) months.

4. Deliverables and payment schedule:

Payments to be made upon certification of deliverables (please visit adpc website more more detail)

5. Payment:

Payments will be made upon successful completion, review and quality assurance of deliverables specified in the table above.

6. Supervision arrangements:

The consultant will be supervised by the Director of the Geospatial Information Department.

7. Consultant’s work plan and official travel involved:

The cost of travels to Myanmar, Lao PDR, and Cambodia for the purposes of achieving the assignment objectives will be arranged and covered by ADPC. Travel requests must be submitted and approved by the supervisor at least 2 weeks beforehand. The costs of travel covered by ADPC include economy-class air travel, land transportation, visa fee, and the daily subsistence allowance as per the ADPC policies.

8. Qualifications or specialized knowledge/experience required:

  • Qualifications of the consultant to be contracted: Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in water resource management and governance, environmental management, international development, development studies, economic development, political science, public administration, or other fields that require a lot of research and writing proficiency. Knowledge in drought risk management is mandatory.
  • Work experience of a consultant to be contracted: At least 5 years’ work experience in development, preferably with a focus on developing countries. Must have at least 2 years’ experience working in international settings. Experience of working in the GMS region is preferable but not essential.
  • Language: Absolute fluency in written English is required. You must be able to express ideas and facts in writing in a clear, organized and convincing manner. Excellent report writing skills, as well as communication and interviewing skills, will be necessary. Short-listed candidates will be required to submit writing samples. Ability to speak Laos, Cambodian or Burmese will be an advantage.

Attachments

Application form , English

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