A Technical Assistant in nutrition, in connection with agriculture and value chains, on the APICI and ASANAO projects, in Cambodia, within GRET

On a 12 months renewable expatriate contract, based in Siem Reap, from August 2022.

Context

Founded in 1976, GRET is an international development NGO with 709 employees in 28 countries. GRET works in the major fields of economic and social solidarity development, with an approach based on partnership and research-action, in order to combat poverty and inequality by providing sustainable and innovative responses. It combines field activities with expertise, network management, contribution to public policies and capitalisation/dissemination of references.

GRET’s Food and Rural Economy Department (ALER) encompasses three main themes: i) Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems, ii) Inclusive Economics and Finance, iii) Land Governance.

GRET’s work on these themes includes field management, expertise (identification, feasibility, evaluation), information network management, research and publications. The ALER department supports agricultural production and livestock farming, taking into account the need to promote diversified models that are more productive, but also respectful of the environment and economical in terms of external inputs (agroecological approach). The actions carried out by the department integrate sectoral approaches (marketing, processing) to facilitate access to markets for family farms and the valorisation of local products, with a focus on national and regional markets. It also aims to strengthen the organisation of producers and inter-stakeholder dialogue as well as access to financial and non-financial services (advice, training, inputs).

In parallel, GRET has also been active for more than 25 years in the field of health, particularly in nutrition.

For several years, GRET has been working to strengthen the integration of agriculture/trade and nutrition approaches in its programmes, in order to respond to current food security and nutrition challenges and support healthy and sustainable food systems. This involves implementing multi-sectoral approaches, internal dialogue, ­joint planning, and the gradual integration of new skills and methods, so that agriculture-nutrition integration is operationalised.

In particular, GRET promotes agro-ecology projects that integrate ­advice and awareness-raising mechanisms on food and nutrition to enhance and strengthen the virtuous food and nutritional effects of agro-ecological practices and systems. Thus, the integration of advice and awareness-raising within permanent agricultural support systems (farmers’ and professional organisations, state services) that complement health services ensures sustainability and a change of scale. Finally, since local agrifood chains play an important role in the availability and accessibility of quality local food, GRET supports many actors in these chains so that they are inclusive, sustainable, and income-generating, but also so that the processed products are healthy, nutritious, attractive, and financially accessible.

Within this framework, GRET has been implementing the “Low Input Intensive Agriculture” (LIIIA) project in 54 villages in Siem Reap province, Cambodia, since 2010. This project aims to improve and secure the living conditions of family farmers through agroecological practices in Siem Reap province. The project activities are expected to contribute to :

1. Train family farms in agroecology and encourage the dissemination of techniques through a local network of farmer trainers.
2. Increase production in the sectors through agro-ecology, develop and certify the quality of local products and ensure outlets by structuring these sectors.
3. Promote and strengthen socio-professional organisations in rural areas in order to guarantee long-term support services to the actors in the sectors.

The APICI project is complemented, since 2021, by the programme agreement “Assurer la Sécurité Alimentaire et Nutritionnelle en Afrique de l’Ouest et dans les Suds” (ASANAO), which has the overall objective of ensuring the promotion and implementation of sustainable and nutrition-friendly food systems in 8 countries.

Thus, GRET strengthens the structuring of local vegetable, rice and chicken chains, promotes market access and recognition of quality and healthy products via a Participatory Guarantee System, supports the structuring of farmers through cooperatives, promotes access to credit for investment through savings and credit groups, supports small-scale irrigation and trains target populations in agro-ecological techniques, the basics of nutrition and the economic analysis of farms.

This is the context for this mission.

Duties/Functions

The main purpose of this technical assistance position is to support the APICI/ASANAO project team, and more specifically the nutritionist, in the implementation of nutrition awareness activities, in connection with agricultural activities and value chains, to participate in the collective reflection on the development of GRET’s agriculture and nutrition activities in South East Asia and to capitalise on the methodology used. The main missions are specified below. These tasks may change according to the expectations and needs of the team.

* Support the project team in the implementation and monitoring of ASANAO project activities, and ensure linkage with the agricultural activities and value chains of the APICI project

• To support the project team in the design of a training programme adapted to the local context, for the different target audiences (all villagers, vulnerable households, pregnant and lactating women, households with children under two, partners and local authorities) and following the LANN (Linking Agriculture, Natural resources management and Nutrition) approach.
• To support the project team, partners, local authorities and village health support groups in the implementation of training in the 54 intervention villages.
• Ensure the proper implementation of activities in the field, including maintaining the participatory nature of the training (through games, group work, role-playing and short plays, etc).
• Support the nutritionist in the preparation of material and visual aids for the implementation of nutrition activities in the field.
• Support the development of cross-cutting actions between nutrition, production and commodity chains in order to give the target populations the means to initiate a change in behaviour towards better food and nutritional practices (e.g. seed kits for diversified gardens for self-consumption by households).
• In collaboration with the marketing team, tailor key nutrition messages for consumers at the Siem Reap weekend produce market.
• Ensure, together with the monitoring and evaluation officer, the monitoring of the quality and impact of nutrition interventions and the filling in of project indicators.
• Contribution to the activity reports of the APICI and ASANAO projects.

* Contribute to the capitalisation and communication of GRET’s experience in South East Asia in terms of integration between agriculture/trade and nutrition

• Participate in the various workshops and exchanges organised within the framework of the ASANAO programme, by the SUN CSA Cambodia network and within the framework of the ASSET project (Agroecology and Safe Food System Transitions in South East Asia) and contribute to the facilitation of internal and external workshops on the promotion of sustainable and nutrition-friendly food systems.
• Participate in the preparation of an intervention in a webinar presenting the capitalisation carried out on LANN (1st semester 2023) and the sharing of the project documentation with the ASANAO monitoring committee team to feed the toolbox
• Organise regular meetings between the project leader, the Siege Programme Manager in charge of monitoring the project and the ASANAO coordination team, to monitor the progress of activities and the strategy deployed.
• Participation in GRET’s Nutsan team meetings related to its area of intervention.
• In collaboration with the Siege Programme Manager in charge of monitoring the project, capitalise on the nutrition awareness methodology implemented by GRET in South-East Asia to draw lessons, with a view to improving approaches and sharing results with teams in other countries.
• Co-organise a workshop to exchange experiences between the Cambodian and Burmese nutrition teams on the implementation of the LANN approach and its adaptation to different contexts.
• Support for the drafting of communication documents (newsletters, project sheets) on the projects to which he/she is attached.

Profile required

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent in agriculture, health or nutrition
• Training and/or successful experience in gender or climate change issues would be appreciated
• Fluency in English (written and spoken) is essential, fluency in French is highly desirable
• Knowledge of Khmer would be an asset

Experiences

• At least two years’ experience in international development NGOs working in the field of agriculture, health and nutrition of vulnerable populations, and conducting multi-sectoral actions.
• A good knowledge of the Cambodian context would be desirable

Personal skills

• Ability to lead a meeting
• Ability to work in a multicultural and multidisciplinary team
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills
• Taste for the field
• Good writing and oral communication skills
• Good ability to work under pressure
• Good listening, analytical and creative skills
• Computer skills

GRET is committed to people with disabilities and actively fights against all forms of discrimination. This offer is open to all persons with the required profile.

Conditions of exercise

The Technical Assistant will work under the hierarchical responsibility of the Country Representative and under the functional responsibility of the Siege Programme Manager, in charge of the project monitoring, and under the supervision of the Project Manager based in Siem Reap.

Place of employment: Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Desired starting date: August 2022

Type of contract: Fix term contract for 12 months, renewable. Salary from 32,4 K€ gross per year, depending on the experience of the person selected and according to the GRET salary scale + Expatriation allowance from 1 200 euros depending on the family situation.