Junior Consultant at Biovision

Background:

Agroecology is gaining momentum and support by an increasingly wide range of experts within the scientific community, international organizations and countries as a farming and landscape approach to improve the resilience and sustainability of food systems. Despite its promise and proven relevance at practical level, research and development related to agroecology has been thought to command only a minimal share of public agricultural research funding.

The project “A4A – Advocacy for Agroecology” is implemented by Biovision in collaboration with renowned experts in field of agroecology and research investments such as IPES-Food and the Institute for Development Studies (IDS). The project aims to strengthen systemic research on agroecology by analyzing the current lock-ins and leverages, followed by advocating relevant decision makers from the donor and research communities. Analyzing investments in agriculture research for development of concrete case studies allows deepening the understanding of the current lock-ins and leverages. The case studies are Switzerland as a donor country, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as the biggest private philanthropic foundation involved in Agriculture Development and Kenya as a recipient country in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Biovision seeks to hire a qualified consultant who contributes to the analysis of the concrete case study “Kenya”.

Start and Duration of the Consultancy:

6 - 7 months work assignment starting from January 2019 until end of July 2019

Main Tasks:

• Stakeholder mapping of most influential public and private funders in agriculture research for development in Kenya
• Investigate the impact and influence of the funders
• Quantify Kenyan public funding for AgR4D in the recent years as well as main private sources
• Analyze Kenyan public funding for agroecological research using a customized methodology to categorize the funded research projects and programmes
• Identify the main challenges and opportunities to strengthen systemic, agroecological research

Main Results of the Consultancy:

• Stakeholder mapping of most influential public and private funders in agriculture research for development in Kenya
• Quantitative analysis of public and private funding for agriculture research for development conducted in Kenya
• Qualitative key informants interviews to analyze political economy behind the research investments
• Chapter with main findings of the analysis (stakeholder mapping and investment analysis)

Necessary Qualifications

• University degree in natural sciences paired with an affinity for political and diplomatic processes, or degree in social sciences matched by knowledge and skills in the fields of development cooperation, and agricultural development, policy and politics
• Knowledge of agronomy, agroecology or related fields
• Very good knowledge about the agricultural research landscape in Kenya
• Very good understanding of key funders of agriculture research for development in Kenya
• Fluency in English and Swahili (preferred)

Further necessary Skills

• Ability to analyze situations quickly, including opportunities and risks, and taking appropriate, context-specific measures
• Ability to work with limited standardized procedures and need for own initiative and independent work
• Used to communicate and interact with senior and high level decision makers such as directors of research institutes and/or directors of relevant funding agencies