National Irrigation Specialist

Organizational Setting

The main aim of FAO country offices, which are headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve security and reduce hunger and malnutrition to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forest sectors, and use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner

Rwanda ranks of 13th on vulnerability means that it is highly vulnerable to climate change effects. Floods and landslides have been among the major disasters that have great negative impact on food security, health, environment and infrastructures in different zones of the country.

Kirehe District is one of Rwandan districts that was severely affected by disasters in 2019. The district has been undergoing a prolonged drought and the heavy rains between January and March 2019 has compounded the risk of unprecedented run-offs that resulted into flooding and landslides. During the season 2020 A&B, the rains have again heavily impacted the agricultural production in marshlands, where they drastic effects include house destruction, erosion of the top soil and submerging the crops in those marshlands where more than 150 hectares of rice fields were damaged.                                                                                                                 

According to the district’s officials, six of Kirehe’s 12 sectors were the most affected and those are Kigarama, Kigina, Nyamugari, Mahama, Nyarubuye and Mpanga. The livelihoods are becoming a challenge in those areas especially where a majority of the population depend on casual agricultural work and for households’ own subsistence farming. The markets in the affected areas are functioning. Therefore, to rehabilitate the irrigation infrastructures while enhancing communities’ capacity, the cash for work modality will be used.

Based on the above background, the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) requested Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to support this project entitled, “Emergency support to rehabilitate and enhance agricultural production capacities of farmers affected by floods in Kirehe District”. The project aims to mitigate the negative impact of floods and mudslides resulting from recent adverse climatic events by promoting prompt resumption of agricultural production through:

• Rehabilitating the irrigation infrastructures destroyed by the sediments depositions in the lowlands to restore the production for the next agriculture seasons,
• Building farmers’ capacities for sustainable management of such disasters in the district.

Reporting Lines

The Agricultural/ irrigation Engineer (National consultant) will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative to Rwanda and direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR/Programme, day-to-day supervision of the backstopping officer and in close collaboration with the NPC (appointed by the Government) and district agronomist/ irrigation officer and the FAO project Lead Technical Officer (LTO); who would support the project implementation from the FAO Sub-regional Office for Eastern Africa (SFE). 

Technical Focus

The technical focus of the work for the Agricultural/ irrigation Engineer (the national consultant) is to support technically and supervise the activities related to the prevention of negative effects of floods to communities through construction of channel masonry as the irrigation infrastructures selected for interventions.

• Construction and protection of the irrigation infrastructures selected for interventions: provision of technical report to be submitted at the beginning of the first mission only. It should clearly indicate among others the expert’s interpretation of Terms of Reference and methodology to be employed in delivering the expected deliverables from the assignment (scope of work). The report shall be submitted and presented within 2 weeks period (working days) after initiation of the task.
• Draft terminal, and End-of-assignment report

Tasks and responsibilities

The Agricultural/ irrigation Engineer will technically support and coordinate following duties:

• prepare a detailed project work-plan of the remaining period of the project TCP/RWA/3705;
• Provide inputs on the formulation of  detailed criteria for selection of beneficiaries and priority project areas;
• Mobilize and sensitize the stakeholders and beneficiaries for the rehabilitation of the damaged irrigation infrastructures.
• Supervise the repair and protection the irrigation infrastructures selected for interventions.
• prepare and submit progress reports mentioning activities undertaken (e.g. actual purchase made, number of meters  constructed, list of beneficiaries in each sector of intervention, grievances encountered, if any, etc.);
• provide support in conducting assessment of initial utilization of the construction materials delivered in selected project areas – and supervise its use by the service provider;
• in close collaboration with the district agriculture specialists prepare and submit end-of-assignment report and a draft terminal report, in English, according to FAO guidelines; and,
• Carry out any other relevant duties within his/her technical competence as may be requested by FAO.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Agricultural irrigation and related Sciences or its equivalent;
• Minimum 10 years of experience;
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required;
• Knowledge of Kinyarwanda is required;
• National of Rwanda or resident in the country with a regular work permit.
• Knowledge of French it is an assets