CIAT is seeking applications for a Senior Research Fellow or Senior Scientist position in agricultural marketing research and development to develop interventions and build capacity to enhance the income and employment opportunities for smallholder producers and the local private sector in the Lao Peoples’ Democratic Republic, with a specific focus on the marginalized poor, especially women and ethnic minorities, in upland regions of the country.

For the last seven years, CIAT, with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), has worked with partners in Laos and Vietnam to implement a series of projects to develop and pilot improved linkages of farmers with markets that are appropriate to the economic, cultural and political settings. At the local level, these approaches have enabled communities to link to markets and engage in market systems. This has affected production, income, and trading relationships. In some cases, this work has provided a pathway for the development of new markets and/or changes in trade procedures through improved economic governance. Also, the project has been formative in developing capacity and attitudes of local authorities towards the development of a market economy. The main Lao partners have been smallholder farmers, local traders, and provincial and district government staff in Xieng Kouang and Luang Prabang provinces, and national government level institutions.

Currently, SDC is supporting a further phase of SADU (Smallholder Agricultural-market Development in the Uplands) in Laos, which runs until June 2011, with a further two years planned, depending on progress. In consolidating and expanding the outcomes of earlier work, the three components of the current phase have the aims that:

1. In selected market chains the private sector has taken advantage of opportunities, and the provincial and district government have addressed local market constraints, supporting smallholder integration into markets.
2. The policy environment is more conducive for integration of smallholders into market chains.
3. Project partners working with market chains scale-out poverty impacts, through integration of smallholders into markets.

The basic strategies of SADU will be:

1. Engagement in market chain development for poverty alleviation and to improve smallholder farming households incomes and livelihoods through increases to the efficiency and effectiveness of market chains, and the capacity of project partners and key stakeholders, including the full range of private sector actors, to be able to engage in market chain development;
2. Learning from market chain engagement to support the development of tools and approaches that can be used to support the work of project partners and key stakeholders;
3. Capitalization of market chain learning to share project learning, tools and approaches with a range of partners and key stakeholders for widespread poverty impacts;
4. Understanding market chain impacts to improve intervention design and understanding of the most effective means of targeting beneficiaries.

Responsibilities

The person recruited have the following responsibilities:

• Oversee the implementation, finances, and reporting for the project.
• Continue the work of earlier phases of SADU in market chain development, linkages to the private sector, the encouragement of local business development services, and fostering improved trade linkages
• Participate in the training and mentoring of development partners as they adopt the approaches developed by SADU.
• Establish and maintain partnerships with local governmental and informal organizations and foster the effective operation of a Learning Alliance to exchange views and experiences on market development.
• Undertake research and policy development aimed at strengthening the linking of farmers to markets
• Manage the collection, generation, and documentation of information and knowledge within the project
• Link with other CIAT projects and with other projects/initiatives in agricultural production and/or marketing to identify areas for mutual benefit
• Participate in the design and execution of training and other capacity building activities that will lead to the gradual institutionalization of the concepts, methods and tools developed by the project at local, provincial and national levels.
• Explore new government and non-government institutional arrangements for scaling out development of improved market linkages for smallholder farmers in the uplands, with a specific focus on the marginalized poor, especially women and ethnic minorities.

Requirements

The person recruited will have:

• A relevant postgraduate degree, preferably a Ph.D., in Agricultural Economics, Marketing, Agricultural/Biological Sciences, Development Studies, or other related areas
• Significant experience with marketing issues, market chain development, and business development services, especially related to smallholder farming systems.
• Experience in community development in developing economies. Experience in SE Asia would be beneficial.
• Strong capabilities in the use of highly participatory research approaches and of quantitative and qualitative analysis, with an excellent reporting/publication record.
• Experience and skills in training and mentoring.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Project management experience
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural team-oriented environment with colleagues, partner organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Willingness to travel frequently within the country.
• Fluency in English is essential. Knowledge of Lao would be beneficial.

Terms of Employment

CIAT is one of 15 not-for-profit centers funded by various countries, private foundations, and international and regional organizations that make up the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). CIAT conducts socially and environmentally progressive research aimed at reducing hunger and poverty, and preserving natural resources in developing countries. CIAT offers internationally competitive salary packages, is an equal opportunity employer, and believes that the diversity of its staff contributes to excellence. CIAT is interested in increasing the diversity of its staff and particularly encourages applications from both women and developing country professionals.

The position will be based in the CIAT in Asia Regional office in Vientiane, Lao PDR. There will be frequent travel within Laos, and occasional travel to other countries in the region and to other areas where CIAT is involved with agroenterprise development activities.

The initial period of contract will be for two years, depending on the availability of funds, and with the expectation of continuance of employment, given satisfactory performance and approval of further funding.

Additional information about CIAT can be obtained from the CIAT website http://www.ciat.cgiar.org/

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