Participatory Plant Breeding Officer job at Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) | Apply Now

• Providing Technical support and guidance on Participatory Plant Breeding and agrobiodiversity management for the project.

• Execute capacity building activities on Participatory Plant Breeding (participatory variety selection, participatory variety enhancement or participatory variety development) especially for rural farmer’s capacity to access, maintain, improve and develop plant genetic resources using the FFS methodology

• Support the preparation of the training content and materials for the capacity building including on PPB, agrobiodiversity management, farmer managed seed systems: concept notes, budgets, and other support documents.

• Support FFS to conduct participatory identification of priorities for plant breeding (breeding objectives/desired crop traits) and nutrition/local food plants (nutrition bottlenecks, including access to and affordability of nutritious food) depending on farmers' needs to determine shared research agenda.

• Plans and leads country level thematic working groups/or participates in Country implementing Teams meetings or provides specialized expertise on technical networks

• Support and link farmer field schools with breeders to conduct access breeding lines and undertake PPB

• Implement activities to improve nutrition through the better utilization of local food plants/NUS (FFSbased) through processing, novel cooking methods, domestication/conservation of wild and semi-wild species, seed production, conservation and access.

• Responds to Farmer Field Schools' requests for technical assistance; provides technical advice, assistance and solutions including providing technical backstopping to field projects.

• Support establishment of strong working relationship between FFS and research institutions to strengthen the capacity of FFS and farmer organizations in (participatory) breeding, variety evaluation and genetic resources/diversity management methods.

• Provide training and capacity strengthening for smallholder farmers and research institutions on agroecological crop and land management to ensure PPB efforts respond to and are embedded in local agroecosystems and are climate-resilient.

• Support establishment of Community Seed Banks (existent or to be established) as hubs where diversity management, seed bulking, commercialization and knowledge sharing come together, and develop local management strategies for their sustainable functioning

• Responsible for the assigned budgets related to participatory plant breeding, monitor the expenditures and report on this to the programme manager.

• Plan for the effective and efficient use of Participatory Plant Breeding resources and approaches within the project scope.

• Evaluate, innovate, and adapt the strategy on Participatory Plant Breeding as part of the RiD project to strengthen food seed and nutrition security.

Monitoring and reporting

• Gather, consolidate, and submit required project data to the Programme Manager-ASNRM on a regular basis and promote project-wide knowledge management, learning and data utilization.

• Lead the data gathering with (local) partners and country offices for monitoring, evaluating, knowledge building and learning on Participatory Plant Breeding and share these with program stakeholders; proactively support exchange on these.

• Ensure data quality control and assurance by reviewing Country Implementing Teams reports on PPB, ensuring their compliance with contract requirements and submit to the Programme manager.

• Work in coordination with Country Implementing Teams and Outcome Delivery Groups to document best practice and learning experiences. Ensure that learning is documented, shared, and utilized as per donor requirements.

• Prepare and submit training and project reports to the Programme Manager-ASNRM.

Support to the Programme Manager-ASNRM

• Participate in regular planning and progress review meetings with the Programme Manager-ASNRM, and with the project team and coordinate operational monitoring of project activities including organizing and convening monthly progress meetings of the Project Management Unit (PMU);

• Organise and facilitate project events and activities as per project workplan. These may include active involvement in planning and facilitating or co-facilitating at meetings, learning events, workshops, training courses, and other related project platforms.

• Ensure that the Consortium Members, Steering Group and other stakeholders are kept informed of progress and key issues pertaining to PPB and support the Programme Manager-ASNRM as required.

• Support the Programme Manager-ASNRM to conduct, commission and manage PPB research and evaluation.

• Support implementation of other seed and agrobiodiversity management related interventions within the ASNRM department.

General Duties

• Attend regular departmental meetings and provide feedback especially from other meetings and other key PELUMs issues and events that impact on the work of the departmental staff.

• Actively participate in planning, budgeting, M&E and reporting on PELUM Uganda activities. Advising staff, board, PELUM members on PPB related issues.

• Support fundraising activities in collaboration with other project teams and in line with Project implementation plans and requirements.