Agroecologist, Diverse Landscape Systems

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, known by its Spanish acronym, CIMMYT®, is not-for-profit agricultural research for development organization with partners in over 100 countries. Please refer to our website for more information: www.cimmyt.org

CIMMYT is looking for an outstanding, self-motivated, and result-oriented professional for the position Agroecologist, Diverse Landscape Systems, to work in the Sustainable Agri-food Systems (SAS) and be part of Transforming Agri-Food Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA), a One CGIAR regional integrated initiative to support actions that improve equitable access to sustainable healthy diets, improve farmers’ livelihoods and resilience, and conserve land, air, and water resources in South Asia. For more information: Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia – CGIAR.

The location of this position will be confirmed between Dhaka, Bangladesh or Delhi, India.

Specific duties:

• Work with senior staff to facilitate the research and partnership activities implemented in TAFSSA’s Work Package 2 on ‘Transforming agroecosystems and rural economies to boost income, generate jobs, and support diversified food production within environmental boundaries’ and ‘Building resilience and mitigating environmental impact’ in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan
• Lead research contributing to the development of a comprehensive decision support framework to support transitions toward nutrition sensitive landscapes in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan
• Integrate the use of large-scale, secondary datasets with primary data collection to characterize production diversification and agrobiodiversity, nutritional yield, and assesses ecosystem services at the national, state/district levels
• Design research and lead participatory multi-stakeholder interactions with institutions and agencies involved in agricultural production and marketing, land-use planning, and extension to identify potential pathways towards multi-functional production diversification at the landscape level
• Conduct research at the watershed and landscape scale in select TAFSSA learning locations, we will conduct community- and household-level surveys to characterize farmers’ perceptions of agrobiodiversity, markets, nutritional outcomes, and the maintenance of ecosystem services.
• Collaborate with hydrological modeling teams to link landscape- and watershed-level research to modeling assessments of the ramifications of different land use and cropping patterns on groundwater conservation
• Provide technical backstopping to research and agricultural development collaborators to develop efficient and dynamic research and development programs
• Work closely with an interdisciplinary team of social scientists, agronomists, data scientists, remote sensing specialists, and soil scientists to advance TAFSSA’s goals
• Assist in the design and implementation of capacity building strategies with an emphasis on developing appropriate training content, materials and developing decision support tools for different stakeholder groups.
• Contribute to the development of innovation learning platforms with a diverse set of public and private sector partners, including advanced research institutions.
• Summarize and communicate project activities to various audiences, while contributing to annual and semi-annual reports.
• Properly maintain and archive agricultural and field data records and maintain data archiving and back-up systems.
• Publish research results in peer-reviewed publications.
• Provide technical support for the work of the project’s monitoring and evaluation team.

Required qualifications, skills, and attitudes:

• PhD in agroecology, ecology, farming systems, landscape ecology or agronomy/agricultural with a sound understanding of the previous three disciplines.
• Demonstrated international research experience.
• Experience in the linkages between agricultural productivity, agrobiodiversity, human nutrition, and/or livestock production and health are advantageous.
• Demonstrated practical experience training/working with farmers and stakeholders on the principles of agroecology and agricultural and natural resources management.
• Demonstrated experience in the implementation and management of farmer-participatory research and community-based research approaches.
• Prior experience collaborating with national research institutions and/or NGOs working in biodiversity conservation and community development and landscape planning is an advantage.
• Good communication skills for farmers, agricultural service providers, extension and outreach professionals, and private sector partners.
• Competence with common computer software packages for communications, data management, and statistical analysis, specifically, knowledge of R and potentially Python for data analysis would be an advantage
• Working and demonstrated experience with spatial analytics and tools including GIS and remote sensing techniques is an advantage.
• Familiarity with crop modelling and gridded spatial modelling is a benefit, as is familiarity with linked land-use and hydrological modelling tools such as SWAT-MODFLOW.
• Record of quality peer-reviewed publications.
• The selected candidate should exhibit the following competencies: Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Teamwork, Critical Thinking and Communication.

The position is for an initial fixed-term for two (2) years, after which further employment is subject to performance and the continued availability of funds. CIMMYT’s internationally competitive salary and benefits include housing allowance, car, comprehensive health, and life insurance, assistance for children’s education, paid vacation, annual home travel airfare, contribution to a retirement plan, and generous assistance with relocation shipment.

Candidates must apply online for IRS22141_ Agroecologist, Diverse Landscape Systems.

Screening and follow-up of applications will begin on Friday, September 30^th, 2022. Applications must include a CV and a cover letter. Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration. For further information on the selection process, please contact Yessica Castillo, at y.castillo@cgiar.org

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

This position will remain open until filled. 

CIMMYT is an equal-opportunity employer. It fosters a multicultural work environment that values gender equality, teamwork, and respect for diversity. Women are encouraged to apply.