Agricultural Specialist/Rural Development Specialist
English
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Description Established in 1944, the WBG is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. In fiscal year 2018, the WBG committed $67 billion in loans, grants, equity investments and guarantees to its members and private businesses, of which $24 billion was concessional finance to its poorest members. It is governed by 188-member countries and delivers services out of 120 offices with nearly 15,000 staff located globally. The WBG consists of five specialized institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The World Bank is organized into six client-facing Regional Vice-Presidencies, several corporate functions and thirteen Global Practices to bring best-in-class knowledge and solutions to regional and country clients. Agriculture is an essential pathway to meeting the World Bank Group’s (WBG) twin goals—eliminating extreme poverty by 2030 and promoting shared prosperity. Food production must increase by at least 35 percent to meet the needs of the rising global population. Thus, ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity cannot be achieved without more and better investment in agriculture, food security, and nutrition. This in turn will require major strides in agricultural innovation and climate smart agriculture, efficiency in food production and distribution systems, promoting environmentally and socially sustainable production practices, strengthening agricultural policy and institutions, supporting agribusiness value chains, and joint private- and public- sector action. The Agriculture and Food Global Practice (GP) of the WBG supports a Global Vision for Food and Agriculture with agriculture able to feed every person, every day, in every country with a safe, nutritious and affordable diet, and where jobs and income gains in the food system are sufficient to meet poverty reduction targets. The GP helps client countries through a work program (150+ operations) that includes engagement in policy dialogue, investment, and forging partnerships across the globe seeking to (i) raise agricultural productivity, (ii) link farmers to markets and strengthen value chains in maximizing finance for development (MFD), (iii) support rural non-farm income, (iv) reduce risk, vulnerability, and gender inequality, and (v) enhance environmental services and sustainability. In recognition of the fact that Agriculture outcomes often depend on actions that lie outside the Practice, the GP actively collaborates with other Global Practices, including, inter alia: Water; Environment and Natural Resources; Social Protection and Jobs; and Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation. The Agriculture and Food GP team for India (SSAA2), which includes staff based in the New Delhi Office, other Indian cities, Bangkok and the World Bank Headquarters in Washington, DC, is headed by a Practice Manager based in Washington, DC, who also covers Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and who plays the lead role in developing and implementing the World Bank agriculture and rural strategy in India including supervising the pipeline and active portfolio. Duties & Accountabilities: We are seeking an Agriculture Specialist and a Rural Development Specialist to support our operational work in the India agriculture and rural livelihoods portfolio. The World Bank has invested over $2 billion in these interventions over the last 15 years and, for example, the rural livelihoods model has been scaled up through the Government of India's National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). Ongoing SSAA2 projects have targeted enhancing incomes and living standards of rural poor households through interventions to: increase access to financial services; increase investments in productive agricultural activities such as irrigation; enhance access to technical services relating to agriculture and allied sectors, for which they depend on for employment and income; and enhance access to core government welfare schemes. They have aimed to build voice and agency of the poor through identifying and mobilizing them into local community institutions; increasing access to financial resources by capitalizing community institutions through project funds and linkages to commercial banks; and strengthening local implementation capacity for delivery of key services through capacity-building of members of community institutions and developing local para-professionals. The new generation of projects leverage this current experience, with a focus on enhancing economic and human development outcomes for rural households through: a) Value chain development along specific farm and non-farm commodities/products; b) Enterprise Development and Skill Development for increase access to jobs; and c) Last Mile Public Service Delivery Improvement (especially on Health, Nutrition and Sanitation). The Agricultural Specialist and the Rural Development Specialist will be part of the India Agriculture and Food Team. The primary responsibility of the Agricultural Specialist and the Rural Development Specialist will be to provide implementation support, policy dialogue, technical assistance and knowledge management to the on-going rural livelihoods and agriculture program/projects in India. In particular, the Agricultural Specialist and the Rural Development Specialist will: |
