Nepal’s Constitution has established food security, the right to food, and food sovereignty as fundamental rights, with the government entrusted to uphold them. However, Nepal ranks 73 out of 117 food-importing nations in the 2022 Global Hunger Report, with approximately 45 out of 77 districts facing food insufficiency. To address this challenge and align with Sustainable Development Goals, a project named ” Renewable Energy for Resilient Agri-Food Systems (RERAS)” is being funded by the Norwegian Embassy and implemented by UNDP in 11 local governments across Sudurpaschim, Karnali, and Bagmati provinces. This project focuses on enhancing agricultural productivity and food security by leveraging affordable energy solutions, empowering local farmers through modern technology, and partnering with government bodies and national organizations. with the support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy.
The project aims to contribute to the “improved food and nutrition security of the communities in targeted municipalities of Sudurpaschim and Karnali provinces by promoting indigenous crop varieties through mechanization of agriculture using renewable energy-based technology.” The project will support establishing dedicated funds at local level to support the farmers for use of modern technology in production, processing, and marketing. The project will work with the local and provincial governments, academia, cooperatives, traders, and service providers to enhance their knowledge on use of modern technology for food production and sustainable food system management through capacity building and provisions for climate information, policies, access to finance, and research based improvised farming. Extensive use of energy-based and climate smart technology will help reduce the cost of production and increase local food supply. This will also support economic empowerment of women, returnee migrants, youths and marginalized groups through job creation and contribute to poverty reduction, environmental safeguarding, sustainable production and consumption, and gender equality and social inclusion.
In the context of the ‘Renewable Energy for Resilient Agri-Food Systems (RERAS), UNDP is looking to recruit a dedicated, experienced, and competent Project Analyst – Private Sector and Agri-Value Chain. S/he will be responsible for providing technical guidance to project team and implementing partners on effective implementation and private sector engagement with market linkages and value chain of agri produce.

• Provide technical guidance to project team, implementing partners, government officials and other stakeholders, related to private sector engagement, public private partnership, promotion of agro-based enterprises and market value chain.
• Lead and assure quality of the agro-business opportunities and expansion.
• Provide guidance to partners and local governments in setting priorities particularly on engaging and promoting private sectors, financial institutions, and SMEs; and leveraging conditional, equalization, special grant of the federal and provincial governments in municipal priority areas including project support funds.
• Provide technical support in establishing market outlets, and post-harvest management.
• Provide technical backstopping to the partners, local governments, cooperative and other extension providers for the promotion of appropriate tools, digital systems and improved production and marketing practices to enhance productivity and agri-value chain mechanism.
• Assist in integrating data and results of private sector engagement and its benefits in the project interventions.
• Conduct regular meetings and follow ups with project team, partners, relevant stakeholders, and private sectors on achieving program results.
• Timely monitoring of the project activities and ensure that the proper and relevant knowledge management has been carried out at project and partners’ level.
• Ensure the training modules are developed and organized events accordingly.
• Analyze financial incentives for farmers’ adoption of postharvest technology.
• Capacitate local governments, partners, farmers, community groups and relevant stakeholders on private sector engagement, economy promotion, and supply chain mechanisms.
• Support local governments and cooperatives in market facilities in collaboration with the project team, partners, and stakeholders.
• Lead in mapping of local value chain actors and build their capacity to strengthen value chain of selected commodity.
• Support in formulating legally and locally accepted financial instruments like local agricultural policies, strategies, acts, guidelines, procedures, standard norms, for smooth operation of agriculture program -beyond project.
•  Support the provision of postharvest handling and marketing of fruit and vegetables to operators of collection centers and satellite markets.
• Contribute to build the capacity of staffs of local government and cooperatives on themes relevant to the position.
• Support the cooperatives and market centers to prepare business plans, operational plans, and other relevant policy documents, and their smooth implementations,
• Support in establishing market information system at collection centers and satellite markets and identify opportunities to strengthen the system.
• Identify potential market actors and business development service providers and connect with producer’s organization for assured market and services.

Strengthening capacity of project partners and beneficiaries:

• Provide technical back stopping to the partners, local governments, cooperative and other extension providers for the promotion of appropriate production technologies and improved production and marketing practices to enhance productivity and reduce postharvest losses of fruit and vegetables.
•  Support local governments and cooperatives in market facilities in collaboration with the project team, partners, and stakeholders.
• Provide technical inputs in mapping of local value chain actors, prepare roadmap, and support them in capacity development at different node of value chain of selected commodity to strengthen resilient energy-food system.
• Undertake gap assessment and capacitated local government, cooperatives, farmers groups, women entrepreneurs, and other service providers.
• Support in formulation of legal instruments like local agricultural policies, strategies, acts, guidelines, procedures, standard norms, for smooth operation of agriculture program -beyond project.
• Support the provision of postharvest handling and marketing of fruit and vegetables to operators of collection centers and satellite markets.
• Contribute to build the capacity of staffs of local government and cooperatives on themes relevant to the position.
• Support the cooperatives and market centers to prepare business plans, operational plans, and other relevant policy documents, and their smooth implementations,
• Support in establishing market information system at collection centers and satellite markets and identify opportunities to strengthen the system.
• Identify potential market actors and business development service providers and connect with producer’s organization for assured market and services.

Reporting and documentation responsibility

• In consultation with the Project Manager prepare and finalize progress reports periodically as agreed in monitoring and reporting timeline and deliverables as per the standard template of UNDP and donor.
• Prepare and submit periodic delivery reports.
• Prepare and finalization of project briefs and other documents and ensure their quality.

Ensure Gender Equality and Social Inclusion throughout the project intervention.

• Capacitate and empower women and ensure gender equality and social inclusion component in all project interventions.
• Ensure meaningful participation of women, dalit, janajati and people with disability in all stages of project cycle.
• Ensure integration of GESI aspects in all stages of the project in coordination with Project GESI Focal Person.
• Create a safe working environment by developing respectful and safe organizational culture and supporting practices;
• Collaborates with team members, programme partners, and sub-grantees to ensure safe implementation of programmes at the community level applying Do No Harm approach.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

• System Thinking. Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

Business development

• Collective Intelligence Design. Ability to bring together diverse groups of people, data, information, ideas, and technology to solve problems and design solutions or services. Knowledge and understanding of Collective Intelligence Design principles, methodology and practices.

Business Management

• Partnerships Management. Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.
• Working with Evidence and Data    Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions and supporting decision-making

Technical Competencies:
2030 Agenda: Planet

• Climate. Climate Change Adaptation: Fostering Food Security and resilient Agricultural systems

2030 Agenda: Partnerships

• SDG Finance. Inclusive and Sustainable Business Models

2030 Agenda: People

• Gender. Gender social norms and behavioural change