AFR-07

Organization title: World Food Programme
Field Location: Lilongwe, Malawi
Policy Location: Rome, Italy

DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION

World Food Programme (WFP) is the food aid arm of the United Nations system. Food aid is one of the many instruments that can help to promote food security, which is defined as access of all people at all times to the food needed for an active and healthy life. The policies governing the use of World Food Programme food aid must be oriented towards the objective of eradicating hunger and poverty. The ultimate objective of food aid should be the elimination of the need for food aid. Targeted interventions are needed to help to improve the lives of the poorest people - people who, either permanently or during crisis periods, are unable to produce enough food or do not have the resources to otherwise obtain the food that they and their households require for active and healthy lives.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The project that the fellow will be working on is a two year project which started in January 2008 and will continue until December 2010. It focuses on disaster risk reduction and protecting the livelihood of food insecure and vulnerable people in Malawi. Moving on from the recovery phase of the Southern Africa Humanitarian Crisis, WFP assistance in Malawi will address the food needs of households enduring successive shocks to health, food production and income, and who are at high risk of hunger and poverty. Life-saving support will also be provided to those made food insecure by the HIV and AIDS pandemic, and to households with transitory food needs as a result of shocks. The sustainability of these livelihood protection activities will be achieved through strategic partnerships with Government, communities and a variety of stakeholders.

Several new initiatives are being planned for 2008 within the framework of this project. These initiatives include a cash transfers project and a P4P project, both are innovative ways to meet the country offices’ strategic objectives. The cash transfers is a year long pilot project that focuses on disaster risk reduction by building community assets such as small scale irrigation schemes and embankments. Community members that participate in these projects will be paid in cash rather than in food. This project is expected to start in September 2008.

The P4P project is the Purchase for Project. Malawi is one of five countries where the P4P iniative will be piloted to help connect smallholder farmers to markets. It seeks to redirect some of WFP procurement process towards purchasing from small farmers and farmers associations rather than exclusively from larger traders.

FIELD PLACEMENT

Working within the section responsible for Analysis and M&E, and under direct supervision of the Deputy Head of Programme and overall supervision of the Head of Programme, the fellow will be responsible for strengthening the market analysis capacity in the Malawi Country Office. The staff member will consult externally with institutions such as FEWSNET, MVAC, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Ministry of Trade and Industry, and academic institutions, as well as internally with the Programme Units and initiatives (specifically VAM & M&E, P4P, Cash Pilot Project) to provide a market analysis strategy. In particular, he/she will likely be responsible for the following activities, among others:

• Assessing the role of markets in determining availability and access components of food security;
• Assessing the impact of government policies with special attention to the role of ADMARC, price ceilings, trade restrictions;
• Integrating market analysis into CO information systems such as VAM/M&E and possibly MVAC assessments to advise procurement, P4P, Cash Pilot and other programmes and initiatives in CO;
• Recommending methodology in collaboration with Headquarters and local level stakeholders in analyzing the of impact of increasing global commodity prices at macro and micro levels;
• Identifying possible market intervention options to support CO programmes and to facilitate programme decision making;
• Recommend market analysis methodology and conduct assessments in collaboration with relevant stakeholders
• Assess market analysis training needs, organize and facilitate trainings to build in house market analysis capacity of relevant country office staff;

POLICY PLACEMENT

The first year will focus on mainly on market analysis to support the programme unit mainly on P4P, Cash Transfers, high food price initiatives at country office level. It is anticipated that in the second year s/he will do similar work at headquarters level within the Policy Unit in Rome (rather than the Country Office in Malawi) focusing on P4P.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

• At least Bachelor’s Degree for example in the fields of Economics, Agricultural
• Economics, Business Administration and Management or related field; advanced degree preferable;
• Skills in macro and micro economic analysis of markets, preferably in food security context;
• Demonstrated ability in qualitative and quantitative analysis and knowledge of relevant software;
• Excellent writing skills, proven ability to produce quality reports and present to wide audience of varying educational background;
• Good understanding of developing countries, poverty and food security;
• Ability to work independently, shows good initiative and resourcefulness; prepared to work in difficult field situations and
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team in a multi cultural context.

Required Competencies

• Action management, ethics and values, team work, client orientation, cognitive capacity, interpersonal relations, stamina and stress resistance, behavioral flexibility and partnering/communication skills.