Agriculture Specialist

Role Overview

The Agriculture Specialist will be responsible for providing technical expertise in the design, implementation, and evaluation of agriculture-focused projects. The incumbent will lead the assessment of agricultural value chains, farm productivity, and market systems, and contribute to the formulation of evidence-based recommendations through economic and impact evaluation lenses.

The role requires a strong understanding of agri-economics, farm systems, sustainable agriculture practices, and livelihood diversification, coupled with hands-on experience in conducting impact assessments, cost-benefit analysis, and policy evaluations related to the agriculture sector.

Key Responsibilities

•    Evaluation Design & Technical Inputs

o    Lead the design and implementation of impact evaluation studies and baseline/midline/endline surveys for agriculture-related programs.

o    Define evaluation frameworks aligned with OECD DAC criteria, SDG indicators, and national agricultural development goals.

o    Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) across productivity, sustainability, income diversification, and climate resilience dimensions.

•    Agri-Economic Analysis

o    Conduct agri-economic and value chain analysis to assess productivity, profitability, and sustainability of farming systems.

o    Evaluate cost-effectiveness and socio-economic returns of agricultural interventions (e.g., irrigation systems, FPOs, crop diversification, input support).

o    Develop models to assess farm-level income, input–output ratios, and benefit–cost structures.

•    Stakeholder Engagement

o    Liaise with farmers, producer organizations, government departments, agri-input providers, and financial institutions to gather qualitative and quantitative insights.

o    Facilitate participatory rural appraisals (PRAs) and focus group discussions with farming communities.

•    Research & Knowledge Generation

o    Lead secondary literature reviews and prepare thematic notes on agricultural trends, policies, and market linkages.

o    Generate policy briefs, research papers, and evaluation reports highlighting evidence-backed insights for program improvement.

•    Monitoring & Learning

o    Support in designing Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) systems for agriculture projects.

o    Integrate climate-smart agriculture and sustainability indicators within project results frameworks.

Required Qualifications & Skills

•    Educational Background:

o    Master's degree or higher in Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness Management, Agricultural Development, Rural Management, or related fields.

Experience:

o    Minimum 7–10 years of experience in agriculture sector programs, preferably with exposure to evaluation, research, or consulting assignments.

o    Demonstrated experience in impact assessments, cost-benefit/SROI analysis, or policy evaluations of agriculture and livelihood projects.

o    Prior experience working with CSR initiatives, multilateral agencies, or government missions (e.g., RKVY, NRLM, NABARD, or World Bank projects) preferred.

Technical Competencies:

o    Strong grasp of agricultural economics, value chains, and farm-level financial modeling.

o    Knowledge of climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture practices.

o    Proficiency in data analysis tools (Excel, SPSS, STATA, or R) and ability to interpret quantitative and qualitative data.

Soft Skills:

o    Excellent analytical, writing, and presentation skills.

o    Strong ability to work with multidisciplinary teams and field partners.

o    Willingness to travel to rural and remote locations for fieldwork.

Desirable Attributes

•    Exposure to agri-enterprise development, farmer producer organizations (FPOs), or agri-finance.

•    Understanding of gender and inclusion aspects in agriculture and livelihoods.

•    Experience in developing knowledge products such as policy notes, best practice documentation, and impact stories.