WWF RCA is recruiting an agronomy expert to implement the ‘Farmer Field School’ approach and to assist with territorial agricultural planning in the Dzanga Sangha Protected Areas.
- Context
The Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas (APDS) complex, located in southwestern Central African Republic, constitutes the country’s largest virgin forest and forms the northern boundary of the Congo Basin. It covers 4,619 km² and comprises the Dzanga-Sangha Dense Forest Special Reserve and Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, separated by a community hunting zone. For over 30 years, WWF has supported the Ministry of Forests through a co-management model aimed at reconciling biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource management, and improved livelihoods for local communities.
Approximately 50,000 people live in and around the Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and depend primarily on agriculture, fishing, livestock farming, hunting, and non-timber forest products. However, population pressure, unsustainable agricultural practices, and land insecurity have led to the depletion of some land, an estimated 2,000 hectares of encroachment into the Special Protection Area, and an increase in human-wildlife conflict, particularly with elephants. Previous studies on population and land dynamics have highlighted significant potential for local land restitution by large landowners, benefiting more vulnerable or marginalized community members who are currently unable to comply with local land allocation laws.
Within a landscape-based approach, a rural development hub is being established in the surrounding area (Monasao), with a 150-hectare agroforestry project slated to expand to 500 hectares, benefiting approximately 1,000 households. To strengthen sustainable agricultural practices and support communities, WWF CAR is seeking an agronomy and rural development expert to implement agricultural extension services using the farmer field school approach within the APDS (Agricultural Development Support Project) landscape and its surrounding areas. The expert will also assist the APDS and the sub-prefectural land management committee in achieving a rational and sustainable allocation of agricultural land. The expert will be required to be present at the APDS for 10 months within a 12-month period.
Responsible Persons:
- Head of the Development and Community Rights Department and Head of the Research and Monitoring Department
- APDS Directorate
- Consultation location:
Monasao, on the outskirts of the APDS, and Bayanga (APDS headquarters)
- Objectives and results
The main objective is to rationalize agriculture and thus increase the sustainability of agriculture while intensifying it in the APDS cultivation strip and its peripheral zone.
More specifically, the consultant is responsible for implementing and coordinating agricultural extension services through farmer field schools over a full agricultural calendar (minimum 12 months) and for assisting the APDS (Agricultural Development Support Program) and the sub-prefectural land management committee in streamlining land allocation. This includes:
Field School Approach:
- Strengthening the capacities and supporting farmers from 6 targeted villages (e.g. Nguengueli, Medao Monasao, Babongo) in agricultural practices;
- Develop the activity based on existing studies contextualized to APDS (appendix) and carry it out from beginning to end;
- Train new trainers during the year (in each of the villages);
- Establish a school/landscape field/demonstration plots in each village
- Contextualize and strengthen capacities on issues of soil preparation, crop variety and seeding rate (kg/ha or plants/ha), spacing, type of fertilizer and rate (kg/ha or tonne/ha), weeding and weeding methods, pest management, disease management, harvesting, post-harvest activities, and other.
Territorial management:
- In support of the APDS management, the sub-prefectural land management committee and local chieftaincies, lead the process of developing an action plan for the reallocation of agricultural land.
- Ensure the involvement of populations affected by the project in the development of the action plan.
- Define the institutional arrangements for the implementation of the action plan.
- Deliverables
- Quarterly technical and evaluation reports following the APDS reporting and evaluation cycles
- Consultant profile:
- Advanced university degree in agronomy, agricultural development, agroforestry, agricultural economics, rural development or other related fields;
- Strong skills in agricultural extension services , farmer field school approach , and land management,
- He/she must have at least 10 years of experience working with community representatives, or grassroots organizations on the sustainable management of natural resources;
- He/she must have excellent knowledge of the region;
- He/she (or the available team) must be fluent in French and/or Sango, and preferably Aka and English;
How to apply
Interested candidates are invited to prepare and send their application, including:
- A cover letter indicating your interest in undertaking this mission;
- A curriculum vitae (CV);
- A financial proposal detailing the consultant’s remuneration and indicative activity costs (demonstrating sound budgeting and project management skills), a cover letter, and a
curriculum vitae, all not exceeding 5 pages, should be sent to the following email address:
recruitment@wwfcar.org
The subject line of the message should read “Agronomist Consultant”
Note: The annexes and information documents below are available upon request by writing to the following address: sdebethune@wwfcar.org
– DSPA socio-economic study 2021;
– 2022 market study and database
– 2021 and 2023 DSPA agricultural land use study;
-Farmer field school assessment;
-PDSRO map;
-Elephant movement map;
– Atlas of APDS;