Agricultural Economist International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center

Agricultural Economist - South Asia

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) seeks a highly qualified agricultural economist to join our international team of scientists working on improving the livelihoods of farmers and the poor in the developing world. As a member of the CIMMYT Socioeconomics Program and in collaboration with national and international partners, you will undertake socioeconomics research on strategies for sustainable intensification of cereal based farming systems in South Asia. You will lead the targeting of innovations and collection and analysis of socioeconomic and value chain data to study options for technology adoption, sustainable productivity and income growth in cereal systems throughout the South Asia region. The position will be based at the CIMMYT regional office for Southern Asia (New Delhi, India). Posting at other locations (Katmandu, Nepal or Hyderabad, India) may also be considered.

Primary research objectives include:

1. Analysis of the drivers of change and options for agricultural productivity growth and sustainable intensification in cereal (wheat, rice, & maize) systems.

2. Understanding technology adoption pathways and differential outcomes on poverty, gender, and food security for targeting technology and policy interventions.

3. Developing alternative strategies for enhancing farmer access to and use of promising technologies, inputs and output markets for income growth and food security,

4. Supporting the development and diffusion of conservation agriculture and other intensification options for enhancing adaptation and reducing vulnerability to climate change.

The job will require that you:

· Work with a team of scientists to understand constraints to and opportunities for sustainable intensification and productivity growth in cereal systems.

· Define potential tradeoffs and identify more profitable, low risk, and sustainable intensification options in cereal systems.

· Analyze markets and value chains to develop socially inclusive institutional innovations that improve access to seeds, other inputs and markets for resource poor farmers.

· Indentify adoption pathways and evaluate impacts on food security, income and livelihoods for target groups.

· Develop policy recommendations for enhancing system resilience and adaptation to climate change in cereal systems.

· Publish research findings and contribute to dissemination of results to stakeholders.

· Contribute to the capacity building of farmers and partners.

· Participate in center-wide and program strategy development and priority setting.

We are seeking candidates with the following qualifications:

1. PhD in Agricultural Economics or related discipline.

2. Relevant postdoctoral experience of at least 5 years (scientist) or 8 years (senior scientist).

3. Relevant publications in international peer-reviewed journals in agricultural economics.

4. Good understanding of the challenges of productivity growth, sustainability and food security in South Asia.

5. Experience in combining applied quantitative methods with qualitative approaches to study complex farming systems.

6. Extensive knowledge of econometric methods and software (e.g. STATA, GAMS, etc) for analysis of survey data. Knowledge of other economic modeling methods (e.g. household modeling, bioeconomic modeling, spatial analysis, etc) will be an advantage.

7. An effective and energetic team player with the ability to work in a multidisciplinary and multi-cultural environment.

8. Excellent oral communication and writing skills in English to express complex concepts in simple terms.

CIMMYT is a non-profit agricultural research institute committed to ensuring food security and reducing poverty in developing countries. Through strong science and effective partnerships, CIMMYT creates, uses and shares knowledge and technology to improve the productivity and profitability of wheat and maize farming systems and to sustain natural resources.

CIMMYT has had enormous impact in the developing world. It is the center of excellence for work on two of the three most important food crops in the developing world. Its most famous employee, Dr. Norman Borlaug, is credited by many with saving more lives than any other individual in the history of the world. Borlaug¡¦s work dramatically increased yields of wheat in the Indo-Gangetic plains in the 1960s and 1970s, staving off starvation for hundreds of millions. For this work, Borlaug received the Nobel Prize in 1970. Scores of other CIMMYT efforts have saved or enriched millions of lives, from releasing disease-resistant varieties and varieties resistant to drought and heat and soil deficiencies, to dispersing techniques to reduce farmer costs and post-harvest losses. In developing countries, wheat varieties developed by CIMMYT and its partners cover 75% of the area planted to modern wheat varieties.

The position is for an initial term of three years, renewable based on performance and strategic needs. CIMMYT offers an attractive remuneration package paid in US dollars, with a range of benefits including housing allowance, life and health insurance, education allowance (to Grade 12), home leave, retirement fund, and relocation shipping assistance.

CIMMYT is an equal-opportunity employer and strives for staff diversity in gender and nationality.

Apply online no later than January 15th, 2012, go to www.cimmyt.org. Click on About us Job Opportunities-2011/31 Position Please complete on-line application, including your Cover Letter, competencies and experience for the position and a detailed CV/Resume.

For further information please contact Dr. Bekele Shiferaw, Director, Socioeconomics Program, b.shiferaw@cgiar.org or Human Resources Officer, jobs-cimmyt@cgiar.org

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.