Field Project Assistant

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO's goal is to achieve food security for all and ensure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 195 members - 194 countries and the European Union, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide and has started working in Sri Lanka since 1979 with its Representation (Country Office) opened in Colombo.  The FAO contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through its Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems, and through four Betters (Better production, Better nutrition, a Better environment and a Better life) - leaving no one behind.

Context:

FAO is implementing a United States (US) Macro Grant project in Sri Lanka aimed at strengthening the preparedness, resilience, and adaptive capacity of vulnerable farming communities facing multiple and interconnected shocks. These include the impacts of Cyclone Ditwah, disruptions associated with the Middle East crisis, and the forecasted El Niño conditions expected to affect agricultural production and water availability in the coming seasons.

The project targets smallholder paddy farmers in the districts of Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Puttalam, and Vavuniya, as well as vegetable farmers in Badulla and Nuwara Eliya. This project’s interventions seek to safeguard agricultural production, enhance food security, and strengthen livelihoods through a combination of agricultural input support, climate-resilient production practices, and anticipatory action measures.

Key project interventions include the provision of fertilizer and other essential agricultural inputs to smallholder farmers during the Maha 2026 cultivation season. Certified paddy seed producers will receive short-duration paddy seed varieties, fertilizer, hermetic storage bags, and moisture meters to support quality seed production during the Maha 2026/2027 season, ensuring the availability of suitable seed stocks for the Yala 2027 season, when water scarcity risks are expected to increase due to El Niño.

Vegetable farming households will receive quality seeds, fertilizer, and plastic crates to improve crop production and post-harvest management.

To mitigate anticipated water shortages during the Yala season, the project will promote Other Field Crop (OFC) cultivation through the provision of solar-powered irrigation pumps, supporting efficient and climate-resilient agricultural practices.

As part of a broader livelihood diversification strategy, the project will also support women farmers in Batticaloa through backyard poultry interventions, contributing to improved household income generation, nutrition, and resilience.

In addition to direct livelihood support, the project will place significant emphasis on strengthening anticipatory action systems at the local level. This will include enhancing community preparedness, early warning dissemination, risk-informed planning, and response mechanisms for both flood and drought hazards, thereby improving the capacity of farming communities and local institutions to anticipate, prepare for, and mitigate the impacts of climate-related shocks and stresses.

Therefore, the Field Project Assistant will support the effective implementation of project activities at the district level and contribute to achieving the expected results across all project outputs by providing technical support, facilitating field-level coordination, and working closely with the project team and relevant stakeholders.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall administrative leadership of the FAO Representative in Sri Lanka (FAOR) and the direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR (Programme), with technical guidance from the Project Management Specialist, the Department of Agriculture, and other relevant stakeholders, the incumbent will coordinate and facilitate field-level implementation of project activities. The Field Project Assistant will support effective planning, execution, monitoring, and reporting of project interventions to ensure the timely delivery of project outputs. The role includes liaising with government counterparts, partner organizations, local communities, and other stakeholders, providing technical and operational support, and ensuring that project activities are implemented efficiently, cost-effectively, and in accordance with FAO procedures, government regulations, donor requirements, and recognized national and international best practices.

For day-to-day project implementation, the Field Project Assistant will work under the operational guidance of the Project Management Specialist, while formal supervisory arrangements remain as specified by FAO.

Technical Focus

Coordinate and support field-level implementation of project activities, ensuring effective planning, monitoring, reporting, and stakeholder engagement. Facilitate collaboration with government and partners to deliver timely, cost-effective, and high-quality project outputs aligned with FAO standards and best practices.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) of the project, the direct supervision of the Assistant FAOR (Programme) and the Project Management Specialist, and in close collaboration with relevant government institutions, district-level authorities, extension officers, community-based organizations, and project consultants, the incumbent will support the effective planning, coordination, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of project activities within the assigned district(s).

Specifically, the incumbent will:

The programme will deploy four district field officers across the six target districts and Colombo; the specific district assignment(s) for this post will be determined by FAO based on operational needs and reflected in the individual assignment.
•    Coordinate and facilitate the implementation of project interventions targeting smallholder paddy and vegetable farmers, ensuring the timely and effective delivery of project outputs in accordance with FAO procedures, donor requirements, and government guidelines.
•    Support the identification, registration, verification and mobilization of eligible beneficiaries in accordance with the approved Macro Grant criteria. 
•    Coordinate the distribution and utilization of agricultural inputs, including fertilizer, certified seeds, short-duration paddy seed varieties, hermetic storage bags, moisture meters, plastic crates, solar-powered irrigation pumps, and other project-supported inputs, ensuring transparency, accountability, and proper documentation.
•    Support field-level implementation of the IDEA digital voucher modality, including beneficiary identity/data verification, communication with registered agro-dealers, monitoring of redemption, resolution of beneficiary/vendor issues, and accurate reporting of voucher transactions and exceptions.
•    Provide technical support and field-level guidance to farmers on climate-resilient and sustainable agricultural practices, including improved crop management, soil fertility management, efficient water-use technologies, integrated pest management, climate-smart agriculture, and anticipatory action measures.
•    Facilitate activities related to the production of certified paddy seed by supporting seed producers to adopt recommended practices and ensure the availability of quality seed stocks for future cultivation seasons.
•    Coordinate initiatives promoting Other Field Crop (OFC) cultivation and climate-resilient livelihood diversification, including supporting the adoption of solar-powered irrigation technologies and other innovative agricultural practices aimed at enhancing resilience to drought and water scarcity.
•    Support the implementation of women-focused livelihood interventions, including backyard poultry activities and other income-generating opportunities designed to improve household food security, nutrition, and resilience.
•    Organize and facilitate farmer awareness programmes, training sessions, demonstrations, farmer field schools, exposure visits, and community meetings aimed at strengthening knowledge and adoption of improved agricultural technologies and anticipatory action practices.
•    Ensure package-specific technical support is delivered and documented.
•    Liaise and coordinate regularly with District Secretariats, Departments of Agriculture and Agrarian Development, Provincial and Local Authorities, Farmer Organizations, community leaders, and other stakeholders to ensure effective implementation and stakeholder engagement.
•    Monitor field activities, conduct regular site visits, assess progress against project targets, identify implementation challenges, and recommend appropriate corrective actions.
•    Maintain accurate beneficiary databases, field records, training reports, distribution records, monitoring data, and other project documentation required for reporting, monitoring, evaluation, and audit purposes.
•    Collect, compile, analyze, and report field-level information related to agricultural production, input utilization, livelihood outcomes, climate risks, and beneficiary progress to support evidence-based decision-making and project reporting.
•    Support baseline, seasonal and endline data collection and verification, including data required to assess production, income, food-security, post-harvest loss, livelihood-diversification and anticipatory-action results.
•    Contribute to the preparation of periodic technical and progress reports, success stories, case studies, lessons learned, and other project-related documentation.
•    Perform any other duties related to project implementation as assigned by the Lead Technical Officer, Project Management Specialist, and FAO management.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

  
•    University degree in Agriculture, Public or Business Administration, Social Sciences or any another related discipline.
•    At least 3 years of relevant experience in Programme/project/field coordination 
•    Working knowledge of English and Sinhala and/or Tamil.
•    National of Sri Lanka.

FAO Core Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION