Project Facilitator – Precision Farming

Reports to:
Administrative Supervisor: Project Coordinator (Madhya Pradesh Precision Farming)
Research Supervisor: Research Team Leader – Soil, Water, and Agronomy (SWA)
Location: Project Districts in Madhya Pradesh, India

Main purpose of position
Precision farming, which leverages advanced digital tools and breakthroughs in big data analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to fast-track value creation by saving on input costs, is also an option for small-scale farmers. This approach, which observes and responds to yield, moisture levels, and soil quality variations across a field, relies on analyzing data collected by sensors, drones, satellite imagery, GPS, IoT devices, and other geospatial tools that scrutinize land plots for anomalies and inefficiencies. Following an official agreement with the Madhya Pradesh state government, ICARDA is now launching a pilot project to use precision agriculture tools to increase farmers’ income across Madhya Pradesh, known for having the highest agricultural growth rate in India. The three-year pilot project will span irrigated and rainfed agroecologies and focus on the most economically important crops in Madhya Pradesh, namely cotton, wheat, and soybean. All the data from precision farming tools relative to farmers’ fields will be channeled to Amlaha’s precision farming control room. It will be analyzed before messages are sent to farmers to advise on optimum times to irrigate and when to apply fertilizer or insecticide. The project is tailored around the low-income of farmers in the region. Poor farmers adopt new technology only if it is low-cost, low-maintenance, robust, easy-to-scale, and simple to manage and operate. The digital tools chosen for the project are durable, cheap, and efficient, and they have been tested in a range of conditions to prove their stability and consistency.
The position is to facilitate rolling out of precision farming innovations as per the project plan of work. The facilitator assists in installation, maintenance, and uninterrupted functioning of all precision farming devices. The facilitator works closely with farmers and research team to ensure all farmer operations are recorded, there is a two-way flow of information between farmer and the researchers, and precision farming platform advisory is received and adopted by the selected farmers. The facilitator routinely visits and interacts with selected and neighboring farmers to receive feedback to inform the researchers on the willingness/barriers to adoption of the advisories generated by the precision farming platform.

About ICARDA
The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is a treaty-based international non-profit research organization supported by CGIAR.
ICARDA’s mission is to reduce poverty, enhance food, water, and nutritional security, as well as environmental health in the face of global challenges including climate change. We do this through innovative science, strategic partnerships, linking research to development and capacity development that take into account gender equality and the role of youth in transforming the dry areas. ICARDA works in partnership with governments, universities, civil society, national agricultural research organization, other CGIAR Research Centers, and the private sector. With its temporary Headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, ICARDA operates in regional and country offices across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. For more information: www.icarda.org
All CGIAR Centers are currently engaged into a reform process (“One CGIAR’”) that will help ICARDA and CGIAR achieve better impact through more strategically integrated research, unified governance, an integrated structure and new research modalities across participating Research Centers. This transformation is supported by CGIAR donors who have committed to increased funding as a result of these reforms.

Main responsibilities
• Work closely with SWA Team members, project team and our partner organizations to execute project implementation plans.
• Implement and follow up field experiments, timely data collection related to precision farming according to the research protocols.
• Follow up functioning of scientific equipment and data management relating Project.
• Assist in organizing workshops, farmers field days, trainings, and developing different training materials.
• Involve in scaling-up of technologies, and link farmers with research products and developmental activities.
• Any other task assigned by project coordinator or scientific lead.

Education, qualifications, and experience
• Minimum B.Sc. Agriculture with subject knowledge on agronomy, water resource management, soil & water conservation, or related fields.
• At least 6 months’ experience working in agriculture field research.
• Demonstrated ability to manage scientific equipment and research data.
• Ability to work in a team.
• Good communication and presentation skills in spoken and written English and Hindi.
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary and multicultural work environment.
• Ability and willingness to travel extensively within Khargone district to follow up, troubleshoot and manage precision farming scientific equipment installed in farmers’ fields.

Terms of appointment, salary, and benefits
The successful candidate will be offered an initial contract of 1 year, which may be renewed subject to continued need for the position and satisfactory performance.