National Expert on Seaweed Farming

Organizational Setting

Indonesia produced almost 10 million tonnes of seaweed in 2023. This contributed around 30 percent of the global production. Despite Indonesia being the largest global producer of tropical seaweed, the sector has seen a steady decline in production since its peak in 2015. This decline is primarily due to deteriorating seed stock quality, climate change-induced sea-surface temperature rise, immature processing technologies, and volatile seaweed prices. Under the TCP/INS/4003, FAO and the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs are working together to address the critical gaps in the ongoing efforts to revitalize the Indonesian seaweed sector through the various project outputs including production and value chain aspects.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of FAOR-Indonesia and direct supervision of the Assistant FAO Representative (A-FAOR Programme), technical supervision of Lead Technical Officer of the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) and FAO HQ Technical Officer as well as close collaboration with the national authorities,

Technical Focus

the Expert will lead the technical implementation and support of pilot seaweed farming initiatives, especially the cultivation of alternative seaweed species in Lombok, and contribute to capacity building among farmers under the TCP/INS/4003 project.

Tasks and responsibilities

•     Provide technical support to identify an alternative seaweed species suitable for pilot farming in Lombok (Activity 3.1).
•     Collect related information and date throughout the production cycle of the demonstration plot of seaweed farming (Activity 3.1).
•     Facilitate technology and knowledge transfer for innovative seaweed farming practices (Activity 3.2).
•     Conduct trainings for related stakeholders including farmers on farming techniques of the alternative seaweed species identified (Activity 3.3).
•     Support scaling-up of the seaweed farming best practices (Activity 3.1 and Activity 3.3)
•     Provide input into the documentation-related materials for the seaweed farming activities (e.g. brochure, video) (Activity 4.4)
•     Participate in the final workshop of the project (Activity 4.5.)
•     Prepare related reports including training reports, Back-to-Office-Report and End-of-Assignment-Report under her/his responsibility (cross cutting outputs).
•     Undertake any other tasks as required by FAO-Indonesia.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements   

•     Advanced university degree in aquaculture/fisheries related subjects
•     At least 5 years working experiences in seaweed aquaculture, particularly in the cultivation of tropical species such as Ulva or other species in addition to the traditionally farmed Kappaphycus alvarezii and Eucheuma denticulatum
•     Working knowledge of English and Bahasa Indonesia
•     National of Indonesia or resident of the country with a valid work permit

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

•     Substantial hands-on experience in designing and managing seaweed farming systems (other than Kappaphycus and Eucheuma), preferably in coastal areas of Eastern Indonesia. 
•     Solid background in field facilitation, farmer engagement, and participatory training is essential to support the establishment of pilot farms and build local farming capacity for alternative seaweed species.
•     Excellent social, communication and organizational skills with national and sub-national government, international experts and local communities.
•     Demonstrated ability to open-up to new approaches and new practices on the relevant pprogramme development.
•     Demonstrated commitment to participatory and bottom-up approaches.
•     Strong analytical skills. 
•     Demonstrated detail orientation, proactive attention to outcomes and expectations, and the ability to understand and effectively use information and data