TEEB Mexico Cacao Agriculture, Environment, and Economy Consultant

Result of Service1. Consolidated knowledge about the environmental, agronomic, and economic threats and opportunities for the cacao sector in Mexico 2. Maps of cacao production, cacao suitability, and deforestation trends 3. Identification of data gaps on the positive and negative externalities of cacao value chains in Mexico 4. Identification of the risks and opportunities posed by the EU Deforestation Free Rule for the cacao sector in Mexico 5. Recommendations for metrics or assessments to effectively guide cacao sector policies and investments Work LocationHome Based Expected duration3 months Duties and ResponsibilitiesOrganizational Setting: The United Nations Environment Programme is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. UNEP Ecosystems Division works with international and national partners, providing technical assistance and capacity development for the implementation of environmental policy, and strengthening the environmental management capacity of developing countries and countries with economies in transition. The consultant will work for the Economics of Nature (TEN) Unit in the Ecosystems Division to develop a project proposal for implementation of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for Agriculture and Food (TEEBAgriFood), which aims to apply True Cost Accounting principles to measure and value ecosystem services, natural capital, human capital, and social capital in order to make the economic case for sustainable agriculture investments and policies. The consultant will report to Mr. Salman Hussain, TEEB Coordinator and Head of the Economics of Nature Unit (TEN) in the Ecosystems Division. TEEBAgriFood Ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources are the basis of agriculture. The agricultural sector provides important benefits such as food for humans and animals, fiber for industrial and artisanal production, materials for fuel, employment, and cultural cohesion. However, it is the main driver of the degradation of ecosystems, the loss of biodiversity, health externalities and greenhouse gas emissions, among others. Many of these impacts, both positive and negative, are economically invisible externalities and do not figure in public and private decision-making. The UNEP Economics of Nature Unit (TEN) within the Ecosystems Division hosts TEEB – The Economics of Nature and Biodiversity - an initiative which aims to demonstrate and capture the value of nature in public policy and private sector decision making. The landmark 2017 TEEB for Agriculture and Food (TEEBAgriFood) study demonstrated that the economic incentive environment in which agricultural producers operate, coupled with a lack of understanding of the dependence of food production on well-functioning ecosystems, threaten the long run sustainability of food production and farmer livelihoods. The TEEBAgriFood initiative seeks to demonstrate that the entire agricultural value chain (production, processing, distribution, consumption and waste) not only has an impact on the environment but also on socio-economic well-being, particularly of small producers, and on public health and food security. The TEEBAgriFood Framework has been designed to guide the evaluation of food systems and their complex linkages to the environment, society and human health. To create real change, this scientific framework of analysis needs to be applied at the ground level and influence current policies and practice. Since 2018, the TEEBAgriFood Framework has been implemented in more than 10 countries, including Mexico, Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, and Thailand. In Mexico, following the completion of TEEBAgriFood assessments of the maize sector and coffee sector, the Secretariat for Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) has asked to collaborate with UNEP on the evaluation of cacao production and cacao value chains, in alignment with Mexico’s ambitions to develop sustainable rural livelihoods, reduce deforestation and GHG emissions, restore water quality, and ensure stable agricultural trade relationships. Certification and traceability of deforestation-free tropical commodities is also crucial to ensure continued access to European markets of Mexican products since the recent adoption of the law on deforestation free-products (EUDR). A consultant is required to summarize the environmental and economics threats and opportunities in cacao value chains and identify relevant data gaps and barriers to compliance with the EUDR. The resultant baseline report will be used a justification a financing proposal for a multi-year TEEBAgriFood project aimed at filling information gaps and advising public policies to strengthen the cacao sector in Mexico. Duties and Responsibilities: Summary: Conduct a spatial assessment of cacao production and deforestation in Mexico and produce a baseline status report on agronomic, ecological, and economic aspects of cacao value chains and a summary of threats and opportunities for the cacao sector with an aim to support a TEEBAgriFood project proposal The UNEP consultant will conduct desktop research and spatial analysis to evaluate the current state of cacao production and cacao value chains in Mexico. The consultant will review and summarize the existing data and literature on cacao production, map cacao production and cacao suitability, identify ecosystem services and threats to these ecosystem services in cacao growing regions, and demonstrate the relationship between cacao production and deforestation. The consultant will evaluate the economics of cacao production from a national and farm-level perspective, including the economics of natural capital and ecosystem services related to cacao. The consultant’s duties and responsibilities will include: 1. Review existing data and literature on cacao production and cacao’s environmental footprint (including ecosystem services in cacao systems) 2. Review literature on the domestic and international cacao market, economic threats and opportunities 3. Summarize the environmental, agronomic, and economic threats and opportunities facing the cacao sector, nationally and at the farm-level 4. Map (GIS) cacao production, cacao agroforestry suitability, and deforestation 5. Identify metrics for evaluating impacts and dependencies across the cacao value chain related to human, social, natural, and produced capitals, as guided by the TEEBAgriFood Framework 6. Determine gaps in scientific evidence, agroecological and economic, which could guide decisions to ensure the economic and environmental sustainability of the sector 7. Identify the risks and opportunities posed by the EU Deforestation Free Rule for the cacao sector 8. Contribute input to a fundraising proposal for TEEBAgriFood Mexico. (To be completed through a separate UNEP consultancy.) Qualifications/special skillsAn advanced university degree in Environmental Science, Agronomy, Environmental Economics, or a related field is required. A first university degree with a combination of two (2) years professional and academic qualifications may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree. A minimum of seven (7) years of professional working experience in the field of ecosystem services modeling, forestry or agriculture modeling, or food systems assessment is required An understanding of the biophysical and economic modelling of ecosystem services in the context of food systems is required. An understanding of the biophysical and economic modelling of ecosystem services in the context of food systems is required. An understanding of the biophysical and economic modelling of ecosystem services in the context of food systems is required An understanding of the political economy of agriculture in Mexico is desired LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position fluency in oral and written Spanish and proficiency in oral and written English is required. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.