Duties and Responsibilities:  

• A proposal for TEEBAgriFood for Cacao in Mexico  The UNEP consultant will lead the development of a funding proposal for a project to evaluate cacao production and cacao value chains in Mexico, following the TEEBAgriFood framework.
• The consultant will consult stakeholders related to agriculture and the environment in Mexico, review the social-economic, environmental, and political context for tropical agroforestry crop production, articulate a problem statement for the cacao sector, and propose a logical framework for guiding positive social, economic and environmental outcomes.  

The consultant’s duties and responsibilities will include:  

• Consult national partners (government, civil society, research and private sector) on the threats and opportunities for cacao production and marketing  
• Review the economic and policy context that drives decisions in the cacao sector 3. Identify the risks and opportunities posed by the EU Deforestation Free Rule on cacao production
• Review the associated baseline study on cacao production systems and value chains, cacao agroecology and ecosystem services. (To be completed through a separate UNEP consultancy.)
• Determine demand for and gaps in scientific evidence and economic arguments for sustainable cacao value chains to determine how a TEEBAgriFood assessment could drive transformation of the sector
• Survey potential donors or financing mechanisms for a TEEBAgriFood project
• Draft a problem statement and associated theory of change for resolution, including a logical framework for mainstreaming TEEBAgriFood principles in Mexico food system planning, investments, and policy
•  Propose project activities, work packages, outputs, and outcomes, as well as an associated timeline and budget for the project

Qualifications/special skills

• An advanced university degree in Environmental Science, Social Science, Agricultural science or Public Administration, Economics or 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 five (5) years of professional working experience in project development or implementation in the field of environment or food systems is required.
• Experience in stakeholder engagement at federal, state and/or municipal level is required.
• An understanding of Mexican environment, forestry, and agriculture issues, as well as the Mexican agricultural policy, fiscal, and institutional framework is desirable An understanding of ecosystem services in the context of food systems would be an added advantage.