The Agronomist will contribute to efforts to establish TNC as a leader in India in the application of agronomy and soil science to address conservation and environment challenges, including crop residue management and climate change. Focused primarily on PRANA, they will support: (i) identification of suitable agronomic technologies and practices; (ii) development/refinement of monitoring protocols to quantify the impact of various project interventions on GHG emissions, soil carbon, water and other related aspects; (iii) monitoring, data synthesis, data visualization, report writing and sharing of results with key audiences; and (iv) developing and providing guidance on effective practices to achieve environmental and agronomic goals.

Specific activities may include: (i) synthesizing data to quantify the potential for no-burn agriculture to contribute to climate mitigation; (ii) synthesizing data to understand regional variation as well as potential for contribution to other environmental and agronomic outcomes; (iii) contributing to development , refinement, and application of monitoring protocols to quantify the impact of project on various parameters, including climate mitigation; and (iv) work with the PRANA project team to design appropriate messages for communication products targeted at farmers and other stakeholders. They will ensure that these messages are clear and in accordance with best available science.

They will conduct regular field visits to meet with the target farmers and monitor the project activities. They will provide guidance on effective practices to achieve environmental and agronomic goals of the project. They will advise internally and externally on technical aspects related to conservation agriculture, adhering to NCIS’/TNC’s rigorous scientific and external engagement principles.

• Offer technical and science expertise within the PRANA Project on issues of improved crop management, soil management, sustainable intensification, climate-smart agriculture, multi-functional landscapes, and food systems analysis as well as identifying and promoting technologies to promote sustainable and resilient farming systems in the project regions.
• Provide insights into the effects of various variable climate change scenarios.
• Provide scientific and technical guidance, coordinate and monitor the PRANA project agriculture activities and capacity to the implementing partners of the PRANA project for effective implementation and successful delivery.
• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and accelerate the identification, prioritization, and uptake of adaptive measures.
• Provide technical support and strategic direction to the Field Operations Manager, field-based staff and project partners.
• Develop evidence gap maps of farmers’ knowledge and understanding of best agricultural practices.
• Identify and analyze the barriers and opportunities for the uptake of sustainable crop residue management practices and formulate recommendations to address.
• Co-design interventions based on farming systems approaches and farmer typology and profiling.
• Support the integration of geo-spatial data analysis for learning, decision making and monitoring.
• Collaborate with the PRANA project Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager to develop and implement appropriate monitoring and tracking systems.
• Build and strengthen working partnerships with universities (such as Punjab Agriculture University), research institutions, and government agencies.
• Take part in program planning, reviews and project meetings.