Accessible Greenhouse Design Expert

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized UN agency that leads international efforts to eliminate hunger, ensure food security, and promote sustainable management of natural resources. In Uzbekistan, FAO is a long-standing partner supporting the Government's efforts to advance inclusive rural development and disability-inclusive employment policy.

Persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Uzbekistan face a severe employment gap, particularly in rural areas, where only 5.8 percent of PWDs are employed, compared to 8.5 percent in urban areas, and just 4.4 percent among women with disabilities. At the same time, Uzbekistan's greenhouse and horticulture sector is one of the fastest-growing segments of the rural economy, supported by significant Government tax incentives, yet current investment, subsidy, and design frameworks for greenhouses include no accessibility provisions, effectively excluding PWDs from one of the sector's most promising employment opportunities.

Through the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) project “Inclusive Employment through Accessible Greenhouses” (TCP/UZB/41, 762930, June 2026–December 2027), FAO is working with the National Agency for Social Protection under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (NASP), the lead government counterpart, and the Ministry of Agriculture to close this gap. The project will pilot the SmartGreen Inclusion (SGI) model at six specialized educational institutions across Tashkent city, Tashkent region, Almalyk, Fergana, and Samarkand, converting existing or new greenhouse units into fully accessible facilities, training participants with disabilities through at least one complete production cycle, and consolidating the results into a validated national accessible greenhouse design standard and a replication toolkit for NASP's regional networks. The project contributes to Output 1.1 of the FAO–Uzbekistan Country Programming Framework (CPF) 2026–2030 and to Uzbekistan's obligations under Article 27 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

At the centre of this model is a technical instrument that does not yet exist in Uzbekistan: a validated accessible greenhouse design standard, grounded in universal design principles and adapted to local agro-climatic and institutional realities. This standard is the foundation of the entire project – it will determine how the six pilot units are adapted, what the disability-adapted training curriculum teaches participants to operate, and what NASP ultimately adopts as a national norm for replication. Developing it requires a combination of expertise in accessible infrastructure design, controlled-environment agriculture, and disability-inclusive programming that is not available within the project's national team. It is to lead this technical work that FAO is seeking an International Expert on Accessible Greenhouse Design.

Reporting Lines

The Accessible Greenhouse Design Expert will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Uzbekistan (Budget Holder), the overall guidance of the project Lead Technical Officer (LTO, Gender Officer, REU), and the technical guidance of the Agricultural Officer (REU). The consultant will report to the LTO, who is responsible for the technical quality and coherence of the project, and will work in close collaboration with the FAO Uzbekistan Country Office, the National Agency for Social Protection (NASP), the National Expert on Agriculture, and other members of the Project Task Force (PTF). On all technical matters relating to agronomic feasibility, greenhouse production systems, and crop-specific design requirements, the Expert will seek guidance from and coordinate directly with the Agricultural Officer (REU), whose clearance is required before technical specifications are submitted for multi-stakeholder review. The consultant will also coordinate with relevant national stakeholders, including the Ministry of Agriculture, the Social Inspection under NASP, and Disabled Persons' Organizations (DPOs), ensuring alignment with project objectives and FAO standards. All deliverables and mission reports will be submitted to the LTO for review and approval.

Technical Focus

Under the overall guidance of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) and in close coordination with the Agricultural Officer (REU), the National Expert on Agriculture, and the National Agency for Social Protection (NASP), the Expert will provide specialized technical leadership on accessible greenhouse design and controlled-environment agriculture adapted for persons with disabilities. The core technical work covers three interconnected areas: (i) structured site assessments and development of a national accessible greenhouse design standard, grounded in universal design principles, agronomically validated for productive operations under Uzbekistan’s conditions, and adapted to the institutional context of the six pilot sites; (ii) remote and, where feasible within the agreed mission schedule, on-site technical quality assurance during construction and commissioning of six accessible greenhouse pilot units; and (iii) consolidation of the SmartGreen Inclusion (SGI) replication toolkit for NASP. The Expert will also provide technical inputs to the disability-adapted training curriculum and training-of-trainers process, ensuring that design specifications are correctly reflected in how pilot participants are taught to operate the adapted equipment and facilities.

Tasks and responsibilities

The incumbent will provide specialized technical leadership aligned with the project design, expected results, and FAO implementation standards. Specific tasks and responsibilities include:

-    Conduct structured technical assessments at all six pilot institutions to document existing infrastructure constraints, identify site-specific adaptation requirements, and assess the functional needs of users with different disability types (physical, visual, hearing, intellectual), with due attention to the specific requirements of women and men with disabilities where these affect design specifications.
-    Coordinate with the Agricultural Officer (REU) throughout the development of technical specifications to verify that all accessibility design solutions, including raised cultivation bed dimensions, drip irrigation configurations, passageway layouts, and workstation ergonomics, are agronomically compatible with productive greenhouse operations under Uzbekistan’s agro-climatic conditions; the Agricultural Officer’s written clearance is required before technical specifications proceed to multi-stakeholder review.
-    Develop technical specifications for the design and adaptation of accessible greenhouse units, drawing on international standards (ISO, universal design principles, CRPD Article 27) and on documented good practice from operational inclusive greenhouse programmes, covering at a minimum: raised cultivation bed dimensions and surfaces; passageway widths and gradients; non-slip flooring; entry thresholds and ramp specifications; drip irrigation controls adapted by disability profile; ergonomic tool storage and workstation layouts; handrails and other safety features; and lighting and adaptive signage.
-    Lead and coordinate the multi-stakeholder review of the draft technical specifications with NASP, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Social Inspection under NASP, and Disabled Persons' Organizations (DPOs), ensuring that the specifications are technically validated against the functional requirements of users with different disability types; finalize the standard for submission to NASP as a national technical norm.
-    Provide technical quality assurance for the commissioning of the six accessible greenhouse pilot units, verifying compliance with the validated design standard; this will be conducted primarily through remote review of commissioning documentation, photographs, and contractor reports, with on-site inspection visits to a representative selection of pilot sites where feasible within the agreed mission schedule.
-    Provide technical guidance and quality review to the National Expert on Agriculture in the development of the disability-adapted greenhouse farming training curriculum, ensuring that training content accurately reflects the validated accessibility specifications and that participants are prepared to operate all adaptive equipment and modified greenhouse systems covered by the design standard.
-    Provide technical guidance to the National Expert on Agriculture during the training-of-trainers (ToT) workshop for site instructors from all six pilot institutions, covering the technical aspects of disability-adapted greenhouse operation: correct use and maintenance of adaptive equipment (raised beds, drip irrigation controls, ergonomic workstations), occupational safety procedures specific to the adapted facilities, and correct interpretation of the design standard in day-to-day training delivery.
-    Develop the SmartGreen Inclusion (SGI) replication toolkit, integrating the validated accessible greenhouse design standard, the disability-adapted training methodology, pilot evidence, and an operational checklist for NASP regional programme officers; incorporate cost model data provided by the National Expert on Agriculture based on pilot production cycle results.
-    Present the validated accessible greenhouse design standard and the SGI replication toolkit at the dedicated dissemination workshop and the project final workshop, providing technical clarification to NASP regional staff, Ministry of Agriculture representatives, and other stakeholders on design specifications and their application.
-    Provide technical inputs to the follow-on project proposal for national scaling of the SGI model, as required, particularly with respect to the technical accessibility standard, cost model, and replication considerations.
-    Prepare technical notes and mission reports following each field visit and key deliverable milestone, and provide technical contributions to project progress reports as requested by the LTO.
-    Perform other duties as requested.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    Advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in agricultural engineering, horticulture, architecture, civil engineering, or another field directly relevant to accessible greenhouse design and controlled-environment agriculture. Consultants with a bachelor's degree need two additional years of relevant professional experience.
•    Minimum of 8 years of relevant international professional experience in greenhouse design or controlled-environment agriculture, combined with demonstrated experience in accessible or universal design for persons with disabilities; •    
•    Working knowledge (level C) of English).

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

•    Demonstrated experience in developing technical design standards or specifications, preferably in the agricultural or built-environment sector.
•    Proven experience working on disability inclusion, accessibility standards, or universal design, including familiarity with the CRPD and Article 27 on work and employment.
•    Experience developing training materials, toolkits, or guidance documents for replication or scale-up purposes.
•    Demonstrated ability to apply universal design principles and accessibility standards in technical specifications, with practical experience in designing or adapting facilities to accommodate users with diverse disability types including physical, sensory, and intellectual disabilities.
•    Prior experience working with FAO, other UN agencies, or international development partners on technical cooperation projects is an asset.
•    Familiarity with Central Asia, and specifically with Uzbekistan's agricultural and social protection context, is an asset.
•    Ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, including coordination with national institutions and stakeholders.

Selection criteria

•    Excellent communication and report writing skills, with a demonstrated track record of working effectively in a team.
•    Working knowledge of Russian is an asset