technical writer and professional mentor on program design and proposal development
specialist in resilient livelihoods, biodiverse food systems and nutrition
Specialist in the agroforestry systems and agricultural biodiversity of sub-Saharan Africa, with over 30 years of experience designing, implementing and overseeing projects as Project Coordinator, and providing technical backstopping and oversight as a Project Technical Director and a consultant on program design and proposal development.
Conceived, designed, implemented and reported on a series of targeted interventions based on biodiverse production systems, negotiating bilateral, multilateral and private donor funding of over US$5 million from 1995 to 2007. Provided technical backstopping to USAID Feed the Future, national and regional projects in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, 2011 to 2014; designed and supervised applied research on post-harvest losses for AGRA, the Rockefeller and Gates foundations.
Supported capture, program design and proposal development, and startup implementation of the US$53 million USAID West Africa Trade Hub and African Partners Network Project for Abt Associates (2014). Recent outputs for IFPRI/HarvestPlus included a final-round proposal to the Seeding the Future Global Food System Challenge, and a second-round proposal to the USAID Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) program.
Extensive technical experience in applied research, product development and diversification, post-harvest processing, product quality control and quality assurance; definition and harmonization of product quality standards (including the shea butter standard taken up by the Codex Alimentarius as CODEX STAN 325R-2017); standard operating procedures and codes of practice, and internal control systems for product certification. With excellent communication skills in English, French and Luo, I have designed and implemented applied research programs on agricultural and natural product value chains, food security and rural livelihoods, and smallholder adaptation to the effects of climate change.
Consultant technical specialist to the United Nations (FAO, WFP, UNEP and UNDP-GEF), donors (USAID, CFC, BMGF, and the Rockefeller Foundation), NGOs (including IUCN, IFDC, CARE, CRS, IRC, CHF, Oxfam GB, and ACF), private consulting firms (Abt Associates) and international bodies including the CGIAR (ICRAF and ICRISAT) on assignments in 16 African countries, and in the Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar. Resident in New Zealand, my working hours complement those of Europe, Africa and North America, facilitating collaboration on projects, proposals and reports by ‘relay’ of working drafts.
In addition to my direct services, I currently offer mentoring of development professionals in the areas of project appraisal and program design, donor relations, and project monitoring and evaluation including
• pre-feasibility studies, value chain analysis, livelihood analysis, food security and vulnerability assessments;
• business plans, sub-sectoral market studies, situation assessments, risks and costs-benefits analysis;
• project appraisal, baseline and diagnostic studies, SWOT and stakeholder analysis;
• project mid-term evaluations, and post-project impact evaluations and ex-post evaluations
Fundraising and donor negotiations, project implementation and reporting
• Over 20 years of experience in program planning, project design and proposal development, fundraising donor negotiations, project implementation (supervising up to 52 staff), and reporting to multiple donors
• Mobilized US$5.5 million in development funds from bilateral (EC, USAID), multilateral (CFC) and private donors in support of four programs, implemented under difficult conditions including conflict and post-conflict
Networking applied research on agro-biodiversity, adaptation to climate change, biofuels and food security
• Implemented applied research programs on sustainable use and management of genetic and natural resources, including decentralized institutional capacity building of national agricultural research (NARS) institutions;
• Developed institutional and individual partnerships with a wide range of regional and international research institutions, and established working linkages with community-based producer groups across Africa
• Registered Expert in Environmental Impact Assessment (Kenya NEMA)
• Published three CFC Technical Papers (21, 39 and 46) for the UN-FAO, ICRAF and ICRISAT.
Contact:
Eliot Masters
Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT)
Nelson, New Zealand
Email (delete spaces): eliot.masters @ nmit.ac.nz / sheanut @ gmail.com
Please click the link below to download a recent CV in .pdf format (6 pages)
Applied Research Publications:
Eliot Masters on Google Scholar
Also see the following websites :