Mission of Role
The Agronomy and Farmer Training (AFT) Manager will assist the Director of Agronomy and Farmer Training in managing Green Way Farms' engagement, training, planting, and supervising of GreenWay's Partner Farmers. Such activities include managing weekly harvests, supervising junior staff in outgrower training and monitoring in organic permaculture techniques, and monitoring and implementing crop management practices to ensure 4-8 tons of high-quality organically grown fruit and vegetables harvested from our ~60 partner farmers each month.
Responsibilities & Outcomes
Manage the Agronomy and Farmer Training Team in Butajira, including 3 Farmer Training Officers and 3 Deputy Farmer Training Officers
Manage relationships with farmers, ensuring that partner farmers are well-trained and fully aware of the activities being undertaken on their fields, monitoring the farmers’ progress and performance
Implement our seasonal intercropping and crop rotation programs to ensure yields of 4000 kg/month of export-quality organic fruits and vegetables
Manage weekly harvests across 100 partner farmers, averaging about 2000 kg or product per week
Assist the Agronomy Team in developing and implementing organic and permaculture farming systems that increase yields and crop quality across partner farms
Assist the Senior Team in acquiring EU Organic certification for additional cohorts of Partner Farmers (Approximately 35-45 farmers per cohort)
Assist the Farmer Service Center in selling organic seedlings to Green Way Farms' Partner Farmers on an ongoing basis
Assist the Director of Agronomy and Farmer Training in developing calendars and systems that optimize organic crop production and company efficiency in an Ethiopian context
Collaborate with the Director of Agronomy and Farmer Training leader to train partner farmers in organic, sustainable farming techniques using a hands-on (apprenticeship) teaching model, in order to improve the ability of farmers to operate under minimal support/supervision in future seasons
Assist Agronomy Team leader in overseeing training and teaching of farmers by junior agronomy staff; serve as supervisor to Butajira Agronomy staff, including Farmer Training Officers and Deputy Farmer Training Officers
Supervise the implementation of the permaculture intercropping program including land preparation, planting, growing management, harvesting and managing the post-harvest process
Co-develop organic pest management strategies with the Agronomy Team Leader to prevent and control various risks to target crops
Manage Green Way Farms’ research plot and soil lab to develop strategies for increasing the number of crops grown and sold by pilot farmers
Work closely with the Green Way Farms' management team to provide weekly updates and timely communication
Improve and operate a measurement & evaluation system for the company working in conjunction with the GreenWay Farms' management team
Be based around the identified farmers in Butajira for the duration of the project with some travel
Term
The AFT Manager must commit to a minimum twelve month term. Should performance of the individual prove to be strong and there be mutual agreement that the individual is a good fit for the role, a longer-term position would be desired.
Required Qualifications
At least 5 years of experience directly implementing fruit, vegetable, and/or herb farming systems. Experience abroad and/or with many different types of fruits, vegetables, and herbs is a plus
Experience in a Management role.
An entrepreneurial mindset.
A degree in agriculture or a related field and the ability to demonstrate a deep understanding of agronomy in different contexts and climates
An understanding of African smallholder farming and experience in the Ethiopian context
Strong team player with outstanding team management skills
Able to read, write, and speak in English and Amharic
A desire to learn, build relationships, be creative and have fun on the job!
Attention to details, and comfortable with numbers and quantitative data.
Excellent communication skills; comfort with working with a team based in multiple locations
Self-starter, motivated and proactive with solutions
Experienced and comfortable living in a small Ethiopian town like Butajira
Willing to get hands dirty, harvest produce, carry crates, etc.
Desired Qualifications
At least 5 years of experience directly implementing organic, sustainable farming systems or permaculture anywhere in the world.
Experience teaching or providing training in permaculture/sustainable agriculture
Afan Oromo and/or Guragigna preferred, but not required)
Strong computer skills, including spreadsheets and typing in Fidel/Ge’ez.