Agronomy Advisor

Job Description

                                   TechnoServe Background

Everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better future. This simple idea has been at the heart of TechnoServe’s work around the world for over 50 years. TechnoServe is a pioneer in leveraging the power of business and markets to create sustainable pathways out of poverty.

The low-income communities in which we work are full of enterprising people. Their small-scale farms and businesses are the keys to economic development. But they face many challenges: low literacy, lack of access to jobs and markets, unpredictable political dynamics and, increasingly, the effects of climate change. For many women and young people, the challenges are even more daunting. Working with TechnoServe staff, people around the world are lifting themselves out of poverty. The results are amazing...when incomes increase and living conditions for families get better, they are able to access health care and education previously out of reach. Communities and even whole countries are better off. 

                                Program Description

The five-year CREW program aims to increase climate resilient economic empowerment of women coffee farmers in Southern Ethiopia. CREW will advance this vision through targeted approaches at the farm/household, wet mill, and industry level. CREW’s design embraces the mutually reinforcing relationship of women’s economic empowerment (WEE) with our aim to increase thriving and resilient coffee production. CREW’s ultimate beneficiaries will be 76,000 women and men and 80 coffee processing businesses in coffee-growing communities in targeted zones of the Ethiopian regions of Sidama and Oromia.

• Position Description

The Agronomy Advisor shall support the implementation of strategies that will enable smallholder coffee farmers to achieve sustainable increase in coffee quality and yields as per TechnoServe and project’s quality requirements. Responsible for day-to-day execution of the coffee agronomy program, activities plan, local stakeholder relations management and supervise project deliverables of farmer trainers to ensure the timely achievement of targets.

Key roles and responsibility

• Sensitize local leadership, smallholder coffee farmers and all local stakeholders on the TechnoServe coffee project work.
• Implement existing strategies to provide assigned woredas and kebeles with agronomy training and with structured post-training farm visits to improve adoption.
• Train and advise farmers being assisted by the project on coffee agronomy best practices with the objective of helping them to improve coffee yields and quality.
• Train, mentor, coach and support assigned Farmer Trainers on all technical and operational aspects of their work and in relationship with farmers. This includes assisting them to set performance goals, continuous assessment of performance and giving feedback.
• Participate in the implementation of the defined project monitoring, measurement and evaluation activities that ensure accurate and consistent capture of date for project reporting and documenting of the impact of our work.
• Where possible, create linkages between wet mills, farmers and suppliers of recommended inputs and other farm requirements.
• Collect, collate, validate and submit the specified project data and clients’ reports within stipulated time lines. This includes impact stories, photos and other beneficiaries’ information that may be requested from time to time
• Cultivate and manage good relationship with local leadership and farmer as well as with key industry stakeholders and community leaders at local levels.
• Keep abreast of developments concerning coffee at the wet mills, farms and in the local community and regularly report these.
• Understand, respect and promote TechnoServe’s values, vision, and strategy in the implementation of assigned duties.
• Any other relevant tasks as assigned by the Senior Agronomy Advisor.

Job Requirement

 Required skills and experience

•  Bachelor’s Degree in Horticulture, or Plant science. May accept experience in lieu of a degree.
• At least two years’ professional experience – ideally in the private sector – in one or more of the following areas: coffee processing or agronomy; business or cooperative management; SME development; agriculture; training; extension services.
• Demonstrated good understanding of the Ethiopia coffee industry is an added advantage
• Possess an aptitude and skills for training adults in a field set up.
• Strong planning skills and ability to generate innovative solutions in highly dynamic work situations.
• Demonstrated ability to prepare and present well-written, cohesive analyses and reports.
• Strong interpersonal, collaborative and cross-cultural skills.
• Willingness to be based and to spend time in project implementation sites located in rural areas.
• Valid Renewed Motorcycle riding license, ability and willingness to ride a motorcycle is a MUST
• Fluency in English and Amharic. Ability and Knowledge to speak and write in Afan Oromo is a must requirement
• Willingness to spend time working and travelling in project sites located rural areas, mainly woredas in West Guji