Agronomist at Janta Kenya

Purpose of the role

Our client is looking for an Agronomist who will work with a team of Field Officer to build the capacity of Small Holder farmers in group formation, management of good agronomy practices. Also they will integrate pest & diseases management, soil management, harvesting, post-harvest handling, crop diversification and environmental mitigation & monitoring plan, among other critical areas of training.

Responsibilities:

• Building the Capacity of 8,500 Small Holder Farmers of which 35% will be female in the agronomy practices of macadamia nuts to ensure maximization of yield and farmer income.
• Recruitment, training and supervision of 20 field officers on mobilization, curriculum delivery and reporting for farmer capacity building.
• Oversee the mobilization and registration of 8,500 smallholder farmers comprising 2,300 in our current supply chain and the 6,200 of the expected newly registered farmers.
• Oversee and coordinate delivery of capacity building training and support to. The course will include: Group organization, governance, banking, financial literacy, Pest and soil management, Harvesting, Post-harvest handling, Environmental mitigation & monitoring plan, Crop diversification techniques and best management practices.
• Develop training curriculum based on identified needs including training manual, materials and handouts ensuring training quality and efficiency.
• Prepare a training plan, methodology and budget of delivering the assignment.
• Development of the training program and schedule in collaboration with the Programme Manager, Field Officers, Farmer communities and other stakeholders.
• Designing and oversee the administration of pre and post training questionnaires to all recruited farmers.
• Oversee the comprehensive management of training data and records including the training list, certifications and attendance forms.
• Preparing and timely submission of monthly training reports and summaries in the prescribed formats.
• To elevate productivity of macadamia nuts, increasing yields and farmer income from Kshs 156m (31m from women) to 225m (56m from women) in the first year, 232m (70m from women) in the second year and 291m (93m from women) in the third year.
• Setting up of an operational propagation unit for seedlings with capacity to propagate approximately 46,000 tree seedlings per year.
• Develop a seedlings distribution plan to the farmers and ensure its implementation.
• Recruitment and registration of 6,201 new farmers from the following 10 counties that are conducive with nut production.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in area of Degree in Agriculture, Agronomy or related areas
• A master’s degree in related areas would be an added advantage
• At least five years of experience in agronomy, farmer mobilization, farmer training, working with plantation crops is required.
• Knowledge of group formation and management, good agronomy practices, integrated pest & diseases management, soil management, harvesting, post-harvest handling, crop diversification and environmental mitigation & monitoring is required.
• Knowledge of the opportunities and challenges by famers in rural communities in Kenya is preferred.
• Additional training in field training techniques is preferred.