Junior Consultant - Agribusiness at SNV Netherlands Development Organisation

About the Project

The Veggies 4 Planet & People (V4P&P) is a five-year, project being implemented by SNV Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) and World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) with the support of the IKEA Foundation. The project is implemented in two countries: Ethiopia and Kenya.

The overall project objectives are:

• To create jobs and income, particularly for youth and women, in the vegetable sector in Ethiopia and Kenya
• To improve environmental and human health through safe production of vegetables.

In Kenya, the project aims to achieve this by establishing 120 vegetable business networks to engage an estimated 2,400 women and youth in market activities designed to improve their livelihoods and diets.

The V4P&P project has four main outcome areas:

1. Identification, assessment and strengthening of Vegetable Business Networks (VBNs)
2. Promotion of use of regenerative and circular technologies in vegetable production
3. Building of strong commercial vegetable seed systems
4. Awareness and demand creation for sustainable technologies, business services, seeds, other inputs, and safe vegetables and vegetable products.

The project uses an action-oriented approach in which new tools and technologies are developed, piloted, and scaled through Vegetable Business Networks (VBNs). VBNs are groups of people that are formed around an existing vegetable business champion who engage in collective action to access information, training, financial- or other services, input- or output markets, or enter a vegetable business together. The VBNs will be supported by the project through training and coaching services. The project will design, pilot and scale innovative regenerative vegetable production and post-harvest technologies.

Job Description

The scope of work in Kenya will cover strengthening and facilitating formation of VBN (Vegetable Business Networks) among smallholder farmers especially the youth and women. The consultant will work within the Veggies for Planet and People project team and report to the Project Manager.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist in identification, assessment, and selection of VBNs
• Stakeholder Mapping and Selection; selection of model farmers, input suppliers, product up-takers/markets, irrigation equipment suppliers and other service providers based on agreed criteria
• Assist in training of VBN stakeholders in good agricultural practices, regenerative technologies, value chain development, group strengthening, market linkages etc
• Working closely with local service providers to ensure implementation of capacity development interventions for VBNs are done
• Coordinate various inputs to VBNs by other project resource people and partners; SNV advisors, research institutions, and other partner organizations.
• Regularly monitoring of VBN activities at ground level and data collection using AKVO Flow
• Coordinate and foster collaboration with other projects working in similar value chains
• Contribute to knowledge development in the project by developing reports, documenting stories of change and contributing to on-farm research reports
• Training of VBN farmers on vegetable production and marketing models
• Facilitating farmer learning and knowledge development through field days and exchange visits;
• Supporting establishment/strengthening farmer aggregation and marketing enterprises
• Preparing periodical project reports

Qualifications

• Degree in a relevant discipline; Agribusiness, Horticulture, Business Studies,
• Thorough and up to date knowledge of academic and donor thinking in the respective thematic field like youth employment and enterprise development;
• Three (3) years’ work experience in an international (development) organization and sound experience in thematic area of working with smallholder farmers on horticulture production and markets;
• Technical knowledge and familiarity in specific topics of value chain development for small holder farmer’s production, markets, food safety, food losses, resilience etc.
• Skills in agriculture market systems approaches and value chain development processes; including stakeholder engagement; the public sector actors, Research institutions, private sector and consumer organisations.
• Experience with Capacity Development of farmer organizations;
• Demonstrated ability to successfully work in a multicultural teams;
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills and experience working in a matrix organization;
• Ability to travel to project locations