Agronomy Advisor 1

Job Description

1. About TechnoServe:

TechnoServe is a leader in harnessing the power of the private sector to help people lift themselves out of poverty. A nonprofit organization operating in 29 countries, we work with enterprising men and women in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. By linking people to information, capital and markets, we have helped millions to create lasting prosperity for their families and communities. Founded over 50 years ago, TechnoServe has been named the #1 nonprofit for fighting poverty by the Impact Matters charity ratings agency.

       2. About the project:

TechnoServe seeks an outstanding people’s coach to lead a team of farmer trainers as part of the agronomy advisory unit of a large-scale program in Yirgacheffe (gedeo zone), one of the world’s most celebrated coffee origins. Regrow Yirga is a five-year, $15M+ project funded by U.S Department of Agriculture, JDE and Peet’s Coffee. The program will help farmers boost productivity and expand trade and has a focus on improving farmers´ capacity to renew their trees. Specifically, the Regrow Yirga program seeks to: train 42,000 farmers in good agricultural practices, provide quality advisory support to 45 coffee processing stations, and improve the enabling environment through strengthening private and public coffee service providers in Ethiopia. Lastly, the project will launch an innovative Farmer Stumping Fund which will facilitate direct incentive (tools or cash) transfers to farmers to encourage tree renewal by compensating them for their short-term loss which has the potential to be scaled up to over 1 million coffee farmers nation-wide.

     3. About the role:

Reporting to the Senior Agronomy Advisor, the Agronomy Advisor (AA)’s principal objective is to manage a team of approximately 7 trainers who train farmer groups in good agricultural practices. You will implement and refine agronomy strategies that will enable smallholder coffee growers to increase coffee quality and yields. Responsibilities under this role include:

Management of Farmer Trainers (FTs)

• Supervise 7 or more trainers.
• Submit weekly work plan and collect and review weekly training plans and data from trainers.
• Clearly communicate goals, roles, and responsibilities to all staff.
• Provide feedback, coaching and development activities related to performance management.
• Develop a team spirit

Conduct monthly Agronomy trainings to trainers

• Model each month’s agronomy training to farmers at local training demonstration plot.
• Supervise teach-backs and provide feedback.
• Ensure all training materials reach trainers and farmers in a timely manner.

Observe trainers delivering training to farmers

• Observe full training to farmers, complete the training observation assessment on tablet and give feedback and coaching to trainer.
• Check attendance form, cross check with number of farmers seen as present. Ensure reported data is accurate.
• Observe each trainer at least once a month, with a minimum of 9 observations in total per month.

Visit farmer fields and demonstration plots

• Visit randomly selected farmers, discuss training, farmer adoption and challenges and complete best practice check list on tablet.
• Meet with Focal Farmers, check demo plot status and discuss any challenges.
• Complete demonstration plot assessment on tablet. Give feedback to trainers on improvements required. A minimum of 10 demonstration plot visits and assessments to be made each month.

Attendance Monitoring 

• Support the trainers to develop strategies to encourage the attendance of women at training.
• Collect, check for completion and submit complete set of FT’s attendance sheets to the M&E team within 1 week of training completion.
• Compile weekly attendance update and discuss any attendance issues with trainers and develop actions to solve problems.

Prepare & check trainers’ expenses

• Collect official voucher receipts for transport and accommodation and timely submit to finance.

Stakeholder Management

• Create a good working relationship with stakeholders such as the Cofee and Tea Authority and the Agricultural Office.
• In coordination with JARC and Dilla University provide technical support, as required.

Program representation and expansion

• Lead and manage the expansion of the agronomy program into a new operational area including needs assessment, stakeholder sensitization, farmer mobilization, group formation and recruitment of trainers.
• Be a program ambassador the operational area.

• Provide translation and contextualization services to high-level visitors.
• Spearhead efforts in making the agronomy program more gender inclusive and conflict sensitive using local customs etc.
• Provide support to the project operations as required.

     4. Required Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in fields of Horticulture, plant science, and any agricultural related fields.
• At least three to five years’ professional work experience, with a strong preference for working experience in the private sector. No prior coffee specific experience required.
• Strong planning skills and experience working to deliver quality work outputs within strict timelines.
• Empathetic and good listening and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, written and oral, in both English and Amharic (knowledge of Afan Oromo, Sidamigna or Gedigna is an added advantage).

• Passion for farmers and rural development.
• Willingness to be located in the field and spend time travelling to project training sites.