ACDI/VOCA is currently seeking a long term Agriculture
Production Director for the FARM (Food, Agribusiness and Rural Markets)
program, a current five-year, USAID-funded project in South Sudan. The program
is designed to increase agricultural productivity in selected commodities,
increase trade, and improve the capacity of producers, private sector and
public sector actors in South Sudan to develop commercial smallholder
agriculture. The FARM program fosters economic growth to reduce poverty and
food insecurity by improving the competitiveness of staple food value chains
(maize, sorghum, cassava and groundnuts) in which large numbers of smallholders
participate.
The Agricultural Production Director position is based in
Juba and provides leadership to the technical implementation of Component 1:
Increase Agricultural Productivity. The goal of this component is to encourage
the adoption of improved agronomic practices and better technologies in value
chains in order to improve agricultural productivity and increase farmer
incomes. Key objectives include the adoption of improved production
technologies by farmers and cooperatives, improved public and private service
provision that supports agricultural production, and improved producer
organization management skills.
Responsibilities:
- Identify
productivity constraints for maize, sorghum, groundnut and cassava and
promote input packages including use of inputs such as improved seeds,
fertilizers, and crop protection chemicals as well as best practice
production techniques that address these constraints.
- Design
innovative and localized strategies to facilitate smallholder farmers'
adoption of improved inputs, with a focus on recognizing the positive
return on investment.
- Conduct
farmer field schools, demonstration plots and other knowledge-sharing
forums to train farmers and cooperatives in best practice production
techniques.
- Provide
training and mentoring to develop the capacity of country-level extension
workers and emerging input retailers on promoting technology packages.
- Manage
regional agricultural production coordinators (3) to achieve component
outcomes.
Qualifications:
- Minimum
5+ years of experience working on agricultural development and
competiveness projects.
- Master's
degree in relevant agriculture/agronomy technical field.
- Demonstrated
understanding of the value chain approach, ideally in an African context.
- Experience
with production and post-harvest handling a plus.
- Experience
implementing activities in large, complex projects in challenging
environments.
- Fluency
in English required.
No phone calls please. Only finalists contacted. Women and
minorities encouraged to apply. EOE.
