Field Officers Vacant Positions: Africa Harvest

Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International (AHBFI or Africa Harvest) is an International Technology Development and Transfer Foundation incorporated in the United States of America as a non-profit organization.

It has its headquarters in Kenya and operational regional offices in Johannesburg, South Africa, Toronto Canada and Washington D.C in the U.S.A.

The Vision of the foundation is an Africa free of hunger, malnutrition and poverty. The Foundation seeks to empower rural communities in Africa by providing appropriate technologies to boost their food production and income (see our website www.africaharvest.org)

The Foundation is seeking to recruit suitable candidates to fill the positions of Field Officer in the project sites in Chuka, Tharaka, Mbeere, Yatta, Embu, Mwingi West and North Kitui.

Key Responsibility

Reporting to Sorghum Team Leader, Technical Programme, the Field Officers responsibilities will be:

• Mobilizing smallholder farmers into operational groups. Regular interaction with the farmer groups at key-sites and use of participatory approaches in constraint identification and solving.
• Providing extension services for sorghum growing.
• Developing relevant training materials, organizing training events and seminars for farmers and other stakeholders.
• Good understanding of the target communities and ability to communicate in the respective local languages.
• Development of the relevant data collection instruments for socio economic studies, farmer adoption of the growing of white sorghums, market studies, gender and environmental impact studies. Participating in field data collection, data compilation and analysis.
• Networking with diverse stakeholders in the field to achieve the project objectives.
• Ability to work in a demanding volume based project to support sorghum growing as a business.
• Ability to document and write progress reports with all the supportive data, graphics and photographs properly referenced in the text.
• Ability to plan meticulously and execute the plan.

Academic Qualifications and Experience

• A Bachelors degree in Agriculture, Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, BEd. Science, Natural Resources Management or any other related science field with a minimum of two years post qualification work experience.
• Proven performance and achievements in field work.
• A good understanding of sorghum crop.
• Team player, self driven, strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Experience of working with farmer groups will be an added advantage.
• Good organizational and management skills.
• High level of computer literacy.
• Networking and people skills

All applications should be sent with current CV, cover letter explaining your suitability for the job, salary expectations and three names of your referees. Hard copies OR electronic copies of applications should be submitted before August 31, 2009 to:

The Human Resources Manager
Africa Harvest P.O. BOX 642-00621
Village Market, Nairobi
Kenya.

E mail addressed: kenya @ ahbfi.or.ke

Africa Harvest is an equal opportunity employer.

Qualified female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply.

Only short listed candidates meeting the required qualifications will be contacted.