Lacking farm inputs, new technologies, or other sources of income, the rural poor often drain the remaining life out of their fragile land, which only worsens their poverty and vulnerability in Liberia and the Mano River basin region. The linkages among poverty, hunger, and environmental degradation in Liberia are why VOSIEDA is working to improve small-scale farmers’ access to improved seeds and better agricultural training to improve harvests and conserve biodiversity. We also improve the value chain and help farmers safely store their crops. Besides, we link small farmers to the market and help them build relationships with local traders.

The Agriculture / Livelihoods Technician will directly provide training livelihood enhancement training and support the supervision and management of farmers’ livelihood activities in a diversity of agricultural and livelihood programs that VOSIEDA undertakes. Working under the guidance of the Program Manager, the Technician must support farmers to improve the productivity of their fields by improving soil health and nutrition as the key to good plant health. He/she must facilitate the production and dissemination of locally relevant community videos that feature good agricultural practices and nutrition behaviors that maximize the benefit for small-scale farmers. He/she must identify impactful practices by partnering with researchers and practitioners and by spending time in the field to understand the challenges faced by farmers.

Reports to: The Program Manager (Food Security & Livelihood Enhancement)

Staff directly reporting to this post: Project volunteers working on livelihood activities

Founded in 2000, Volunteers for Sustainable Development in Africa (VOSIEDA) is a Liberian nonprofit and a network of development professionals working to promote prosperity, reduce extreme poverty, and strengthen peace and stability in Liberia and West Africa’s Mano River Union Basin region. VOSIEDA’s work focuses on saving the planet and fighting extreme poverty among women, youth, children, and other excluded groups. We advance community solutions to address development challenges and empower local people to care for nature that sustains all lives.

VOSIEDA works across five signature programs to empower and support local communities to promote sustainable development to end extreme poverty, its root causes, and consequences in Liberia and West Africa’s Mano River Basin region, including 1). Climate Change & Environmental Sustainability, 2) Food Security & Livelihoods Enhancement, 3) Women’s Empowerment & Gender Equality, 4) Governance & Social Development, 5) Media & Civic Society Strengthening.

Program/projects implementation and reporting

Key Responsibility

• The Agriculture Technician will offer on-farm soil testing services and provide farmers immediate test results on their mobile phone or printed on paper, including fertilizer recommendations.
• Provide fertilizer recommendations to farmers based on locally-available fertilizers.
• Deliver practical and effective training, on a wide range of topics, to groups of farmers on a routine basis.
• Encourages farmers to view farming as a business, which leads to rapid productivity gains, boosting farmers’ profits and improving family welfare.
• Promote livestock health and proper livestock management, emphasizing good nutrition and the adoption of cost-effective disease control measures.

Monitoring and evaluation

• Contribute to the development and update of the monitoring and evaluation system for VOSIEDA’s agriculture and livelihood program.
• Work with Program Manager to ensure project/program has its monitoring, expenditure, and evaluation plan.
• Monitor project/program outputs and outcomes.

Networking and partnership building

• Establish, develop, and maintain a network of contacts and good working relations with stakeholders, and essential government partners, including relevant Ministries and related line agencies at the community levels.
• Organize and facilitate stakeholders’ meetings and foster partnerships and collaborations with relevant CSOs, and state actors.

Administration and management

• Work closely with Program Manager on projects’ administrative and finance matters such as budgets, development and revision of MOUs, and agreements with partners and beneficiaries of VOSIEDA.

Represent the unit

• Ensure compliance of program/ projects to agreements, MOUs, and regulations.
• Support local office and Program Manager in the recruitment of program staff
• Verify bills, receipts, vouchers, etc.; related to field expenses as reported by project staff.

Cross-Cutting

• Support the Project volunteers and field offices in embracing and implementing fully ‘durable solutions in line with VOSIEDA’s mission
• Performance many tasks as maybe assigned by management or supervisor.

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modeling VOSIEDA’s values.
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve.
• performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.
• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their personal development, and encourages others to do the same
• Widely shares their vision for VOSIEDA, engages and motivates others.
• Future orientated thinks strategically.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, members, and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to
• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency

• At least 5 years’ experience in an NGO environment, including experience directing and implementing development programs, preferably with solid experience in more than one of VOSIEDA’s priority sectors indicated above.
• Recognized leadership role in relevant technical areas at both field and office level
• University Degree, preferably a Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, environment, project management, development studies, etc. or equivalent.
• Reliable and self-motivated
• Good communication skills
• Superior problem-solving skills
• Strong leadership qualities
• Broad knowledge of business departments and their functions.
• Strategic thinker
• Budget management experience
• People-management skills
• Exceptional organizational skills
• Fluency in written and spoken English and knowledge of French will be an asset
• Ability to work within a team

Please write an English letter of application stating clearly, what motivates you to apply for the above position and how your qualifications and experience are relevant to the post. Include a copy of your CV, application letter, and the names and contact information of three references. Do not send original documents, as these will not be returned to you. Submitting false information will result in your application being disqualified.

Please submit applications with the subject title “Agriculture Technician Position Application [Your Name]”:

In VOSIEDA office or e-mail applications to info@vosieda.org

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a written exam and/or interview. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Closing date for applications: April 20th, 2022 before 5:00pm

Or apply via the system below.