Extension Officer

Website 260 Brands (Seba Foods Zambia Ltd.)

Job Purpose

The Extension Officer will report directly to the Regional Manager and will be responsible for supporting with several large scale projects promoting small holder organic agriculture in the Northern and Lusaka provinces of Zambia in partnership with Seba Foods Zambia Ltd., a consumer food manufacturer which processes, markets and distributes soya and maize-based consumer food products. Seba Foods aims to partner with thousands of small holder farmers in organic soya production through farmer recruitment, training in organic farming, organic inputs financing, follow up farmer training support, digital farmer record keeping, aggregation and guaranteed off-take of organic soya at a premium price.

The roles are based in various locations including Kasama, Northern Province and Chongwe or Rufunsa, Lusaka province and other locations to be determined.

Key Responsibilities

  • Recruitment of small holder farmers based on various requirements set by Regional managers including ability of small holder farmer to carry out organic farming
  • Carry out relevant community meetings to inform the small holder farming community of relevant updates, spread awareness of 260 Brands’ procurement activities and sensitize small holder farmers on various matters
  • Distribute inputs (organic seed, inoculant etc) to small holder farmers
  • Lead and facilitate training with small holder farmers on organic farming methods and climate smart agriculture
  • Closely monitor farmer fields (making numerous visits each season), provide follow up training support to farmers and develop relationships with lead farmers and farmer groups
  • Create farmer profiles via use of a Digital App and enter farmer info as required
  • Report on farmer field practices via use of a Digital App and support farmers with organic certification
  • Conduct procurement of crops from small holder farmers in organic soya, among others, during harvest season; and carry out data entry of relevant info into Digital App
  • Monitor and gather impact data in the field to ensure donor reporting requirements are met
  • Provide project updates on a consistent basis to Regional Managers

Key Qualifications

  • Diploma in Agriculture or equivalent
  • Language: Fluent in English, Bemba and Nyanja
  • 1-2 years relevant work experience in the agricultural sector as an extension officer
  • Extensive knowledge of organic farming and organic certification requirements
  • Extensive knowledge of small-scale agribusiness and farming
  • Skills: Excellent coordination, training and communication skills
  • Be willing to relocate in Kasama, Northern Province or Chongwe or Rufunsa, Lusaka Province
  • Familiarity with Automated Out grower management systems (AOMS) in the form of digital apps, for creating farmer profiles, inputting farmer info and streamlining procurement operations
  • Demonstrates a positive and resilient attitude towards challenges
  • High level of computer literacy with a strong command of Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel and PowerPoint).

For all interested candidates, please email a CV and relevant qualifications to [email protected] with ‘Extension Worker’ in the subject line.

To apply for this job email your details to careers@260brands.com.

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