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 hard working 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. Our work is rooted in the idea that given the opportunity, hardworking men and women in even the poorest places can generate income, jobs and wealth for their families and communities. In East Africa, we operate in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Across the region, we implement a range of large-scale value chain interventions, agribusiness programs and entrepreneurship/economic empowerment projects. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.

About the Project

TechnoServe and GreenPath propose an ambitious, three-year project to catalyze the growth of Ethiopia’s export sector through efficient, inclusive, and regenerative market systems with Ethiopian small-scale farmers. Through sustainable, smallholder-sourced high-value exports, Ethiopian small-scale farmers will access higher income generating opportunities and lucrative, premium export markets, contributing to more resilient and improved farming livelihoods, particularly for women and youth. We envision a climate-resilient and inclusive horticulture export sector that strengthens partnerships between small-scale farmers and export enterprises, allows small-scale farmers to produce high-value export crops with access to climate-smart irrigation technology, and responds to end-market consumer demand for regeneratively grown products. Although small-scale farmers have the potential to supply growing global consumer demand for sustainable products, Ethiopia’s business climate excludes small-scale producers from meaningfully participating in export value chains even when this is central to the mission of an export enterprise due to limited incentives for commercial exporters to overcome the various framework impediments to smallholder sourcing. These include limited enterprise knowledge on successfully identifying and engaging small-scale farmers, limited small-scale farmer access to affordable irrigation, unregistered high-value export seeds only allowed for production on commercial farms, promotion of environmentally damaging conventional horticulture practices to smallholders, expensive and costly certifications that discourage smallholder expansion. 

Position Description

The Business Advisor will follow up a day-to-day implementation of out-grower farmers. Provide technical assistance in organizing and engaging export crop out -grower irrigation farmers. Using suitable irrigation technologies, the BA will advise and teach out-grower farmers on export crop selection and production. Mentor farmers, FTs, and development agents in order to improve their capacity to analyze entrepreneurial and irrigation production options. S/he will select, organize, and coach a successful export horticultural crop producer out-grower group. The Business Advisor will help establish connections with exporters (buyers), irrigation input providers, distributors, financial institutions, and other important market players, as well as assure continuing learning, knowledge sharing, and capacity building.

 Duties and Responsibilities

• Organize smallholder irrigation farmers into out growers' groups; 
• Coordinate smallholder/out grower farmers in export crop production supply chains that are market-oriented and high-margin;
• Provide technical support to irrigation smallholder out-grower farmers with export crop selection;
• Provide Agronomic and market technical support to established out grower groups;
• Assist farmers with the identification of efficient irrigation technologies and applications;
• Collect data related to out-grower demos to support evidence-based horticultural seed registration,
• Assist smallholder irrigation farmer on on-farm water management
• In collaboration with Senior Business Advisor and Market Analyst, identify potential financial sources for out-grower smallholder farmers.

Training and Coaching

• Train out-grower farmers, Farmer Trainers(FTs), Development Agents on knowledge gaps identified export crops production; 
• Coach and give on-the-job support to out-grower farmers to build their capacity around on farm water management, and marketing
• Assist export oriented irrigation crop out-grower farmers to make choices on major irrigation crops to be cultivated and technologies applied;
• Assist preparation of irrigation crop calendar and follow up its implementation;
• Advise on market oriented irrigation crop production including postharvest management;
• Promote and support enhanced gender and youth mainstreaming

Facilitate relationships between market system actors

• Facilitate linkages with financial lending institutions
• Assist irrigation agriculture input supply chain plan and distribution chain linkages;

Stakeholder Management

• Under the guidance of the (Senior Business Advisor);
• Create a good working relationship with stakeholders;
• Holding meeting with respective stakeholders including GreenPath;
• Meet out-grower farmers and DAs day to day and provide technical support

Deliverables

• Improved capacity of commercial exporters & accelerated process for increasing sourcing from smallholder farmers, with a particular focus on women
• Provided all the necessary technical support to Out-grower schemes that required high-touch support with farmers, and export enterprises in the intervention areas,
• Carry out ongoing market data collection and analysis;
• Participate on the production or translation of training materials into appropriate regional languages;
• Other deliverables as assigned by SBA

Work planning, Reporting and Learning

• Submit BA weekly work plan – details when will attend trainings
• Review FT weekly work plan with dates
• Collect weekly training plans and data from FT’s
• Provide feedback, coaching and development activities

Job Requirements

• BSc Degree in Agronomy, Horticulture/Crop Science, Business Administration, Agricultural Economics/Cooperative, Rural Development, Agricultural Extension, other irrigation and business-related studies with minimum 3 years of experience.
• Experience on out-grower farmer organization, Irrigation Water User Association management, Irrigation Cooperative organization;
• Willingness and ability to work according to a work plan and meet deadlines
• Fluency in; English, Amharic, and one of SNNPR languages
• Willingness and experience serving remote SNNPR woredas/kebele areas (Butajira)
• Have motor bicycle driving license (attach a renewed license)
• Knowledge on Gender responsive irrigation implementation tools and techniques

How to Apply

Qualified and interested applicants should Click here to apply for this position and submit a cover letter resume as a single document (either Word or PDF) by November 13, 2021. Applications will be reviewed and considered as received/on a rolling basis. Please identify the position for which you are applying in the subject line. Only applicants meeting minimum qualifications will be contacted. Please note that we are not accepting CVs that are not sent through the indicated link.

TECHNOSERVE ENCOURAGES DIVERSITY IN ALL LEVELS AND ACROSS ALL FACETS OF OUR ORGANIZATION. WITH THIS COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, WE ARE PROUD TO BE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND DO NOT DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF GENDER, RACE, COLOR, ETHNICITY, RELIGION, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, AGES, DISABILITY, AND ALL OTHER PROTECTED CLASSES. 

      The position does have a duration of 18 months, with the possibility of extension. 

TechnoServe has the right to cancel this advertisement. Women are highly encouraged to apply