Agricultural Technologies Specialist - USDA-funded Market Transitions to Enable New Growth Opportunities (MTENGO) project

Position Title:           Agricultural Technologies Specialist

Location:                  Lilongwe or Mzuzu, Malawi

Unit:                         Agriculture, Resilience and Water

Reports to:              Technical Director 

Project Summary

The Market Transitions to Enable New Growth Opportunities (MTENGO) project is a five year, USDA-funded project implemented by Winrock International in the Northern and Central regions of Malawi. MTENGO uses a farmer-first approach grounded in market incentives to increase resource-efficient, reliable production from Malawian agriculture in the face of climate unpredictability. MTENGO’s approach will enable farmers to:  

1. Diversify and achieve stable returns from their farming portfolio through improved farming by responding to market demands with diversified production;  
2. Increase access to water for productive purposes through improved water management practices;  
3. Make ecosystem services work for farmers by improving farmer access to, and collective management of, water, soil, and forest products; and  
4. Increase access to markets and finance so farmers can make improved investments.  

Position Summary

Winrock International is recruiting an Agricultural Technologies Specialist who will work with value chain actors in four target value chains of honey, banana, soybeans, and chili to improve productivity, resource efficiency, and revenue flows. The focus will be on improved and efficient farming practices, irrigation management, and practical demonstrations to enhance yields and market access. The Agricultural Technologies Specialist will identify, introduce, and facilitate the scaling up of improved land use and irrigation management strategies within the targeted value chains and lead the project’s efforts to promote practices that improve productivity in the honey, banana, soybean, and chili value chains by working closely with the government extension service officers and private sector extension service providers.

Essential Responsibilities

• In cooperation with the technical team and partners, regularly conduct assessments of current land use practices within the four value chains and recommend improved techniques and technologies.
• Lead the development of implementation plans for promoting improved agricultural practices, identifying MTENGO entry points and leverage opportunities, and developing strategies to maximize farmer uptake by addressing barriers to adoption, including access to appropriate extension and advisory services.  
• Supervise simple yet effective irrigation techniques such as drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting, and soil moisture management, undertaken by partners and farmers.
• Monitor implementation of irrigation system rehabilitation and development of new irrigation schemes, ensuring timely completion and that systems and procedures are in place for proper maintenance and management going forward. 
• Supervise the project’s efforts and initiatives on water and soil fertility management, crop rotation, agro-forestry, and intercropping to enhance productivity.
• Support partner cooperatives and firms to organize hands-on training sessions and field demonstrations to showcase best practices in the four value chains
• Mentor and train farmers on efficient input use, including organic fertilizers, improved seed varieties, and integrated pest management (IPM) c methods.
• Mentor and advise technical staff and partners on simple but high-impact, cost-effective techniques and technologies that enhance productivity and efficiency within the value chains
• Advise and mentor farmers to improve post-harvest handling and processing for better market value. Work with project partners to advance the market readiness of farmers
• Collaborate with agribusinesses, cooperatives, and buyers to connect farmers to better markets. In collaboration with market linkages staff and partners contribute to a better and higher quality product
• Together with the Financial Services Lead, contribute to the facilitation of linkages with financial service providers to improve access to credit for agricultural investments.
• Engage with local agricultural institutions, NGOs, and private sector partners to leverage resources.
• Collaborate with government extension service providers to ensure the sustainability of introduced practices.
• Work with supply chain actors to ensure farmers receive quality inputs and have a reliable market for their products.
• Collaborate with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning team to ensure documentation of most impactful practices in the four value chains and ensure data tracking farmers’ yields and sales are collected in a timely and accurate manner.

Qualifications:

Education: Academic degree in one of the relevant areas, including agriculture, irrigation, water management, natural resource management, and other related areas.

Experience:

• At least seven years of hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture, irrigation, and farmer training.
• Technical expertise in at least one of the target value chains.
• Experience working on donor-funded agricultural development projects, USG preferred
• Experience working within the agriculture sector of Malawi 

Skills:

• Strong practical skills in organizing and conducting field demonstrations.
• Strong training design, training delivery, and facilitation skills 
• Ability to engage with multiple stakeholders, including government agencies and private sector partners.
• Knowledge of market dynamics and value chain development in the agricultural sector.
• Strong team player
• Solid knowledge of Microsoft applications (Outlook, SharePoint, PowerPoint, Word, etc.)
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Chichewa required, Tombuka preferred.

Winrock is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all people. Winrock recruits, employs, trains, promotes, and compensates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, or any other basis protected by law.

At Winrock we have a clear mission: Empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity, and sustain natural resources through unwavering dedication to accountability, equity, innovation, integrity, and transformation.