Project Officer (Agronomist) at Practical Action: (Deadline 24 April 2022)

Project Officer (Agronomist)

We are an International Development Organization putting ingenious ideas to work so people
in poverty can change their world. We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems. Challenges made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality. We work with communities to develop ingenious, lasting and locally owned solutions for agriculture, water and waste management, climate resilience and clean energy. And we share what works with others, so answers that start small can grow big.

We are a global change-making group. The group consists of a UK registered charity with community projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, an independent development
publishing company and a technical consulting service. We combine these specialisms to multiply our impact and help shape a world that works better for everyone.

OUR AIMS

We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems, made worse by
catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality. Our aims are to:

• Make agriculture work better for smallholder farmers, many of them women, so they
  can adapt to climate change and achieve a good standard of living.
• Help more people harness the transformational effects of clean affordable energy and
  reduce avoidable deaths caused by smoke from indoor stoves and fires.
• Make cities in poorer countries cleaner, healthier places to live and work.
• Build disaster resilience into the lives of people threatened by hazards reducing the
  risk of hazards and minimizing their impact on lives and livelihoods.

In Rwanda, we are recognized leaders in clean cooking and sustainable energy solutions. This includes ground-breaking work in solar, wind and water powered electricity generation, often delivered through independent mini-grids. We bring rural communities, people in refugee camps, energy providers and decision makers together to put sustainable, clean energy solutions to work for the people who need them most.

OUR VISION, MISSION, BELIEFS and AMBITION 

OUR VISION

Our vision is for a world where all people have access to the technologies that enable them to meet their basic needs and reach their potential, in a way that safeguards the planet today, and for future generations.

OUR BELIEFS

We believe that:

• Technology is a key enabler of human development; and that technological innovation has the power to propel us into a better world.
• All people should have access to, and a voice in, shaping the technologies that can improve their lives.
• A sustainable future for our planet requires a fundamental shift in the way technology is developed and used.

OUR MISSION

To develop and demonstrate practical, technology-based solutions that enable women and men living in or vulnerable to poverty, to lead dignified lives. To partner with people whose lives are transformed by these efforts and with a range of other organizations: ensuring local ownership, and that the solutions work in the longer term without us. To inspire change through the widespread adoption of sustainable technologies that work – socially, economically and environmentally, so that more people living in or vulnerable to poverty benefit from our learning.

OUR AMBITION

Our ambition is that by 2030 we will have transformed the way technology is used to improve the lives of people living in, or vulnerable to poverty

Practical Action
ABOUT THE ROLE

BACKGROUND

Practical Action in collaboration with a Partner is commencing a 22 -months solar powered irrigation project in Mahama. The objective of the project is to improve lives and livelihoods in Mahama using productive use of energy for agriculture.

Mahama refugee camp is the biggest refugee camp in Rwanda with a population of almost 50,000 refugees. This project will work with both the refugee and host community in Mahama to demonstrate community-managed micro-irrigation systems to diversify livelihoods and enhance food security.

Practical Action wants to move to a farming system which is climate adaptive and which restores the natural capital, on which lives and livelihoods depend. The project aims to make renewable energy accessible to the most marginalized and vulnerable people, so they can increase production and improve storage through a holistic approach which will enable young men and women to increase their income through agri-business.

We are looking to recruit an Agronomist for the Project. The postholder will be working directly with the Mahama beneficiaries to deliver this project and s/he will be based in Mahama, Reporting to the Project Coordinator, the postholder will oversee a sustainable increase of crop production in Mahama with a clear focus on climate adaptive methodologies. The agronomist will work with farmers, extension workers, Government of Rwanda, community and refugee farming cooperatives to ensure that increased crop production plans are accomplished to hit the project goal.

OBJECTIVE

The Productive Use of Energy for Livelihoods Project seeks to improve the living conditions and resilience of refugees and host communities in Mahama, through enhanced access to productive use of energy to boost agricultural productivity and incomes.

This project will integrate delivery models with a focus on women, community-driven participatory approaches, private sector engagement and innovative business models to promote access to productive use of energy for agricultural purposes.

We aim to:

• Provide Small Solar Irrigation systems which will boost the production of a variety of crops and increase small scale farmers’ incomes
• Explore options for processing at the refugee & host community market centers
• Enhance farmers’ skills in regenerative and climate adaptive farming techniques and business
• Awareness creation of productive use of energy in livelihoods business and productive use of energy in livelihoods
• Develop and strengthen private sector partnerships in humanitarian settings
• Encourage entrepreneurial skill sharing and mentoring among refugees and host community

A detailed Job Profile can be accessed from Practical Action website, Click HERE for more details.

HOW TO APPLY

A detailed Job Profile can be accessed from the download section.

If you have the experience, skills and the ability we are looking for, please forward your application letter and updated CV by email to:  recruitment@practicalaction.or.ke with the subject “Agriculture Project Officer”, the application deadline is 24th April 2022

We treat all applications for employment on their merits and do not take into consideration any factors that are not relevant to the job such as disability, race, age, religion, gender, gender reassignment or sexual orientation.

Practical Action is committed to safeguarding and protecting children and vulnerable adults and as such candidates will be subject to pre-employment checks.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further process