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Full Time |
Ilorin |
Posted 1 year ago |
Job Title: Agronomist
Location: Ilorin, Kwara
Job Type: Full-time
Overview of Position
- With IFP’s foray into Soy crushing and increasing requirement of crop, it is imperative to find pathways to grow Soybean production in the surrounding areas of the facility with objective to source a large part of the Soybean requirement for crushing from the catchment area (Kwara & Niger states).
- The position of Agri-Extension PM would be thus responsible to develop programs for small-holder farmers to get into SB production and drive improvement in agronomic practices to increase yield & farmer profitability, enabling crop growth.
- The position will also focus on developing & operating out-grower programs to secure supply of crop required by the business. To achieve this objective, the person is expected to secure donor funding for the agri-extension work from NGOs, global developmental agencies and Nigeria’s domestic schemes.
Key Responsibilities
- Mobilize farmer groups to get into & increase Soybean production.
- Develop a package of best agronomic practices for Soybean cropping and advise/ train the growers to adopt the same to ensure increased yield & productivity.
- Conducting detailed cost of production studies and find avenues for increasing farmer profitability
- Monitoring of weather & other developments to update production estimates and assess the impact of various scenarios on yields.
- Input distribution and credit accounting, if needed
- Build and sustain a reliable Soybean out-grower base in the catchment areas (Kwara & Niger) and ensure a sustainable supply of high-quality produce for IFP’s Soy crush facility.
- Quality seed production throughout-growers for the participating farmers
- Build an operational team to run the farming out-grower program – Scheduling operations as well as resources and monitor the activities in the field to achieve production and buyback targets.
- Acquire funding for the Soybean Agri-extension through multi-lateral agencies and stake holder management (International donor organizations/ Developmental agencies, social/ community organizations, Nigerian governmental agencies & Statutory bodies and internal departments)
Key Performance Indicators
- Improved productivity and increased production volumes for farmers
- Management of out-grower program and volume of buyback from the farmers
- Donor funding from Global developmental agencies/ NGOs and through domestic schemes in Nigeria to sponsor farmer programs
Academic Qualification
- Master’s Degree in Agriculture
Work Experience and Competencies Required:
- Must have expertise in Soybean cropping and 7 – 10 years of experience in managing farmer / out-grower / contract farming and agricultural extension services
- Proven experience in obtaining donor funding from NGOs and multi-lateral agencies
- Understanding of seed production, crop management and buyback of produce
- Knowledge on agro-climate, soil fertility, disease & pest control
Skills Required:
- Competence in managing external stakeholders and interactions with multi-lateral agencies
- High level execution capabilities, decision-making and critical thinking skills
- Resourcefulness to work with limited resources and capability to build/ manage a team from ground-up.
- Willingness to work in adverse field condition and manage the program in remote locations
Application Closing Date
Not Specified.
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Job Features
Job Category | Agriculture / Agro Allied |