Agriculture Extension Field Officer

About the role

SEND-Ghana, implementing a 5-year Food Security through Co-operatives in Northern Ghana (FOSTERING) project, is recruiting an Agriculture Extension Field Officer for Wulensi, Nanumba North District. The project aims to improve sustainable, gender-equitable food security for over 42,000 people in eight districts of the Eastern Corridor of Northern Ghana, covering production, marketing, off-season business and access to finance.

The officer ensures that environmentally friendly agronomic and animal husbandry practices are disseminated and adopted by farmers' co-operatives, raising their knowledge of crop and husbandry techniques and increasing productivity.

Key responsibilities

• Work with the Agriculture and Climate Change Officer to identify the training needs of farmers and Community Volunteer Extension Agents (CvEAs)
• Design and implement agriculture and climate change adaptation techniques with the officer, Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) agents and CvEAs
• Help co-operative leaders select, train and monitor CvEAs, and support MoFA agents in delivering extension services
• Establish demonstration farms for testing new agronomic techniques
• Build farmers' capacity through new knowledge, skills, inputs and processes, and provide technical services such as integrated pest and disease management, climate adaptation, data management and veterinary services
• Link farmers to research and best practices from Ghana and overseas
• Generate public awareness on agricultural issues and communicate the FOSTERING project to stakeholders
• Plan, budget, implement, monitor and report on extension activities

Required profile

• BA/BSc in Agriculture or a related science, Geography, Rural Development or Development Studies
• Experience in crop and animal production
• Gender sensitivity
• Willingness to ride a motorbike

Required skills

• Good communication, presentation, liaison and interpersonal skills
• Knowledge of and experience applying Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)
• Ability to work in a multi-layered organisation with dispersed offices, taking initiative without constant supervision

To apply, send a cover letter, detailed CV and contacts of three referees to the director of Livelihoods and Food Security Development at SEND-Ghana; the closing date is 30 June 2015.