TheInternational Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) is a public international organization (PIO) governed by an international board of directors with representation from developed and developing nations. The non-profit center focuses on increasing and sustaining food and agricultural productivity in developing countries through the development and transfer of effective and environmentally sound crop nutrient technology and agribusiness expertise. IFDC is recruiting staff for the 4-year CATALIST-Uganda Project, funded by DGIS through the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Kampala. The project aims to enable over 100,000 Uganda smallholder farm families to produce and market potatoes, cassava, rice and sunflower on a commercial scale.
Required Skills
Job Summary
The role of the Agribusiness Cluster Specialists is to oversee the development of agribusiness clusters for priority commodities –Cassava, rice (particularly paddy rice) and sunflower-as well as crops grown in association with these crops (usually rotations). ABC specialists coordinate the identification, training and activation of agribusiness clusters (ABCs). ABCs are defined as an all actors collaborating to build profile value chains (producers and their organizations, input suppliers, financial service providers, processors-warehousing-value addition, traders-buyers-market parties, business development services, others) The agribusiness cluster approach is designed to support rural small holders to move from subsistence farming to farming as a business through a sustainable improvement in productivity and quality, leading to marketable surpluses and increased family incomes
Key results
The Agribusiness Cluster Specialist will be responsible for translating value chain opportunities into viable businesses in their region of operation. S/he will facilitate and coordinate the formation of ABCs, then facilitate agribusiness cluster interactions between value chain actors that lead to agreements that are mutually beneficial to the parties involved and provide support to value chain actors in business plan development.
Specific duties- Participate in the identification, analysis and evaluation of farmers constraints and in the assessment of the potential impact of a range of technological solutions
- Organize Agribusiness Clusters at various levels and train cluster participants to identify and exploit business opportunities
- Carry out feasibility studies and formulate business plans
- Identify and recommend a range of on and off farm services, as well as service providers, required to facilitate the adoption of productivity-enhancing products and the commercialization of farm surpluses.
- Contribute in the design of strategies to strengthen the linkages between farmers' associations, the private sector, government and civil society organization
- Facilitate market driven linkages between agribusiness producers, wholesalers, processors and markets within Uganda
- Conduct regular field visits to project sites , provide hand on technical assistance and monitoring of program activities and implementation
- Contribute to M& E activities, including data collection and reporting, in coordination with the project M& E and Innovations Advisor
- Minimum Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (business, agriculture, economics, etc.)
- Intimate knowledge of government and non-government organizations and farmer associations in their area of operation.
- Experience in organizing farmers into larger clusters, involving other cluster actors.
- Knowledge of value chain(s) for priority commodity(s) in their area of operation.
- Practical knowledge of Uganda agribusiness firms (bulkers, traders, processors, etc.) for priority commodities in their area of operation.
- Experience with gender mainstreaming in agriculture projects highly desirable.
- Demonstrated ability to work and coordinate effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders, including agribusinesses, other projects, local governments and international agencies.
- Previous experience agricultural/agribusiness development programs.
- Proven record of achieving development impacts in a similar context.
- Strong management, leadership, and interpersonal skills.
- Good communication and reporting skills in English
- Knowledge of one or more languages spoken in area of operation.
- Ability to work independently and to take initiative.
- Willing to travel extensively in region of operation
Agribusiness Cluster Specialist, Lira and Kabale, Uganda
![Agribusiness Cluster Specialist, Lira and Kabale, Uganda]()
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