Agribusiness Graduate Trainees-Moroto, Kotido, Kaabong, Karenga, Amudat, Karita (15)

Project Description:

Mercy Corps implements high quality, analytical development work in very difficult places. We have been operating in Uganda since 2006 and currently implement development programs in the Karamoja, Acholi, West Nile and Central sub-regions of Uganda with funding from USAID, DFID, EU, USDA and private foundations.

The $41 million USAID Food for Peace Activity (Apolou) and the $5 million USAID Resilience Challenge Fund (RCF) Activity support agriculturalists, agro-pastoralists, and pastoralist households living across the districts of Amudat, Kotido, Kaabong, Karenga, and Moroto in Karamoja.

Apolou is implemented by a consortium of actors led by Mercy Corps, including Save the Children, Whave Solutions, four local partners (KAPDA, NARWOA and Riam Riam), TUNADO, FIDA Uganda, Strong Minds and Tufts University’s Feinstein International Centre (FIC). Apolou’s goal is to “improve the overall food and nutrition security of vulnerable households in Kaabong, Kotido, Moroto and Amudat districts within the Karamoja region,” and has major 4 objectives as follows:

1. Inclusive and effective governance contributes to food and nutrition security
2. Adolescent girls, Pregnant and Lactating Women, and Children under 5 are nutritionally secure
3. Reduced incidences of WASH related diseases
4. Improved livelihoods and income support household food security

The RCF program works in the districts of Kaabong and Amudat, with the goal to “Improve the veterinary governance and increase public and private investment in disease prevention, surveillance, control and response systems to strengthen productive assets for improved resilience in Karamoja.” RCF has the following objectives:

1. Increased domestic resource allocation into animal health services in Karamoja
2. Central and local government develop animal health services capacity-strengthening plan for the Karamoja region
3. Disease control plan for economically prioritized diseases (PPR and FMD) developed and implemented
4. Private sector animal health development strategy developed and rolled out

 General Position Summary:

The Agribusiness graduate trainee will be at the forefront to learn as s/he take the lead in the implementation of proposed strategies under the Apolou program to support farmer groups and the livestock groups to become viable and profitable enterprises. Similarly, the incumbent with be responsible to enhance the capacity of the existing community level entrepreneurs and local level private sector partners so that they can work with the local government to provide the services sustainably. Through enhancing the capacity of active FEGs and LEGs based on the Producer Organization Viability Evaluation (POVE) results on five dimensions that is; i) Managerial organization, ii) Access to inputs and extension, iii) Post-harvesting and preservation, iv) Access to markets, and v) Access to finance.

Learning Objectives: By the end of the program, the trainee should have gained the following;

• Enhanced his/her skills in farmers’ enterprise groups’ capacity building.
• Enhance his/her skills in contextualized business plan development.
• Interfaced with real farmer enterprise groups’ challenges and working to them to find solutions.
• Skills in enterprise groups’ inputs and extensions’ access strategies.
• Stakeholders’ coordination and management.
• Skills in building market linkages for smallholder farmer enterprises.

 Graduate Trainee’s Roles Responsibilities:

• Sensitize and help farmers in the strengthening management organization capacity of Farmer Enterprise Groups and Livestock Enterprise Groups, which are able to support farmers market their produce and have access to other embedded services.
• Train Enterprise committees and farmers in aspects of Agribusiness e. farming as a business (FaaB), Enterprise selection, Collective Bulking and marketing, Quality control, marketing, post-harvest handling/preservation, inputs access, and financial access among others
• Help farmers to market their produce and linking them to potential buyers.
• Guide and support enterprise groups in business plan development and operationalization.
• Working with the Technical staff guide and link enterprise groups to start or strengthen their savings schemes and on bank accounts opening and linkages with financial institutions (MSC and Centenary bank)
• Working closely with the Technical staff guide and link enterprise groups to input dealers.
• Support the AVAs and LCs to establish and strengthen their extension and embedded services deliverable to become profitable.
• Networking with other development partners and local government departments to enhance different capacities of the target enterprise groups.
• Encourage farmer groups, to bulk their produce together to increase on their bargaining power for better prices.
• To prepare and submit reports regularly as required by the project.
• Perform any other duty as may be assigned by the direct supervisor.

 Deliverables:

1. Prepare and implement activities as per their weekly work plan, which will be derived from position roles and responsibilities.
2. Prepare and submit weekly progress reports of the activities implemented.

• Prepare and submit monthly timesheet detailing days worked.

Ideal Candidate Should Possess The Following Qualifications:

• Should have completed/ graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness management, Agriculture, Agriculture Economics, Business administration, Economics, or related fields.
• Should not have spent more than 5 years outside school following attainment of the qualification.
• Knowledge of computer skills is a necessity.
• Should be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Knowledge of Nga’Karimojong and Pokot languages is an added advantage.
• Motorcycle riding is a necessity.

Working Conditions:

Mercy Corps Graduate Trainees represent the agency both during and outside of work hours and are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps’ policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Closes: 12th July 2021