Poultry Promotion Specialist

Kabwe, Zambia (Central Province)

Background:

Land O’Lakes Venture37 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to helping communities around the world build economies by strengthening local agriculture, helping agribusinesses create jobs and linking farmers to markets. Since 1981, it has implemented over 315 integrated dairy, livestock, and crops development programs in nearly 80 countries — creating lasting impact by linking farmers, businesses, and the public and private sector in local and global contexts. Land O’Lakes Venture37’s long-standing affiliation with Land O’Lakes, Inc. sets it apart. Land O’Lakes, Inc. is one of America’s largest farmer-owned cooperatives. It supports Land O’Lakes Venture37 project implementation with nearly 100 years of expertise in dairy, animal nutrition, crop inputs and agricultural insights and technologies. This gives Land O’Lakes Venture37 development projects a unique global view of agriculture, food, and the power of well-functioning market systems. Land O’Lakes, Inc. supports these efforts as part of its enterprise purpose of Feeding Human Progress at home and around the world.

Project Description:

The Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AIDI) is a CGIAR initiative consisting of a series of rapid impact interventions aiming to ensure that smallholder farmers in key food production areas of sub-Saharan Africa have the information and innovation they need to offset the increase of food, fuel and fertilizer prices brought on by the war in Ukraine. The initiative aims to support resource-poor smallholder farmers to increase crop production and productivity through access to know-how, fertilizers, improved seeds, and financing mechanisms.

Land O’Lakes Venture37 has a sub-agreement with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) to implement a rapid impact intervention focusing on the commercial and indigenous poultry value chains in Zambia. The Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative – Livestock (AIDI-L) is a 24-month project whose overall aim is to contribute to improved food and nutrition security and rural incomes in Zambia. Specifically, the project’s purpose is to improve productivity and availability of poultry meat and eggs at household and local market levels through widespread adoption of sustainable livestock innovation. AIDI-L aims to reach 15,000 smallholder households in Zambia through private sector-led, women-and youth- focused innovations in poultry, and 375,000 through poultry vaccination and media campaigns.

Position Summary:

The Poultry Promotion Specialist will engage poultry producers and support in scaling up Poultry Producer Groups (PDGs), including delivering producer and training of trainers (TOT) trainings, trial innovative poultry production systems, and support access to and scale up of improved dual purpose backyard village chickens and commercial poultry from hatcheries and brooders. The Poultry Promotion Specialist will work closely with other team members and stakeholders to support investments in poultry, development of Village Savings and Loan schemes, organize Learning Exchanges, and strengthen delivery of media advisory campaigns on vaccines, health, hygiene, and production.

This post is based in Kabwe, Central province, and will provide oversight to three Poultry Promotion Officers (Copperbelt, Central and Lusaka) in planning and implementation of activities, data collection, monitoring and reporting to ensure smooth implementation of the project.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Oversee the development, execution and updating of field project work plans, ensuring project and individual field activities are planned efficiently and effectively and reach intended objectives.
• Lead and oversee the mobilization and engagement of poultry producers to build capacity of Poultry Development Groups (PDGs) in all areas of operations to strengthen ability to access services and inputs.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to support the development and establishment of poultry incubation clusters which encompass hatcheries, brooders, and producers.
• Engage and coordinate stakeholder partnership relationships with key planned project stakeholders in the geographical area including private sector, farmer-based organizations, and government in target provinces.
• Provide training to producers on poultry production, husbandry, health, and climate smart approaches which increase production and productivity.
• Identify lead farmers, facilitate training on use of mobile corrals and CSA approaches, trial mobile corral systems, and use model farms and training-of-trainers to enable peer-to-peer learning to increase adoption and scale-up of improved production practices.
• Link with hatcheries and brooders through the incubation clusters to facilitate producer access and scale-up of improved breeds of dual-purpose backyard village chickens, as well as commercial enterprises access to broilers and layers.
• Support in facilitating learning exchange visits to lead farmers.
• Link producers and PDGs to Village Saving and Loan Schemes, access to cost-share finance, vaccine campaigns and other relevant poultry initiatives.
• Support stakeholders to amplify media advisory campaigns on vaccines, health, hygiene, and production.
• Ensure all data collection is carried out accurately and collate all data generated into IMPACTS and submit reports, work plans, identified best practices, and all required information in a timely manner.in coordination with the MEL Specialist.
• Oversee the development, execution and updating of field project work plans, ensuring project and individual field activities are planned for efficiently and effectively.
• Ensure field project resources are being managed efficiently and effectively in compliance with organizational, donor and national rules and regulations e.g., motorcycles.
• Support Poultry Promotion Officers in any required training/onboarding including, rules and regulations, accounting and finance systems and procedures, administrative and human resource processes.

Reporting & Supervision:

This position reports to the Project Advisor and will supervise three Poultry Promotion Officers.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science degrees (BSc) in Animal/Poultry Science/Production, Veterinary science Agribusiness, Agricultural, Rural Development, or relevant fields
• A minimum of four (4) years of demonstrated experience in implementation of livestock development projects with an emphasis on poultry.
• Demonstrated experience training and providing extension services to small-scale subsistence and commercial farmers with an emphasis on poultry production.
• Experience managing and providing oversight to technical field teams, including ability to provide mentorship and capacity building.
• Able to work with limited supervision and deliver on time.
• Team player with fluency in oral and written English, excellent interpersonal and written and oral presentation skills. Excellent report writing skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft packages including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Fluency in oral and written English.
• Ability to ride a motorcycle over challenging terrain and can obtain a motorcycle license within four weeks of hire.

Preferred Skills and Qualifications:

• Possess a motorcycle license.
• A Higher National Diploma Animal/Poultry Science/Production, Veterinary science Agribusiness, Agricultural, Rural Development
• Experience working with indigenous/dual purpose poultry with small scale subsistence farmer, as well as with commercial broilers and layer poultry in Zambia.
• Strong command of Chi Bemba and Chi Nyanja or other local languages spoken in area of operation.