Volunteer recruitment notice

Position title:  Advisor in management and development of agricultural enterprises

TYPE:  National Mandate

Location:   Kigali with travel within the country

Duration:  Maximum of 6 months from the month of July 2021

The Center for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) is a Canadian non-profit organization founded in 1958, with its head office located in Montreal. Since its creation, CECI’s mission has been to fight poverty, exclusion and inequalities. To this end, CECI aims to improve the economic and social well-being of the poorest and most marginalized people in Africa, Asia and the Americas, through the support of volunteers. CECI particularly aims to strengthen the place and leadership of women and young women as agents of change for sustainable and inclusive development. By sharing their skills and expertise, and working in close collaboration with local partners,

In Rwanda, CECI supports the strengthening of the economic power of vulnerable women: farmers and pastoralists, entrepreneurs, women heads of household and young single mothers, women and young women living in refugee camps or cross-border trade. Although considerable progress has been made in gender equality in Rwanda, especially at the political level, the situation of women in their households is less glowing. CECI volunteers work in collaboration with civil society organizations to improve economic opportunities for women. In collaboration with local women’s rights organizations, volunteers also support the creation of an environment conducive to gender equality.

Partner: Association for Cooperation and Research for Development (ACORD)

ACORD Rwanda recently launched an initiative to strengthen the economic power of women farmers and their resilience capacities in the face of the Ccovid 19 pandemic and climate shocks. This project, which tackles a triple issue (agriculture, control of household income by men, resilience to shocks and impacts of COVID-19), is implemented in two sectors (Muko and Gataraga) of the district of Musanze , in the northern province of Rwanda. This project addresses the resilience of women farmers engaged in the horticultural supply chain (plum tree) to support the resilience of their business through skills development, provision of inputs, handling of equipment and post processing and storage. harvest. This will then allow them to regain access to markets,

This target group of women in the North Province not only needs technical support in relation to their plum growing activity, but also they need better control of the issues and operations throughout the period. value chain, including access to productive resources, production management, storage, processing, harvest market, etc. Support from one person We believe that a volunteer is desired can help them sit down to maximize the different strategies for better management of their business, benefit maximization scenarios, e

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Make an organizational and institutional diagnosis of the Women Farmers (FA) project;
• Analyze the sector chosen by the FA, namely plum cultivation, by proposing sustainable and promising operating strategies for the FA;
• Identify the needs of the FA in terms of the technical knowledge required for the good performance of their agricultural enterprise;
• Support the FA in the development and implementation of project performance plans;
• Carry out a market study and propose strategies allowing the marketing of plums, once harvested; 
• Propose options to integrate new (digital) technologies to improve crop performance;
• Support the FA in carrying out contingency plans in the face of climatic shocks and covid 19; 

• Take gender equality into account in all activities, with particular emphasis on the participation and representation of women and young women, in all activities;
• Take into account the issues of the environment and adaptation to climate change in all activities;
• Ensure, at all times, to respect the guides, manuals, directives or instructions of the organization in terms of safety and protection;
• Take the necessary means to help ensure their own safety, in particular by establishing an individual risk mitigation plan in their place of employment;
• Write the reports required by the partner organization and by the CECI program.

Expected outcome 

The plum cultivation value chain (the company) in which the women farmers (FA) have chosen to invest has a structure with segments of economic values ​​spread over the entire sector:

• productive resources  (land, capital, labor, natural biodiversity services): AF needs to master the challenges and potential in terms of access, rational management and results for the benefit of individuals , households, association and community.
• productive inputs  (seeds, fertilizers, natural pesticides, tools, agroforestry plants, etc.): FAs need skills in the control of inputs, of the operating account of the investment in inputs, the choice and rational management of these inputs.
• production  (transition from conventional to agroecology): AFs need the conviction that the integration of the agroecological business model (MBAE) is as profitable as the conventional model using large quantities of synthetic inputs. They need an economic modeling of the integration of the MBAE in terms of base costs, additional costs and results. This modeling should take into account risks and unforeseen events and propose options and alternatives.
• post harvest operations  including transport, storage, preservation, processing, loss management. FAs need a clear economic vision of what to expect once production is ready. What options exist for these post-harvest operations and at what costs?
• outlets, sales and distribution  : what are the decision-making factors on outlets? Is transformation a feasible option for AF? the FA need strategies to anticipate the market for their plum crops.

• consumption  : AFs need to anticipate the impacts of their initiative and the sustainable livelihoods of households and the community, in terms of improving income, quality of food, and decision-making , and well-being in general.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Hold a university degree in economics, agriculture or any other relevant field.
• Skills in developing and facilitating training workshops.
• Planning and organizational skills
• Ability to analyze and solve problems, synthesis and strategic thinking.
• Experience in the analysis of agricultural production chains
• Agricultural products market research experience
• Experience working with rural women (adult training)
• Knowledge of agroecology, an asset
• Fluency in French, knowledge of angalis being an asset
• Ability to communicate directly in the local language, an asset
• Ability to design training tools and write reports
• Be able to telework, independently, while participating in virtual meetings. 
• Adaptability, flexibility, excellent teamwork skills and sensitivity to cultural realities. In addition, being able to demonstrate strong skills in terms of flexibility and tolerance for ambiguity in this period of uncertainty.

BENEFITS AND SUPPORT FOR VOLUNTEERS:

• Support and supervision throughout the assignment.
• Health insurance or reimbursement of a fixed amount per month for obtaining health insurance.
• A monthly allowance.
• An incredible opportunity to improve your professional skills!

All interested candidates who meet the requirements must send to  [email protected]  no later than June 18, 2021 at 5:00 p.m.,  their application files including the following documents:

• Cover letter
• Up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV) with names, e-mail and telephone numbers of 3 reference persons
• Diploma and other additional certificates if applicable
• Copy of identity document.

CECI is an employer that respects fairness. Applications from women are strongly encouraged . 

Only - e - s the s candidate - e s selected - e - for an interview will be contacted - e - s.