Precision Agriculture Lecturer

The Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) is a unique and innovative English language undergraduate institution dedicated to preparing the next generation of agricultural leaders of Rwanda and East Africa. Students at RICA will engage in curricular and co-curricular learning opportunities emphasizing Conservation Agriculture and One Health principles, oral and written communication, leadership, and entrepreneurship.

In an experiential learning environment, students will develop the knowledge and experience necessary for a wide range of careers in agriculture. Students at RICA will experience the six Enterprises including Food Processing, Dairy, Poultry and Swine, Row and Forage Crops, Vegetable and Fruit Crops, Irrigation, and Mechanization. Communication, One Health Systems Thinking, and Entrepreneurship are woven throughout the curriculum. All RICA graduates will be innovative problem solvers able to operate farms and ranches, start agribusinesses, assume management roles in cooperatives, NGOs, and other agricultural enterprises, serve their communities as extension agents and technical and policy experts or assume positions of agricultural leadership in Rwanda.

DESCRIPTION

We are seeking a Precision Agriculture Specialist to join a world-class team of educators and researchers at RICA. Ideal candidates will have a passion for education with a focus on conservation agriculture and systems thinking and will actively engage with students in the learning environment by demonstrating technical skills and mentoring students. Such a candidate will commit to the RICA teaching philosophy, which celebrates experiential learning that is founded in research and extends to the community. This position is a comprehensive teaching position whereby the successful candidate is a stakeholder in all aspects of the program, including but not limited to, the responsibilities listed below.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Participate in team teaching the experiential first year Practical Farming series.
• Team teach elective classes in Site-Specific Crop Management to second and third-year students and participate in cropping systems teaching.
• As part of a team mentor students on capstone experiences.
• Introduce and direct maintenance of a geodatabase of RICA land resources, infrastructure, and land management.
• Champion Conservation Agriculture and One Health principles in teaching and mentoring.
• Join the extension team in providing precision agriculture and remote sensing solutions to farm management questions.
• Conduct interdisciplinary research adapting precision agriculture technologies to Rwandan agriculture.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Fluent speaker of English.
• MS or PhD in Agronomy, Soil Science, GIS, Ag Mechanization, Environmental Science, Ecology or related field.
• Proficient in the use of GIS software.
• Enthusiasm for conservation agriculture, experiential learning, and team teaching.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience teaching agriculture students.
• Experience in active and experiential learning and team teaching.
• Experience operating and maintaining drones for agricultural remote sensing applications.
• Experience in curriculum and course design.
• Demonstrated success in research and/or extension (e.g. presentations, publications, awards).
• PhD preferred.

BENEFITS OF JOINING THE RICA TEAM

Academic staff at RICA will be part of creating something unique in the world. While working with other world-class educators and researchers, you will transform agriculture in Rwanda and East Africa for a conservation-minded and food-secure future. RICA staff will also enjoy an internationally competitive salary commiserate with the applicant’s background, a relocation allowance, on-campus staff housing or a housing subsidy, and an on-campus meal plan.