Background

Compassionate and Development Services (CODES), the relief and development arm of the Brethren in Christ Church (BICC), is implementing a three-year food security and climate resilience project in Traditional Authority Maseya, Chikwawa District. The project promotes Conservation Agriculture (CA) while addressing climate change, household income improvement, gender equality, environmental conservation, market access, and resilient seed systems to strengthen the livelihoods of vulnerable farming households.

Job Summary

The Agriculture Officer will coordinate and oversee the implementation of Conservation Agriculture activities within the project area. The successful candidate will provide technical leadership to project volunteers, lead farmers, and participating households to promote sustainable agricultural practices that improve productivity, strengthen climate resilience, and enhance household food security and incomes.

Working closely with the Technical Team Lead, the Agriculture Officer will support project planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting, stakeholder engagement, and capacity building to ensure successful project delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate and supervise the implementation of Conservation Agriculture and climate-smart agriculture activities.
• Provide technical support and mentoring to volunteers, lead farmers, and community structures.
• Conduct farmer trainings, demonstrations, facilitate field days and exchange visits to promote sustainable agricultural practices.
• Establish and monitor demonstration plots and promote technologies such as minimum tillage, crop rotation/association, mulching, cover cropping, integrated soil fertility management, agroforestry, and sustainable water management.
• Conduct regular field monitoring, collect and analyze project data, and prepare quality technical reports.
• Document best practices, lessons learned, project success stories and challenges.
• Collaborate with government extension services, community leaders, farmer groups, and development partners.
• Integrate gender equality, environmental conservation, safeguarding, and climate resilience into project implementation.
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies, donor requirements, and government regulations.

Qualifications and Experience

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture, Agronomy, Agricultural Extension, Crop Science, or a related field.
• A Master’s Degree will be an added advantage.

Experience

• At least three (3) years’ experience in agricultural development, preferably within an NGO.
• Demonstrated experience in Conservation Agriculture or Climate-Smart Agriculture programmes.
• Experience working with rural farming communities.
• Experience supervising field staff or volunteers is an added advantage.

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong knowledge of Conservation Agriculture and sustainable farming practices.
• Good understanding of climate change adaptation and resilience-building approaches.
• Strong facilitation, training, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Good analytical, report writing, planning, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to collect and analyze project data.
• Ability to work independently and within multidisciplinary teams.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• Excellent spoken and written English and fluency in Chichewa.

Personal Attributes

The successful candidate should demonstrate integrity, professionalism, accountability, initiative, teamwork, and commitment to serving rural communities and upholding the mission, vision, and values of CODES.

• Coordinate and supervise the implementation of Conservation Agriculture and climate-smart agriculture activities.
• Provide technical support and mentoring to volunteers, lead farmers, and community structures.
• Conduct farmer trainings, demonstrations, facilitate field days and exchange visits to promote sustainable agricultural practices.
• Establish and monitor demonstration plots and promote technologies such as minimum tillage, crop rotation/association, mulching, cover cropping, integrated soil fertility management, agroforestry, and sustainable water management.
• Conduct regular field monitoring, collect and analyze project data, and prepare quality technical reports.
• Document best practices, lessons learned, project success stories and challenges.
• Collaborate with government extension services, community leaders, farmer groups, and development partners.
• Integrate gender equality, environmental conservation, safeguarding, and climate resilience into project implementation.
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies, donor requirements, and government regulations.

• Strong knowledge of Conservation Agriculture and sustainable farming practices.
• Good understanding of climate change adaptation and resilience-building approaches.
• Strong facilitation, training, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Good analytical, report writing, planning, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to collect and analyze project data.
• Ability to work independently and within multidisciplinary teams.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• Excellent spoken and written English and fluency in Chichewa.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture, Agronomy, Agricultural Extension, Crop Science, or a related field.
• A Master’s Degree will be an added advantage.
• At least three (3) years’ experience in agricultural development, preferably within an NGO.
• Demonstrated experience in Conservation Agriculture or Climate-Smart Agriculture programmes.
• Experience working with rural farming communities.
• Experience supervising field staff or volunteers is an added advantage.