JOB TITLE: Agri-Nutrition Officer
REPORTS TO: Project Coordinator
LOCATION: Homabay County
JOB TYPE: Full-time for a period of 1 year, renewable based on performance and availability of funds
Company information
Sustainable Agricultural Information Initiative (SAII) is a regional Not for Profit development organization with over 10 years of experience in delivering agricultural development and resilience-building interventions focused on value chain development in the ASAL and other counties of Kenya. The NGO is concerned with the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices to eradicate hunger and extreme poverty by implementing innovative, enterprising and sustainable interventions that contribute to mainstreaming good agricultural practices and market-oriented approaches, generating and diversifying household incomes among smallholder farmers and enterprising youth & women enterprises, thereby contributing to the long-term agenda of ensuring a food secure and a healthy nation.
Purpose of the Role
Through the Kimira Oluoch Irrigation Scheme High Value Horticultural Crops Commercialization Project, SAII plans to start a project that will address Food and Nutrition related issues to the community in Homabay. The project aims to transform food and nutrition security and will operate as a multi-sector project integrating agriculture and nutrition. The project will demonstrate nutrition behavioural change through agriculture as a means of addressing the prevalent cases of malnutrition. SAI will introduce nutrition sensitive agricultural food-chain practices to address the causes of malnutrition, through supporting the improvement in agricultural diversification and nutrient quality of crops grown.
The Agri-Nutrition Officer will therefore be responsible to support the running of the activities at the project by conducting training on key nutritional messages to households and communities in Homa bay.
Specific tasks/Responsibilities:
- The Agri-Nutrition officer will work under the general supervision of the Project coordinator and will require independent judgment and initiative in the preparation, and implementation of agri-nutrition activities in the target areas.
- He/She will coordinate and implement the agri-nutrition activities of the project in Homabay through increasing market access and consumption of diverse and quality foods, as well as increasing resilience of vulnerable households and communities.
- He/She will integrate food and nutrition security into agriculture and coordinate the implementation of agri-nutrition security activities of the project.
- Raise community awareness and consumption of diversified, nutrient dense, fortified and nutritionally adequate foods.
- Improve nutritional status and intervention outcome through increasing production of diverse and safe foods, increased household food availability and gender sensitive interventions.
- Coordinating capacity building and technical support for beneficiaries on agri-nutrition issues including agri-nutrition sensitive technologies, dietary diversification and nutrient dense diets.
- Work with the M&E team to monitor beneficiary adoption of the new nutrition targeted agricultural practices and food consumption methodologies.
- Promoting food safety including appropriate methods of handling, preservation, processing, storage and utilization of agriculture foods.
- Disseminating and promoting/demonstrating agri-nutrition sensitive technologies; food preparation and utilization; best practices; and energy and time saving technologies for women.
- Establish linkages and facilitating collaboration across relevant sectors, agencies and public stakeholders working with the targeted community.
- Promote water and sanitation activities where in the targeted communities.
- Strengthen and promote community engagement processes in the project areas, particularly identifying project beneficiaries, assessing their needs and addressing and resolving community issues.
- Perform and document regular monitoring of all project activities in close coordination with the project team.
- Ensure a safe working environment for all people involved in project implementation and maintain the highest standards of behavior when working with the project beneficiaries.
- Adherence to all organizational policies and procedures as outlined in SAII policies and procedure manuals.
- Responsible for establishing and maintaining a good working relationship with all SAII staff and for attending and participating in regular staff meetings.
- Any other duties as assigned from time to time.
Qualifications and Requirements:
- University degree in Home Economics or nutrition, Food Science other relevant disciplines with 2-3 years’ experience. Experienced nutritionist with a background in implementing agriculture related activities.
- Experience with conducting agri-nutrition activities in livelihood project is essential.
- Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, at all levels as well as the ability to report to and advise the project coordinator on emerging issues.
- Able to work on own initiative with a creative approach to problem-solving.
- Community conflict resolution skills.
- Computer literacy with good knowledge of office applications is required.
- Excellent knowledge of the local language is an added advantage.
- They must be willing to be based in the field and work closely with beneficiary communities.