Zonal Outreach Officer at Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development

Main Responsibilities

• Reporting to the Zonal Program Coordinator, the Zonal Outreach Officer will plan, coordinate and supervise implementation of agricultural activities, particularly the agronomic aspects, in addition to delivery of agricultural services in the field, including research and extension.

Specific Duties

• Support the work of the ATASP-l in the area rim food crops, especially rice, sorghum, cassava and vegetables.
• Support the Seed Bank program in the area of rice seed production and certification.
• Work with the Agriculture Research Institutes under the Outreach Program to assemble or collate information on all seed varieties tested and approved previously in Nigeria and facilitate the testing of new seed varieties: multiplication, adaptation, testing and observation nurseries farmers' fields during the growing period.
• Train Agriculture staff and newly hired staff as needed.
• Participate in the development of manuals on agronomic practices of major food crops in Nigeria.
• Guide and supervise activities of private sector/NGO service providers in time field.
• In collaboration with Research Institutes, guide amid supervise the introduction of new food crop varieties and planting materials from the Africa Rice Centre and the international Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and other regional research centers for adaptation to the local environment.
• Propose agronomic and environmental implementation guidelines for various agriculture activities.
• Participate in environmental impact assessment of project activities is collaboration with she Ministry of Environment and other relevant stakeholders.
• Participate in technical discussions and activities pertaining to the design of agriculture activities and programs and in the implementation of programs and projects in the held.
• Assist in carrying out other tasks as assigned by the Zonal Program Coordinator and or National Outreach Specialist at the NPCT.

Qualification and Experience

• At least a Bachelor's degree in Agriculture. A Master's degree in Agronomy will he added advantage.
• At least 8 years work experience in rural-based agricultural development activities.
• Demonstrated ability to establish priorities and to plan, co-ordinate, monitor, and report on his/Her own work plan.
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines.
• Self motivated, Team player, able to work with minimum supervision.
• Willingness to work in rural settings.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication outreach skills.
• Computer literacy with proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, Word and Excel.
• Familiarity with results-based management.
• Working knowledge of the operational modalities of national and international NGO's is desirable.

Location and Reporting
Officers of the ATASP-1 will be located at the Zonal Program Headquarters, reporting to their respective Zonal Program Coordinators.

Terms of Appointment
Maximum of five years, renewable every year subject to satisfactory performance. The performance criteria will be the indicator for assessing every officer.