Agricultural Recovery Officer at Lagos Food Bank Initiative

Position Summary

• The Agricultural Recovery Officer will be responsible for coordinating the implementation of LFBI's Agricultural Recovery Program in Benue State. The role involves identifying and securing food recovery opportunities from commercial farms, smallholder farmers, cooperatives, aggregators, and produce markets, while coordinating the redistribution of recovered produce through LFBI's network of beneficiary organizations across the state.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain partnerships with farmers, cooperatives, aggregators, produce markets, processors, and other stakeholders to facilitate surplus food recovery.
• Coordinate the recovery, handling, and distribution of surplus agricultural produce in line with organizational standards and food safety requirements.
• Manage relationships with beneficiary organizations and coordinate food allocations to ensure efficient distribution to vulnerable communities.
• Conduct field assessments, monitoring visits, and data collection activities to support program implementation and accountability.
• Maintain accurate records of food recovered, distributed, beneficiaries reached, and partner engagements.
• Prepare periodic reports and contribute to program learning, impact measurement, and stakeholder engagement activities.
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies, safeguarding requirements, and donor guidelines.
• Represent the program at stakeholder meetings, community engagements, and relevant forums.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Food Science, Agribusiness, Agricultural Extension, Rural Development, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3 years' experience in agriculture, food security, livelihoods, food systems, supply chain management, post-harvest handling, or community development programs.
• Experience working with farmers, agricultural cooperatives, markets, or food security initiatives is highly desirable.
• Understanding of post-harvest loss reduction, food recovery systems, and agricultural value chains.
• Experience in data collection, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.

Required Skills and Competencies

• Strong stakeholder engagement and partnership-building skills.
• Excellent communication and community mobilization abilities.
• Project implementation and coordination skills.
• Knowledge of agricultural supply chains and post-harvest management.
• Data management and reporting skills.
• Strong problem-solving and negotiation skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple field activities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel and Word.
• Familiarity with Benue State's agricultural landscape and local communities.