Program Advisor – Good Food for Cities at Rikolto International – 2024

Overview

Job Title: Program Advisor – Good Food for Cities

Rikolto

 

East Africa’s Rikolto is a component of the global NGO Rikolto network, which has over 40 years of experience working with food chain participants and farmer organizations in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. The goal of Rikolto is to support the growth of a thriving, inclusive, and sustainable agriculture industry by partnering with family farmers that produce high-quality goods for both their own use and the needs of other markets (national, regional, and worldwide). Through three programs that are primarily focused on changing urban food systems (Good Food for Cities), sustainable rice for all, and livelihoods through cocoa/coffee programs, Rikolto is currently implementing a food systems program in eight regions of Tanzania’s Northern and Southern Highlands.

The Belgian Directorate for Development Cooperation (DGD) has awarded Tanzania’s Rikolto funds to carry out the Good Food for Cities (GF4C) program’s 2022–2026 strategy. The program’s objectives are to help Mbeya City’s farmers earn a sustainable living and provide all customer groups with access to wholesome food. Several projects, including “Building Inclusive and Competitive Horticulture Businesses in Tanzania’s Southern Highlands,” Grow Together, Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I), and other Norad-funded initiatives, co-finance this program. In order to guarantee alignment and synergies, the chosen candidate will be required to communicate with the managers of these projects as well as the Southern Highlands project coordinator overall.

 

Goal of the job:

By igniting group action to address food system concerns, we hope to advance the inclusion of smallholder farmers in fair and sustainable trade partnerships with private firms in national, regional, and export markets, as well as universal access to wholesome food.

 

Job Responsibilities:

• It encourages an atmosphere that is conducive to urban food systems.
• Encourage financial institutions to promote investment in SMEs in the food sector by working with the program team.
• Keep track of and record the processes of innovation and change in business models, behavioral shifts inside the participating firms, and the outcomes of these in terms of enhancing the lives of smallholders and aspiring entrepreneurs, as well as the lessons learned from them.
• Encourage experience sharing across all levels.
• Advocacy, reporting, and program evidence recording.

Towards an Inclusive Food System:

• Encourage multi-stakeholder participation in Mbeya City to address issues with the food system and guarantee that all customer categories have access to wholesome food.
• Encourage Farmer Business Organizations (FBO) and prospective urban buyers to establish lasting market ties.
• Create creative models for the local food distribution system.
• Take part in putting the “Generation-Food and Food business accelerations” paradigm into practice so that youth can be included in contemporary urban food systems.
• Take part in the development and execution of the program for young entrepreneurs in creative city food systems to provide them with incubation and acceleration.
• Assist partners in the growth of sustainable food projects started and managed by young people and female entrepreneurs.
• Create and execute physical places and models for food distribution in collaboration (young economic interest groups, for example).
• Create, evaluate, and verify modifications or new ideas in associated business models.
• Partnerships, Fundraising, Planning and Budgeting, Learning, Networking, and Program Management.
• To expand on effect proof, keep an eye on the program’s knowledge management procedure and the interactions amongst multiple stakeholders.
• Engage in active participation in the learning and experience-sharing programs offered by pertinent continental networks. Plan, oversee, oversee, and justify the program’s projected spending and timeline.
• To have a bigger impact, make sure local and regional networking and fundraising are done (donor information is facilitated, contacts are built and maintained, proposals are written).
• Operationalize the program’s fundraising opportunities in accordance with the overarching plan.
• Report and make sure that the highest-quality program reports are produced on schedule.
• Other duties that the line manager has requested.

Anticipated Results:

• Creative pilots that support the intended structural and business model improvements.
• Robust commercial ties between FBOs and private enterprises.
• Robust entrepreneurial mindset, competencies, and abilities of FBOs.
• Excellent examination of business environment trends and prospects.
• Strong cooperation and network with important partners and stakeholders.
• Benefits that are substantial and long-lasting for farmers participating in the trials.
• Learning procedures that are effective and improve program design.
• Successful multi-stakeholder forums that amplify the voice of smallholder farmers
• Thorough recording and interpretation of the pilots’ results.

 

Training and Work Experience:

• Master’s degree in cooperative development, business, economics, agribusiness, or agriculture.
• A minimum of five years’ experience developing value chains for high-value crops or horticulture while collaborating with several partners.

Understanding and Proficiency:

• A strategic thinker with the capacity to approach issues from several perspectives.
• Focused in achieving goals (Results oriented).
• Demonstrates clear communication in a range of contexts and modes, and their networking abilities are strong.
• Thorough knowledge of value chain development strategies, particularly those pertaining to female empowerment.
• Familiarity with and comprehension of quality management systems, certifications, and standards for food safety.
• Comprehensive knowledge of and work on financial and sustainable non-financial services, including market information systems (BDS development).
• Extensive background in facilitating group action and dealing with FBOs (including marketing as needed).
• A track record of success in creating business concepts and FBO or SME models.
• Strong knowledge of environmental and sustainability concerns and the capacity to explain information to stakeholders.
• Comprehends the high-value agricultural and grain market dynamics at the national, regional, and international levels.
• Competent use of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on a computer.
• Good command of both written and spoken English.
• Authorized to operate a manual vehicle.

Mode of Application:

To apply for a program advisor position in Mbeya, please send your resume and cover letter to eastafrica.recruitment@rikolto.org. Make sure the subject of your submission refers to this position. The application date is August 7, 2024.