Intern-Agronomy Advisor

1. Background: TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. We are a nonprofit organization that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital and markets. Our work is rooted in the idea that given the opportunity, hardworking men and women in even the poorest places can generate income, jobs and wealth for their families and communities. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.


2. Program Description: The primary objective of the TNS agronomy program will be to increase production of the coffee tree for coffee farmers through both yield improvement and behavioral shifts due to price incentives. This production improvement will be achieved through educating project farmers on agronomy and environmental best practices, farm management, and assisting them in applying those techniques at an individual farm level. TNS will use two-year farm college training and individual farm visits to improve farmer knowledge of agronomy techniques and oversee implementation.

• Support the implementation of strategies that will enable small holder coffee farmers to achieve sustainable increases in coffee quality and yields as per Technoserve quality Responsible for day-to-day execution of the coffee agronomy program, activities plan and supervise project deliverables of farmer trainers to ensure the timely achievement of targets

      3. Duties & Responsibilities

INTERN- Agronomy Advisors are responsible to support the Agronomy Advisors to follow up and implement the day to day project activities at the grass-root level including the following duties & responsibilities: -

1. Planning and management of FT’s

• Submit weekly work plan – details when will attend trainings


• Review FT weekly work plan with dates


• Collect weekly training plans and data from FT’s


• Provide feedback, coaching and development activities related to performance management, following HR guidelines.

      2. Conduct monthly Agronomy trainings to FTs

• Model that the monthly agronomy training to FTs at local farmers field.


• Supervise teach-backs and give feedback.


• Ensure each training modules is completed within the allocated 3 months’ time.


• Observe full training to farmers

      3. Observe FT is delivering training at the farm level

• Observe full training to farmers


• Give feedback and coaching to FT based on observation.


• Check visited HH list, cross check with the list in the database. Ensure reported data is accurate.

      4. Back checking farm Visit

• Pick farmers at random and advise on the Best Agronomy Practices they learned


• Discuss training, farmer adoption and challenges


• Complete Best Practice check list

      5. Visit Demo plots

• Check demo plot status, complete form and give feedback to FF


• Meet with FF and discuss things done well and things needed to be implemented on the demo plot.

      6. Tablet survey M & E

• Complete digital electronic based training and demo plot observation form


• Collect, check for completion and submit complete set of FT’s attendance sheets to SBA within 1 week of training completion.


• Discuss any attendance issues with FT’s and BA and develop action plan.

      7. Prepare & check FTs expenses

• Collect official voucher receipts for transport and accommodation


• Submit documents to the Senior Agronomy Advisor in a timely fashion

      4. Required Skills & Experience:

• Willingness to be based in assigned locations and willingness to spend significant time in rural areas


• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field – Plant science, Horticulture, Crop science, Agriculture, etc. May accept experience in lieu of a degree


• Interpersonal and cross-cultural skills as well as problem solving skills


• Planning skills and working to strict time-guidelines


• Fluency in Amharic and local language (Sidama Afoo and Afan Oromo)


• English oral & written presentation skills


• Computer literacy, including Word and Excel