About MAIL:

Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) is hiring 34 people as Extension Workers across all 34 provinces for implementing the designed project in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

About the project

The Government of Afghanistan is launching the Emergency Agriculture & Food Supply Project (EATS) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Project aims to support critical food supply chains and create short-run economic opportunities. The Project comprises of three components: (A) Productive agricultural water systems; (B) Critical food supply chain management; and (C) Project management. Therefore, the Project will be implemented by MAIL) and financed by grants from the International Development Association (World Bank) and the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF).

Job Details:

Position Title:                Extension Worker

Employment Type:          Full-time

Nationality:                      National

Job Location:                  All 34 Provinces

Category:                        Agriculture

Salary:                            As per NTA Salary Policy

Vacancy #:                     Mail-ta-210

Organization:                  Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL)

Gender:                           Any

Years’ of experience:      3 years

Probation period:            3 Months

Closing date:                  November 9, 2020

Job Summary:

Extension workers will work under components A and B.

 Component A: It supports increased production capacity in watered and rain-fed areas, mainly engaged in grain production. It includes two Subcomponents: (i) rehabilitation and improvement of irrigation plans to increase irrigated agriculture productivity; and (ii) watershed management and rain-fed agriculture support for dryland farming via the development of productive assets and use of climate-smart practices.

Component B: This component will support and enhance critical commercial food supply chains for food crops with a strong—but not exclusive—focus on wheat.

Hence, the position holders will work under the direct supervision of the Regional Agronomist and overall direction of the Regional Manager and Extension specialist in the core team.

Job Description:

Duties and Responsibilities:

• The extension worker will work with the project team to determine key farming issues related to the project planning process to ensure the bottom-up delivery system.
• Be able to join the regional team for selecting the project site, both with watershed and irrigation schemes.
• Collaborate with the regional team to develop and provide the technologies in demand for the men and women farmers.
• Help social mobilizers to select farmers’ field schools, kitchen gardens, and orchards in the province.
• Carry out research activities to gather the required data for farmer’s field school, orchard establishment, and kitchen gardening.
• Create and deliver a report that is related to the site’s plan and activity timely, and every month.
• Coordinate with the Regional Agronomist and Horticulture Officer to visit the site timely and plan for field activities.
• Assist with the project staff to distribute improved seed under component B.
• Participate in community mobilizations, meetings, grouping sessions, and working with social mobilizers to support FFS’s establishment.
• Keep cooperation with all farmer groups in the field visits, training, etc.
• Perform any other duties as required.

Job Requirements

• Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Science.
• A minimum of three years of experience (preferably with a donor-funded project) in extension agronomy or any other crop production discipline.
• Ability to acquire, retrieve, and obtain information from different resources.
• Have the ability to work under pressure.
• Sound organizational skills and ability to prioritize and complete assignments on time.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Have fluency in Dari and Pashtu Language and a good knowledge of the English Language.

How to apply?

All eligible candidates are required to apply by sending their application to the following email address, noting that they should write the [vacancy number, position title, and the province name they apply for] in the subject line of emails.

Submission email: hrcontracts.hrd@mail.gov.af