Vacancy: Apiary Production Officer (closed)

3rd November 2023, Moroto – Kara-Tunga Foundation is recruiting an organised self-starter to be our new Communications Officer and bring public attention to our work in the Karamoja sub-region of Uganda.

 

Position title: Communications Officer
Organisation: Kara-Tunga Foundation
Duty station: Moroto is a primary base and Nakapiripirit, Kaabong and Karenga as field visit stations.

Position Summary

Kara-Tunga Apiary production officer will work to improve the economic future and quality of life of program/project beneficiaries. The Officer will implement, and facilitate a project that supports the growth of honey value chains in Karenga and Kaabong and in Karamoja in collaboration with the Apiary Manager for the region. Facilitation projects will include but are not limited to, commercializing Honey value chains and Apiary equipment trading in an equitable manner, increasing profitability and provision of extension workers service, increasing forage production, strengthening Apiary output markets and creating an enabling environment in Karamoja for modernised and increased honey production.

Organisation background

Kara-Tunga Foundation is a Ugandan non-profit organisation that works in four districts (Moroto, Nakapiripirit, Kaabong, Karenge) of the Karamoja sub-region in northeastern Uganda. Karamoja is a semi-arid area and home to an agro-pastoral population with a predominantly semi-nomadic pastoral lifestyle. The region is characterised by poverty, food insecurity, and environmental degradation. But the region also has untapped opportunities.

KTF addresses these challenges by supporting three types of conservation enterprises aimed at sustainable community development: 1) Ecotourism, 2) Apiary, and 3) Agroforestry. KTF seeks an organised self-starter to be our new operations assistant and support the organisation’s growth.

Roles and responsibilities

You are a clear, concise communicator with a track record of end-to-end ownership of your work. Your duties are following but not limited to:

• The Apiary production officer will perform various beekeeping tasks and assist in the daily management of a bee operation including inspection of bees and fulfilling the animal husbandry requirements of hives.
• He/she will provide maintenance of honeybees and hives – provides farmers and hobbyists with a variety of enterprises including the production of beeswax, honey and other edible bee products; crop pollination services, and the sale of bees to other beekeepers.
• Coordinate the implementation of apiary, agroforestry and climate-smart agriculture, projects. Including developing project plans, managing budgets, and overseeing the work of field staff.
• Mobilization and sensitization of farmers and community members to raise awareness and build capacity around the company’s activities and objectives.
• Conduct training and continuous monitoring and coaching of farmers aimed at controlling quality outputs and keeping the company up to date.
• He/she will be in charge of producing the final clean honey.
• Develop and maintain relationships with partners and stakeholders. This includes working with government agencies, NGOs, and community groups.
• Will coordinate and supervise the extension workers, who will be in touch directly with farmers.
• Conduct research and provide technical assistance to farmers. This includes conducting field trials, developing training materials, and providing advice to farmers.
• Working with Honey producers has improve knowledge and skills and adopt practices that can increase honey production commercialise honey value chains and increase forage production,
• Work with honey output markets to facilitate strengthening and expansion
• Work with youth to improve on and off-farm livelihood opportunities in the Entomology sector
• Work with the entomology office to facilitate the creation of an enabling environment in Karamoja for Bees to support target markets and improved livelihoods
• Work closely with Apiary input shops and honey aggregators to identify capacity gaps of Extension workers and farmers’ challenges and provide technical support, design tools and activities for improvement and follow-up the implementation;
• Build and maintain close coordination and cooperation with the district Entomology department, ministry of Agriculture, research institutions, sector working groups and development agencies to ensure synergy and improved coordination among programs/interventions.

Requirements

• Minimum diploma in climate-smart agriculture, forestry, apiary, or a related field.
• Experience of apiary projects thus production and aggregation of honey
• Strong project management skills.
• High integrity and confidentiality.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Capacity to write concept notes, budgets and activity reports.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• At least three years of relevant experience with proven technical experience in the field.
• Willingness to work in the field with Apiary input shops, extension workers, Aggregators and communities;
• Possess the ability to interact effectively with a wide range of partners; private sector, government and civil society;
• Skills in teamwork, holding community consultations and organizational development;
• Excellent reporting, communication and representation skills
• Skills in networking, team-working, and community consultations
• Good spoken and written English. Fluency in Ngakarimojong is an advantage.

Expectations

• Starting date: Dec 2023
• Contract duration: 6 months. Renewable.
• Place of work: Karenga and Kaabong
• Application deadline: Friday, 17th November 2023

Non-Discrimination

Kara-Tunga Foundation does not and shall not discriminate based on race, colour, religion(creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status or sexual orientation in any of its activities or operations. These activities include but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, clients, volunteers, subcontractors and vendors.

Consenting

You consent to the company processing your data by applying for this position, the information could be saved for future use in the event of another opening.

How to apply

Only full applications will be received and only the successful candidates will get notified. A full application includes the following documents: Application/motivational letter, CV, (academic) qualifications, and recommendation letters or references with contact details. Send this all together in one email and use the job title as the email subject to: projects@kara-tunga.com.