Salary: to be determined based on experience

Location: Morocco

Start date: 1st April 2019

Global Diversity Foundation is looking for a Field Agronomist to join our team on a full-time basis to contribute to our multi-year High Atlas Cultural Landscapes programme. To deliver this programme, GDF works in partnership with the , a non-governmental organisation based in Marrakesh. The successful candidate will collaborate and work closely with MBLA staff in-country as well as remote based GDF staff. 

The position is ideally suited to early-career applicants with proven background and experience community-based research in the fields of agronomy, agrobiodiversity and agroecology, who will be tasked primarily with implementing research and capacity-building activities. The ideal candidate must be able to carry out research independently, with minimum supervision, and simultaneously be a collaborative and communicative team-worker.

Key responsibilities:

Community-based participatory research

• Document, characterise and assess HA agrobiodiversity (extant, threatened and “lost”) and agroecosystems, including traditional agricultural management practices and governance systems
• Lead on the monitoring of programme indicators for assessing the impact of GDF’s work on agroecosystem health 
• Support small-scale introduction, participatory selection of varieties and farmer experimentation in collaboration with national and international institutional partners

Capacity-building

• Organise Farmer Field Schools (FFS) among partner communities and help coordinate farmers’ networking
• Collaborate on the development of an agroecology capacity-building strategy and organise training events
• Collaborate with consultants to train local agricultural extension officers to implement strategies for improving agronomic conditions using regenerative agriculture and permaculture practices

Support for programme actions related to Agroecology

• Support the process of collecting, testing and conserving seeds of local agrobiodiversity in Community, Regional and National Seed Banks
• Contribute to plant genetic resource characterisations and assessments
• Contribute to local product commercialisation processes and management plans, in particular for agricultural products
• Contribute to the development of agrobiodiversity/agroecology-related project ideas and funding proposals

For information on how to apply, please download the full Job Description here. 

Deadline for applications: Friday 15 March (please note interviews will be held the week commencing Monday 25 March)