Farm to Market Manager

The Kusamala Institute of Agriculture & Ecology is a training, demonstration, and outreach organization that uses permaculture and agroecology principles to promote food security and improved nutrition throughout Malawi. Kusamala houses Nature's Gift Permaculture Centre, its primary demonstration, training & education site, which is located on a 650-hectare farm on the outskirts of Lilongwe, Malawi. The Demonstration Centre includes a commercial garden, kitchen garden, food forest, staple field, medicinal garden, and woodlots. We are currently seeking a Farm to Market Manager to develop the production, marketing, and sales capacity of our commercial garden.

Job Description 

The farm to market manager reports directly to our Director of Agroecology and works closely with our head gardener to ensure consistent, high quality production from our commercial garden. The farm to market manager is responsible for the marketing and sale of all garden produce, including our weekly CSA/vegetable box program and restaurant sales.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

1. Garden sales
• Create and implement a marketing plan to increase interest in our produce in the Lilongwe market
• Organize vegetable box/CSA subscription program
• Maintain and increase customer base - including individual customers, restaurants, and other buyers
• Garden bookkeeping
• Pursue other opportunities for growth, possibilities include working with local farmers groups to act as a distributor for their produce
2. Garden production
• Work with head gardeners and other garden staff to ensure consistent production, including implementing planting calendars and troubleshooting problems that arise
• Increase the capacity of our garden staff

This position should be about fifty percent of the time, the remaining portion of the time the candidate will be able to pursue their own projects and learning at our permaculture centre. Kusamala has a well-developed intern and volunteer program that supports individuals in their personal learning goals relating to agriculture and sustainable development. The successful candidate will be able to participate in this program in their remaining time.

The ideal candidate will:

• Have some experience with marketing and sales, ideally with a similar organization/product
• Have experience in/knowledge of sustainable agricultural production
• Be passionate about sustainable agriculture, generally, and permaculture, specifically
• Be comfortable working in an intercultural environment
• Have strong communication skills
• Have strong computer experience, particularly with email and ideally with Quickbooks
• Have a valid drivers license and experience with manual transmission
• Be able to commit at least 6 months, ideally longer, to the position
• Be interested in a unique learning experience at a small, rapidly growing international non-profit

Benefits include:

• On site housing and lunches during the workweek
• Access to fresh, organic vegetables
• An opportunity to work in a fast growing, diverse, grassroots organization
• A good learning environment for those interested in gaining experience in permaculture, garden production, CSA/veg box management, and international community development

To apply please email a cover letter and CV/resume to catherine@kusamala.org