Farm to Market Manager

Kusamala Institute of Agriculture and Ecology (Kusamala) is a local, non-governmental organization that promotes household-level permaculture and agroecology systems in Malawi. Founded in 2009, Kusamala houses Malawi’s largest permaculture demonstration site, Nature’s Gift Permaculture Centre. Through the Centre’s demonstrations, Kusamala educates individuals and communities on how to improve nutrition, income generation, and environmental health. The 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, farmers market and restaurant sales. 

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Garden sales

• Develop and implement a strategy to increase and diversify sources of income for the garden, (ex. value added, alternative markets, etc.)
• Create and implement a marketing plan to increase interest in our produce in the Lilongwe market
• Organize and expand vegetable box/CSA subscription program
• Maintain and increase customer base - including individual customers, restaurants, and other buyers
• Garden bookkeeping
• Pursue other opportunities for growth

Garden production

• Work with head gardeners and other garden staff to ensure consistent production, including implementing planting calendars and troubleshooting problems that arise
• Increase garden production
• Increase the capacity of our garden staff

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.
• Drivers license and experience with manual transmission
• Be able to commit to the position for at least 1 year, ideally longer
• Be interested in a unique learning experience at a small, rapidly growing international non-profit
• Be creative with an entrepreneurial spirit

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 stipend and potential for assistance with plane ticket, based on relevant experience.
• A good learning environment for those interested in permaculture, garden production, CSA/veg box management, and international agriculture

To apply please email a cover letter, CV/resume and 2 references to marie@kusamala.org