International Beekeeping Specialist

Position overview

The international beekeeping specialist will form part of the Project Mitsinjo team. As part of this project, Azafady provides beekeeping training to motivated community members in rural communities in the south east of Madagascar in order that they are able to develop additional, sustainable livelihoods. Key responsibilities of the international beekeeping specialist will be to investigate local value chains and develop ways of increasing beekeepers’ access to possible markets, in order to encourage the establishment of local enterprises and to advise on International best practice on bee keeping.  The specialist will also work with beekeepers to increase the value and range of their products and promote improved technologies and quality control. Working in collaboration with Azafady’s partner organizations in Madagascar, the specialist will also assist in knowledge sharing and capacity building.

Candidate profile

• Demonstrated commitment to Azafady’s ethos and approach;
• A qualification in a relevant subject such as marketing, business, or agriculture, or equivalent experience;
• Previous experience in market development or value chain evaluation, preferably in a developing country;
• Experience in beekeeping techniques – International experience would be welcomed
• Experience in providing training or capacity building for various audiences;
• Sound knowledge, experience and a keen interest in the areas of sustainable livelihoods, environment and conservation;
• Fluency in English (written and spoken); proficiency in French is an advantage.

Required skills

• Have excellent communication skills (both listening and speaking), with the ability to interact with people at all levels of society;
• Ability and desire to build capacity across cultures and work with teams from different economic and cultural backgrounds and across multiple language barriers;
• Flexible and patient attitude;
• Excellent problem solving skills;
• Passion and motivation for the job and the ability to enthuse others;
• Good understanding of the importance of project monitoring and evaluation and of approaches used to measure outcomes and impact;
• Curiosity and interest in effective work practices in cross-cultural settings;
• Proven ability to recognise and appropriately deal with challenging situations;
• An awareness of and comfort with increased social and professional responsibility, working at all times with cultural sensitivity;
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

To apply for this role, please send a CV and cover letter to emma.quilligan@azafady.org[EQ1] . Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

Further information on the project

Project Mitsinjo is an integrated programme supporting 3,000 of Madagascar’s subsistence farmers to diversify their livelihoods, improve their nutritional and respiratory health, and increase their resilience to climate change by reducing deforestation in an environment of global significance. The project targets two of the main causes of mortality for children under five in the region: respiratory infections and malnutrition. It uses improved technology combined with locally appropriate solutions to reduce firewood consumption by 75%, simultaneously reducing respiratory and eye infections. Through community cultivation of the ‘wonder tree’ Moringa oleifera, as well as several types of fruit trees, the project also works to provide additional sources of nutrients, and potential income opportunities. Furthermore, it supports communities with training in beekeeping and business development for agricultural products, thereby diversifying and increasing household incomes while reducing dependence on dwindling forest resources.

More information on the work of Azafady can be found at www.azafady.org