Sustainable Agriculture Facilitator - Volunteer Position - Onsite in Jamaica • North America - 2 years, plus 3 months training

About the project

Jamaican farmers are looking to increase profitability while building agricultural resilience to common natural disasters. Two recent hurricanes, including last year's Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, resulted in significant damage to the island and economic loss. Farmers regularly face prolonged droughts, water management and distribution challenges, market gluts, and issues with integrated pest management to name a few. Therefore, the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA)—a subsidiary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining—has identified a critical need for environmental adaption and resilience training at the local level. Additionally, many farmers begin traditional agricultural growing and selling practices after high school and do not pursue an advanced degree, resulting in a lack of business skills. Training in this area is essential for farming communities to enhance productivity, sustainability, and market compliance for long-term success.

As a Sustainable Agriculture Educator, you will collaborate with project partners to strengthen community resilience through the transfer of appropriate skills and technologies. Your collective goal is to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability. Together, you will help farmers adopt practices that conserve soil and water, improve post-harvest handling, and enhance agribusiness skills, ultimately contributing to food security and economic stability in rural communities.

Activities

How you and the community will make an impact together:

• Conduct personalized farm assessments, including mapping, soil testing, and documenting farm water management.
• Plan and facilitate engaging training sessions on agricultural and organizational development.
• Support the adoption of sustainable soil and water conservation techniques.
• Plan and facilitate workshops on agro-processing and post-harvest management practices.
• Provide basic agri-business training on topics, including market analyses, bookkeeping, and local resources such as Agricultural Linkages and Exchange (ALEX).
• Support regular organizational capacity assessments.
• You may also work on additional projects that meet the community's interests and priorities, such as agrotourism farm stays and after-school clubs.

Required skills

Qualified candidates will have one or more of the following criteria:

• Associate degree in any field and at least two years of full-time, post-high school work experience (from any combination of roles).
• Bachelor's degree in any field.
• High school diploma or GED and 4 years of full-time post-high school work experience (from any combination of roles).

Language: There are no pre-requisite language requirements for this position.

Key dates

• Apply by: August 15, 2026
• Know by: October 1, 2026
• Depart on: March 8, 2027
• Duration: 2 years, plus 3 months training