Livestock field officer 2 posts at Food for His Children (FFHC) | May 2024

Position: LIVESTOCK FIELD OFFICER (2)

Reports To

Operation Manager

Other benefits: Health insurance, airtime and meals/lunch

Position overview

As a Livestock field officer at Food for His Children (FFHC), you will play a vital role in empowering goat recipients and participants with the knowledge and skills necessary for effective animal husbandry practices. Your responsibilities will include conducting training sessions, treatments, providing technical support, coordinating with stakeholders, and ensuring compliance with program requirements.

Responsibilities

• Provide preventative care and treatment to Food for His Children goats and goats in FFHC families’ herds
• Read Heifer International’s Raising Goats for Milk and Meat and Livestock for a Small Earth and use these as teaching manuals for FFHC recipient and participant training
• Train all FFHC goat recipients and applicants about animal health and husbandry. Assess level of understanding of said training and evaluate progress of goat farmers in practicing proper goat management.
• Train FFHC recipients in basic goat care management to include general health, symptoms of common illness and ways to treat symptoms by using local medical treatments, deworming, dehorning, hoof trimming and teaching when calling a Vet is needed.
• Train FFHC recipients on proper records keeping for milk production, deworming, dehorning, breeding and vaccination and ensure that it is done.
• Maintain the deworming, dehorning, breeding and vaccination records
• At least quarterly, meet with FFHC goat farmers at their homes and at site meetings to provide hands on training and assessment of how they are applying what they have learned, to determine areas where more training is needed and identify leaders in goat farming
• Teach families how to determine if treating a goat is economically viable due to its health or condition and teach the value of each goat
• Disciple, encourage and empower FFHC program participants using appreciative inquiry and Discipleship for Development principles to help FFHC participants and team members learn to solve problems themselves.
• Attend project site meetings as needed and provide training to recipients as required and indicated by annual plan and schedule
• Create an annual training program schedule and calendar for animal husbandry for sites and individual training
• Meet monthly with Operation Manager and Program Coordinator to review progress on training families and how families are doing in relation to goat husbandry and management
• Meet monthly with Agriculture Department members to review goals, scheduled training and action plan items and make adjustments to schedule
• In cooperation with the Program Coordinator, plan, facilitate and organize deworming, dehorning, castration, vaccination, and buck rotation schedules
• Facilitate buck rotation as scheduled each year for the integrity of the program and genetic enhancement.
• Document meetings with FFHC recipients and participants in their file and corresponding record base.
• Support the activities of the government Livestock Officer
• Coordinate with and develop relationships with DLFO and government Livestock Officers and other Livestock Specialists in Karatu District and surrounding areas for collaboration and to seek ways to partner and share knowledge
• Prepare a list of indicators of progress by goat farmers with respect to the care of the project goats
• Provide goat husbandry training for all recipients at least quarterly in every site and twice per year for new recipients
• Create goat husbandry training curriculum with new information for Field Officers to teach at site meetings each month.
• Ensure that all requirements for receiving a goat are met before a recipient is given a goat. This includes an approved shed, proper food supply and recipient contract signed by all required parties. No goat shall ever be given to a family without meeting all the requirements to receive a goat.
• Monitor and evaluate goat recipient activities quarterly, using specific indicators
• Teach Field Officers, new staff and FFHC goat recipients the qualities of good goat sheds and how to perform animal health assessments for “score card” identification during visits to goat recipient families
• Coordinate with the Agriculture Field officer to evaluate progress and discuss training contents and outcome.
• Work with government vets to ensure they are aware of FFHC goats and any problems they can help with and get them involved with providing care for the goats at least quarterly
• Develop a plan to help FFHC families sell their goats for a good price, teach families how to determine the value of a goat they may wish to sell and work with families to help them do so
• Teach families to determine if a goat will be a good breeding goat for milk production based on the buck and dam
• Send required weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports for the Agriculture Department to the Operation Manager and DLFO.
• Facilitate the process of supervising and monitoring building demonstration goat sheds and planting fodder trees /grasses at the project farm.
• Coordinate and facilitate the process of survey and purchase goats and pasture/fodder for FFHC breeding goats and goats for recipients
• Attend staff meeting every week and Central Committee meetings as required
• Work closely with other departments as needed to facilitate the development of the FFHC farm
• Assess the quality of Pass On and Pass Back goats and submit the report to

Operation Manager at least quarterly

• Attend to sick dairy goats within Food for His Children program, refer for government veterinary officer when necessary

Partner with Government and other development stakeholder

• Develop partnerships & government Vet/Livestock officers who can care for/Assist FFHC goats
• Cooperate with government veterinarians in control and prevention of diseases.
• Cooperate and coordinate with government veterinarians in the area of livestock projects.
• Work with ministry partners to promote community development and sustainability of village goat projects
• Attend government meetings
• Invite government livestock officers to quarterly meetings to discuss FFHC training provided to families, common illnesses occurring and ways to collaborate.
• Ensure government DLFO office & Livestock Specialists are provided with FFHC training syllabus so they are aware of training provided.

Qualifications.

• Desire to live and lead like Jesus and alignment with Food for His Children’s core values and beliefs
• Diploma in animal husbandry or other related fields.
• Minimum of two years of experience in livestock programs, preferably with NGOs or the private sector.
• Proficiency in livestock management and training methodologies.
• Experience in project design, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Computer literacy and record-keeping abilities.
• Ability to work effectively in a team and with minimal supervision.
• Willingness to obtain a valid motorcycle driver’s license.
• Commitment to promoting community development and sustainability.
• Ability to collaborate with government and other development stakeholders effectively.
• Must have a driving license and drive a motorcycle

How to Apply:

If you meet the specified qualifications and are enthusiastic about this opportunity, we encourage you to submit your cover letter, curriculum vitae, academic and professional certificates and valid driver’s license, if required for position. Additionally, please include the names and contact information of three references. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applications should be sent to the Director of Partnership and Program Development,