Job Detail

Roots of Peace is a humanitarian organization whose mission is to rid the world of landmines and other remnants of war by transforming toxic minefields into thriving farmland and communities, through a focus on sustainable, organic farming practices. Roots of Peace is implementing the 3-year, USAID-funded Agriculture Marketing Program.

AMP Project Description:

The Agriculture Marketing Program (AMP) is a three-year USAID-funded program that follows on the successes of the ten-year USAID Commercial Horticulture and Agricultural Marketing Program (CHAMP). The program works in 12 provinces of Afghanistan, focusing on increasing farm production and domestic sales through interventions aimed at farmers and agribusinesses. During the first two years of the program, AMP worked with leading Afghan processing and export firms to increase export volumes and values, introduce new agricultural products to the market, diversify export markets and increase value-added processing. The program's market-based, demand-driven approach focused on supporting private sector growth and sustainability, thereby creating demand for agricultural products that drive job growth in rural areas. Women are incorporated into all areas of program implementation.

In its final fiscal year of implementation, AMP has pivoted to an approach that addresses food security challenges precipitated by the emerging economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. This approach comprises three key strategies:

1. Connecting Farmers to Domestic Markets
2. Increasing Value-Add of Agriculture Products, Extending Shelf Life of Products
3. Support for Remote Rural Areas

Activities include:

• Increasing farm productivity and food security through Farmer Field Schools and other activities aimed at building farm capacity.
• Expanding the number of agricultural products through value addition and product diversification, such as processed jams and sulfur dried apricots.
• Linking farmers with traders, and traders with buyers in domestic markets, such as through domestic food expos and B2B meetings.
• Building the capacity of agribusinesses to maximize output and quality for domestic markets.
• Supporting initiatives such as improved post-harvest handling infrastructure for traders, including packing houses, cold storage, and improved packaging.
• Addressing important supply chain and trade impediments that restrict the sale of high value agriculture products.

AMP works primarily with private sector agribusinesses, farm producers and other USAID-funded agricultural programs. Specific attention is given to support the participation of women and youth in AMP activities.

Roots of Peace is a humanitarian organization that has worked in war-torn countries around the world with our partners to remove the remnants of war, landmines and unexploded ordinance, and restore the land in order to rebuild peaceful communities for generations to come. For the past twenty years, the Roots of Peace award-winning “Mines to Vines” approach has impacted one million farmers and families, enabling the exports worth over $150 million to international markets. Since beginning our work in Afghanistan in 2003, Roots of Peace has worked with agricultural value chains in every province of the country resulting in 100,000 tons of exports, creating over 9,000 full-time agribusiness jobs that benefited more than 38,000 families from these value chain approaches. From farmers to exporters, Roots of Peace develops entire agricultural value chains by implementing the ROP Development Model which is designed to serve as a catalyst to generate much broader impact industry-wide - improving incomes for smallholder farmers, bringing peace to rural communities, transforming national industries.

1. Contribute to the design and implementation of agribusiness strategies and initiatives.
2. Identify opportunities for the development of sustainable agribusiness models.
3. Conduct comprehensive analyses of agricultural value chains to identify areas for improvement and value addition.
4. Collaborate with stakeholders to optimize value chain processes.
5. Develop and deliver training programs for agribusiness entrepreneurs on harvest, post-harvest, and transportation.
6. Enhance agribusiness entrepreneurs' skills in areas such as business planning, financial management, and market linkages.
7. Facilitate the establishment of market linkages between farmers and potential buyers for consistent supply to the domestic and international markets.
8. Assist leading export firms in accessing local and international markets through participation in national and international exhibitions.
9. Support businesses to provide embedded services (inputs, technical expertise, and marketing of their product) to their target farmers.
10. Establish working relationships with the major fresh fruit, dried fruits, and other economically viable crops traders in his region, as well as the farmers that provide them with produce.
11. Develop an effective plan for utilizing current project-financed facilities and connecting target farmers to take advantage of available resources to maximize their income.
12. Collaborate with these exporters to discover potential changes in production and marketing strategies that will increase revenues for traders and farmers.
13. Prepare weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports.

Administrative Tasks

1. Provide inputs (text and photos) for weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports.
2. Provide data and information to the CBARD M&E personnel, as required.