Marketing and Communication Officer for Rural Development

Call for a Marketing and Communication officer for rural development TERMS OF REFERENCE

Agrisud International

For nearly 30 years, Agrisud International, a non-profit association under French law, has been supporting the most vulnerable populations to rise from a state of precariousness to economic and social autonomy.

Agrisud International promotes economic growth through the creation of very small family businesses, especially in the agricultural sector. These businesses are viable and sustainable, because they are economic and agro-ecological, because they are well anchored in the local market, and because the entrepreneur was able to be accompanied throughout a professionalization process.

Agrisud pursues its objective in developing countries.

IDEAS project in Vietnam

The Hoang Lien National Park (HLNP) is made up of five communes populated mainly by Hmong, Day and Dao ethnic minorities living from agriculture, forestry and traditional handicrafts. To date, farming families face many challenges in agriculture and poverty rates remain high.

The main causes of poverty are: the lack of agricultural land due to the increase in demography and the classification of the territory as a protected natural park (since 2002) leading to the prohibition of opening new fields of cultivation; vulnerability of crops and livestock to climate extreme events; low diversification of income-generating activities and heavy reliance on cardamom cultivation.

In this context, the IDEAS project (Income Development for Ethnic Minorities Based on Agriculture Sustainability) supports families from ethnic minorities living in the park and its periphery, with the objectives of improving and diversifying agricultural activities for food security and sustainable income generation, and on the other, poverty reduction to reduce the pressure on natural resources and help preserve the local biodiversity of the HLNP.

General objective: To support the technical and economic development of agricultural systems in PNHL territory by contributing to the preservation of natural resources.

Specific objective: To promote sustainable agricultural systems for families of ethnic minority groups living in and on the periphery of the PNHL through the improvement and diversification of agro-ecological production, the development of fair value-chains supported by the cooperative and the implementation of awareness-raising actions for sustainable and inclusive development.

Expected outcomes:

• Continue the technical strengthening and professionalization of farms and their groups.
• Develop an offer of agricultural services for farms through the Hoang Lien Cooperative and the master-farmer network.
• Implement awareness raising actions for environmental protection, gender and social inclusion.

Roles and responsibilities of the marketing and communication officer for rural development

The roles and responsibilities of the marketing and communication officer for rural development will be to support the promotion of local product value-chains in the 14 villages of intervention. She/he will also support the set-up and implementation of the communication strategy and tools for the farmer cooperative.The work of the officer will be monitored by IDEAS coordination team with the additional supervision of Agrisud’s Director of Operation at headquarters.

The marketing and communication officer for rural development will have the responsibilities to:

• Take lead of the overall communication of IDEAS Project to all shareholders and public figures (including press release, conference organization, posts on the official Facebook page, films, flyers, etc.)
  • Take lead of the design and creation of the communication tools for IDEAS Project, under the validation of the Coordination team; he/she can be supported by Agrisud HQ Communication Director when relevant.
  • Coordinate with the Admin and Logistic officer the work with the suppliers (printer, etc.) to produce the communication tools.

• Implement and coordinate with IDEAS technical team the creation and strengthening of farmer groups and organizations:
  • Discuss with the technical team and make decision, with the supervision of the coordination team, on the orientation of the agricultural production dedicated to the supported value-chains: identification of the products; setting-up producers’ groups for technical trainings and marketing outlets; discuss volumes and prices, as well as logistics for product deliveries.
  • Support the creation of new producers’ groups: Identify the products that could be the object of new value-chains or services that could be provided; contribute to the creation of the technical contents for new production or improvement of existing production with the technical team leader and the identification of zones of production adapted to the production’s needs (climate, soil...) and/or the zones which are already producing this product; Strengthen the capacities of the group members from production to marketing
  • Support the creation of the women literacy classes for the members of the groups in order to ensure a more inclusive approach (identify a teacher; elaborate the curriculum contents with the teacher; set-up proper time and place for the classes; encourage the women to participate; follow-up the implementation and results).

• Support the development of the farmer-owned cooperative:
  • Strengthen the capacities of the cooperative members to promote and sale their products, following their business plan and marketing strategy defined in a participatory way with them: set objectives for the promotion and the sale of the cooperative products; make contracts with professional buyers (supermarket, eco-friendly/agri-product shops in Sa Pa, Lao Cai...); join local and agricultural fairs; collect feedback from different types of customers (individuals, shop owners, distributors...); analyze customers preference and propose improvements when necessary.
  • Lead the creation of all communication tools for the cooperative, including the products appearance (packages, images).
  • Support the management of the cooperative social networks (Facebook page) by the members as well as the promotion of their image and brand.
  • Support the completion of the administrative tasks of the cooperative until the autonomy of the members: obtain necessary certificates for the products and the cooperative production unit; follow-up the proper accountability of the cooperative; the board and members regular meetings (organization and reporting); the elective process of the board; the financial contributions of the members; the management of stocks and sales...
  • Link the creation of new producer groups and new value-chains of local products to the cooperative for marketing: market analysis and customer base identification, as well as potential marketing outlets; support the writing of the quality and volume charters for each product type purchased by the cooperative; set-up prices in order to create fair and sustainable value-chains for all (producers, cooperative and customers).
  • Prepare and organize trainings for the members of the cooperative on: farmer organization, basic accountability, sale skills and contract negotiations in order to ensure their future autonomy.
  • Support the development of services offered by the cooperative to its members, with the technical team, in particularly for the creation of the Master-Farmer network for peer-to-peer trainings.
  • Incorporate the cooperative shop and the affiliated farms into an agro-tourism tour, in collaboration with the Tourist office of Sa Pa. Develop the informative panels that should be displayed at the cooperative to promote the products and their mode of production.

• Collaborate with other IDEAS staff to develop and implement awareness-raising actions for the protection of the natural environment, and the promotion of gender and social inclusion.

• Plan, implement and report monthly to the project management team.

Qualifications and experience

• Relevant university degree in agro-business, support to agricultural value-chain development, livelihood development, agriculture rural development.
• At least three years of relevant experience in the field of development in Vietnam, supporting farmer organizations in value-chain development is a plus.
• Taste for team capacity building and field work, capable of driving motorbike in bad road conditions.
• Autonomous, good team player, good critical thinking, eager to learn.
• Good understanding of agricultural development issues in developing countries. In-depth knowledge of the agrarian context of northern Vietnam is a plus.
• Mastery of communication and reporting tools: Microsoft Pack Office; Social network, Design software is a plus.
• Excellent communication and writing skills in English and Vietnamese.

Contractual conditions

• Local contract for a Vietnamese national
• Fixed contract of 1 year, with possibility of renewal
• Net monthly salary according to experience and salary grid of Agrisud
• Position based in the project office in Sa Pa, Lao Cai Province, Vietnam.

Work base:

• Office : Hoang Lien National Park, No. 89 - Group 11b - Nguyen Chi Thanh Road – Phan Si Pang Ward - Sa Pa Town - Lao Cai Province
• Field work: in Hoang Lien National Park area, under the arrangement of IDEAS Project.

Application Information

Interested candidates can submit a full application with a cover letter and an up-to-date CV, in English, including contact details of minimum two professional referees (current and last line managers and HR department) by email to IDEAS project coordinator, Mr. Cong Huy Le, at clehuy@agrisud.org (086 208 3068).

Please also include details of your salary expectations and a copy of your latest diploma. Applications must be complete and marked " Recruitment of the marketing and communication officer for rural development - IDEAS Project - Vietnam " as the subject of the e-mail. Only full applications will be reviewed.

Closing date for applications: March 20th, 2021. Only shortlisted candidates for interviews will be contacted.

Timetable for interviews and selection: The interviews will be organised from the 22nd of March 2021 (options of interview will be discussed with shortlisted candidates). Final selected candidates will be informed shortly after.

Start of the contract: April 1st 2021.

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