Knowledge Hub for Organic Agriculture in Southern Africa

Project overview

The Knowledge Hub for Organic Agriculture in Southern Africa (KH SA) is a collaborative country-led partnership forming part of the Knowledge Centers for Organic Agriculture (KCOA) project. The KH SA project aims to scale up adoption of organic farming practices in the Southern African region over a four-year period (2019 – 2023). The KCOA comprise four other regional hubs: the North African knowledge hub, West African knowledge hub, East African knowledge hub and Central Africa knowledge hub.

This is an indicator-led development project, with the indicators provided by the KCOA project. The strategy is thus to organise activities in each country in a manner that is appropriate to the context and the needs of that country, while also addressing the regional needs and achieving the goals and objectives of the project. The objectives of the project will be achieved through the following three outputs:

· Output 1: Validated technical and methodological knowledge for the promotion of organic agriculture, including processing, is prepared for the context of the participating countries and stakeholder groups.

· Output 2: Validated knowledge, strategies and good practices in the field of organic agriculture, adapted to the contexts of the countries participating in the regional knowledge hubs, have been disseminated.

· Output 3: Key actors in the organic agriculture value chains of the participating countries in the five regions are networking in an exemplary manner.

Southern Africa (KH SA) region is under the leadership of the Sustainability Institute who work in cooperation with in-country partners – PELUM in Zambia, the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) in partnership with the Namibia Organics Association (NOA) in Namibia, and the South African Organic Sector Organisation (SAOSO) in partnership with PGS-SA in South Africa. The in-country partner/s in Malawi will be established later in the year.

The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

In-country partner overview

South Africa Organic Sector Organisation (SAOSO): Legal form: SAOSO is registered in South Africa as a non-profit organisation (registration number 082-929-NPO). SAOSO is a voluntary association with membership open to farmers, consumers, companies, cooperatives. SAOSO has eight Board members.

Institutional goals: SAOSO represents everyone in the South Africa organic value chain including input suppliers, producers, retailers, consumers and researchers, through the adoption of its Strategy 2019-2023. It mandates SAOSO to take responsibility for food sovereignty and sustainable development through organic production and agroecology practices; it also aims to reverse the adverse effects of climate change. SAOSO aims to unite farmers, producers, retailers and consumers of organic products to collectively protect the future freedom of food and the natural ecology of South Africa.

Job description

Under the guidance of the SAOSO KH in-country Project Manager and reporting to both the SI Communications Manager, the Communications Officer will undertake the following responsibilities:

1. Develop an organisational communications strategy aligned for SAOSO and PGS SA to the existing regional strategy, including confirming key stakeholders, communication channels and messaging. This will be undertaken with support from the Communications Manager.

2. Draft a communications action plan setting out key activities, timelines and responsibilities for implementation, with support from the Communications Manager.

3. Liaise with the Communications Manager about marketing material and communication outputs related to project milestones and key activities, and implement decisions made.

4. Oversee and manage the production of key communication products developed as part of the project, their translation and dissemination

5. Undertake agreed-on daily, weekly and monthly communication activities, including social media posting, drafting of press releases, feature articles and blog posts for approval by the KH SA Project Director and Communications Manager.

6. Find ways in which to expand awareness of the project and activities/ achievements of SAOSO and PGS SA and reach key stakeholders, and on approval, implement relevant communication activities.

7. Participate in the communications hub facilitated by the Communications Manager to supply inputs on project activities and possible communication opportunities.

8. Manage all communication outputs in a central Google Drive.

Requirements

• Demonstrated English written and presentation skills.

• Prior working experience in the communications field, including strategy, marketing, social media and advocacy work.

• The ideal candidate should have a minimum three years’ proven work experience.

• Good social skills, able to work in teams and be willing to travel.

• Familiarity and working experience in the agricultural sector, including livestock and fisheries sector, in Southern Africa, with a focus on ecological organic agriculture is a decided advantage for this position.

The following additional skills would be an advantage:

 Familiar with Agriculture (including livestock) of the sub-region (South Africa). Demonstrated working knowledge of ecological organic agriculture in South Africa.

 Familiarity of Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS)

 Command of Afrikaans/ IsiXhosa or isiZulu

Applicants to submit a 2-page CV plus references and motivating cover letter. All applications and queries to be sent to colleen@saoso.org by Tuesday 9 June 2021 COB. Interviews will be held on 15 June 2021 and start of the job will be immediate.