Sustainable Agriculture Facilitator

Project description

Jamaica is rich in biodiversity and has multiple opportunities for Volunteers to collaborate with farmers on locally prioritized projects.

The Sustainable Agriculture Facilitator seeks to support Jamaicans in rural communities to achieve sustainable livelihoods and resilience to environmental shocks and stresses. This goal will be achieved through the following objectives:

Objective 1: Increase Agricultural Diversity, Productivity, and/or Sustainability
Objective 2: Increase Agriculture-based Income
Objective 3: Strengthen Agricultural Organizations

Potential activities include working alongside community partners to promote climate smart agricultural practices, post-harvest management, basic agribusiness skills, and support organizational capacity development processes. Volunteers will work with organizations and project partners to plan and co-facilitate trainings and promote knowledge exchange on business skills needed to implement sustainable agricultural projects and income generation activities.

Environmental adaptation and resilience

As an Agriculture Volunteer, you will be trained on best practices for smallholder agriculture to improve household food security and nutrition and adapt to a changing and uncertain environmental context. As the impacts of environmental degradation and unsustainable natural resource management practices become more evident, the social, economic, and environmental contexts that smallholder farmers operate within will continue to change. This will add to the challenges of smallholder farming, particularly for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.
As an Agriculture Volunteer, you will be trained to support food security and livelihood improvement while increasing community resilience and adaptation to global change through your activities. These activities will:
• Promote the adoption of improved, appropriate, and adaptive agricultural practices and technologies that increase productivity, including practices that:
o improve soil health and promote circularity of on-farm organic waste
o reflect indigenous knowledge of nature-based solutions and
o preserve and enhance forests, biodiversity, and ecosystem services.
• Build and strengthen household resilience by integrating and diversifying existing and new agriculture-related income-generating opportunities
• Improve household nutrition, particularly that of the most vulnerable household members

Required skills

Qualified candidates will have an expressed interest in working in agriculture and one or more of the following criteria:

• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any field; OR
• 5 years professional work experience

Desired skills

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

• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any business discipline
• 5 years professional experience in business management
• BA/BS in environmental/agricultural science, business or related field discipline
• Experience in commercial or small business, vegetable gardening, soil and water management, cultivation/production, sustainable agriculture, organizational capacity building.
• Academic and work experience in environmental and agricultural science, agri-business, agro-forestry, and/or environmental studies, organizational development, small business development
• Experience with organizational development and/or small business development, including project design and management
• Experience with public speaking and presentations, including facilitation of small and large groups of adults
• Strong interpersonal skills

Required language skills

There are no pre-requisite language requirements for this position. There are no pre-requisite language requirements for this position; however, Volunteers will be required to learn Patwa for successful safety, security and integration. By the end of Pre-Service Training, Trainees will be expected to have an Intermediate Low Patwa proficiency (assessed through the Language Proficiency Interview) in order to successfully complete training.

Jamaica is a bilingual country. English (Standard Jamaican English) is the official language; however, there is also a Creole known as the Jamaican Patwa which is the language spoken throughout Jamaica, especially in rural areas. While a few Jamaicans, especially those living in urban areas, move easily between Jamaican Patwa and English, the majority speak neither of these in their pure forms. The language and cultural training presented throughout the 27-month training continuum will help prepare Volunteers to speak and understand Jamaican Patwa and culture. This is crucial to facilitate smooth and successful integration into their community.

Living conditions

All Volunteers live in a host family setting for the duration of their service. The majority of community assignments are in rural areas, predominantly in the interior and mountainous regions of the island. The standard of living varies widely within individual communities. The most common living situations are a room in a home with a Jamaican family with access to a shared kitchen, although some Volunteers may have an independent unit near a family home. Most Volunteers have a private bathroom, although a shared one is possible. Cellular phone coverage is available in most rural communities, but there may not be internet within the host family home. All volunteers will have access to internet either by purchasing for home use from the living stipend or by traveling to their worksite or nearby access point. Your host family will assist you with orientation in your community, Jamaican home life, and cross-cultural adjustment during Pre-Service Training and in your assigned community. Laundry is most often washed by hand in a sink or washtub although some volunteers have access to a washing machine to use occasionally.


Electricity is present island-wide, except in very remote areas. The amenities that each Volunteer will have with their assigned host families will vary, however all Volunteers will have access to basic amenities, including a stove and refrigerator. Due to scarcity and high prices, conservation of electricity and water is critical while living with Jamaican host families. Volunteers may also experience short or extended power and water outages on a semi-regular basis and especially in the wake of adverse weather events such as storms. In addition, Volunteers should expect to encounter high temperatures on a regular basis and be prepared to cope with extreme heat, as air conditioning is not widely available on the island. Peace Corps staff will support you with training and strategies to integrate and adapt effectively and appropriately to living in the new intercultural context of your host community.

The Jamaican diet consists of mostly chicken although beef, goat, and fish are readily available. Vegetarians and vegans can be well accommodated with a wide selection of fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains available, especially in larger supermarkets.

Learn more about the Volunteer experience in Jamaica: Get detailed information on culture, communications, housing, and health/crime statistics in order to make a well-informed decision about serving.

Medical considerations

Before you apply, please review medical clearance and legal clearance to learn about the process.

Couples information

Jamaica happily accepts cross-sector couples. Your partner must apply and qualify for:

Literacy Teacher

Couples will live in the same community but will work on different projects. Couples will live together with a host family during both Pre-Service Training and service.