The Role
The Fairtrade & Farmer Development Manager will be responsible for establishing, strengthening and scaling Fairtrade-certified avocado producer organisations and developing a reliable supply base capable of supporting Mavuno's growing Fairtrade and organic export programmes.
This is both a farmer development and supply-growth role.
The successful candidate will work directly with cooperatives, CBOs, self-help groups, individual growers and other stakeholders to strengthen producer organisations, recruit new farmers, improve avocado production and productivity, maintain certification compliance and secure increasing volumes of export-quality Fairtrade avocados.
The position requires someone who can move beyond managing existing farmer groups and actively build new sources of certified supply.
Key Responsibilities
Fairtrade Farmer Network Development
Identify and recruit avocado farmers into Mavuno's Fairtrade supply programme.
Identify suitable existing cooperatives, CBOs and self-help groups for partnership and development.
Support the establishment and development of new legally recognized farmer organisations where required.
Develop and execute annual farmer recruitment and Fairtrade supply-expansion plans.
Build relationships with large-scale and commercial avocado growers capable of supplying Fairtrade and organic programmes.
Producer Organisation Development
Strengthen the governance and institutional capacity of participating farmer organisations.
Support producer organisations in developing appropriate management, administration and record-keeping systems.
Build the capacity of elected leaders and management committees in governance, accountability and Fairtrade requirements.
Support organisations in developing and implementing Fairtrade development plans and appropriate Premium management systems.
Fairtrade & Organic Compliance
Coordinate implementation and maintenance of applicable Fairtrade requirements across participating producer organisations.
Support farmer groups in preparing for Fairtrade certification and surveillance audits.
Work closely with internal technical teams to maintain organic and other applicable certification requirements.
Ensure accurate farmer registers, farm records, traceability documentation and certification records.
Identify compliance gaps and coordinate timely corrective actions.
Production & Supply Development
Develop annual production and supply forecasts for participating farmer groups.
Work with field teams and farmers to improve avocado orchard management, productivity, fruit quality and export pack-out.
Monitor flowering, fruit development, crop estimates and harvesting readiness.
Develop strategies to increase certified Fairtrade avocado volumes year on year.
Coordinate supply planning with Mavuno's commercial, procurement, technical and packhouse teams.
Farmer Capacity Building
Develop and coordinate farmer training programmes covering good agricultural practices, organic production, Fairtrade requirements, quality, traceability and responsible farming.
Strengthen farmers' understanding of international market requirements.
Promote professional and commercially sustainable farmer organisations capable of building long-term relationships with international markets.
Stakeholder Management
Maintain effective relationships with producer organisations, certification bodies, government agencies, development partners and other stakeholders.
Coordinate Fairtrade-related communication and documentation between Mavuno and participating producer organisations.
Represent Mavuno in relevant farmer development, certification and Fairtrade engagements.
Reporting & Performance Management
Maintain accurate data on farmer numbers, acreage, certification status, production forecasts and supplied volumes.
Prepare monthly reports on farmer recruitment, certification progress, production, compliance and supply performance.
Establish measurable annual targets for expansion of Mavuno';s Fairtrade supply base.
Track performance against agreed KPIs and recommend corrective actions where targets are not being achieved.
Qualifications & Experience
The ideal candidate should have:
A Bachelor's degree in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Horticulture, Agricultural Economics, Rural Development or a related field.
At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in farmer development, horticultural value chains, certification, contract farming, cooperatives or agricultural supply-chain management.
Demonstrable experience working directly with smallholder farmers and farmer organisations.
Experience with Fairtrade certification and standards will be a strong advantage.
Knowledge of organic certification, GlobalG.A.P. or similar agricultural certification systems will be advantageous.
Experience in avocado or export horticulture will be highly desirable.
Strong understanding of farmer mobilisation, training, production planning and agricultural supply development.
Ability to interpret standards and translate compliance requirements into practical field-level systems.
Strong reporting, data-management and stakeholder-management capabilities.
Willingness and ability to travel extensively to avocado-producing regions
Personal Attributes
We are particularly interested in candidates who are:
Results-driven - able to translate plans into farmer numbers, certified acreage and actual avocado volumes.
Field-oriented - comfortable spending significant time working directly with farmers and producer organisations.
Entrepreneurial - able to identify opportunities and build farmer networks rather than simply administer existing programmes.
Highly organised - capable of managing certification records, farmer data and multiple producer organisations.
Commercially aware - understands that farmer development must ultimately translate into sustainable supply and market access.
Strong communicators - able to work effectively with farmers, community leaders, auditors, management and international stakeholders.
High integrity - committed to transparency, responsible sourcing and the principles underlying Fairtrade.
What Success Looks Like
Success in this position will be measured by tangible growth in:
Fairtrade-certified farmer organizations;
participating avocado farmers;
certified acreage;
forecasted and delivered Fairtrade avocado volumes;
farmer productivity and export-quality fruit;
compliance performance; and the institutional strength and sustainability of participating producer organizations.