Volunteer Opportunities
Kava Group Formation and Marketing Readiness Training
Country: Solomon Islands
Location: Auki, Malaita Province, and Busarata in Central Region of Malaita Province
Assignment Number: SCALE003
Volunteers Requested: 1
Recruiter: Nona Fisher | Nona.Fisher@winrock.org | 808-348-7021
Winrock and the SCALE-NRM Project seek an experienced volunteer to complete a 22-day assignment in Auki, Malaita Province, Solomon Islands on t on forming associations, and to provide market-readiness training. The volunteer will develop a training manual and conduct a training of trainers (TOT).
Kava is a high potential cash crop that is gaining popularity as a preferred crop of choice by rural farmers in the Solomon Islands especially in Malaita Province where many farmers considered kava as a crop with high-income returns. While kava has the potential to create local employment for people living in rural communities, there is a lack of understanding on the proper practices of kava cultivation techniques amongst the rural farmers. Allowing farmers to benefit from the new cash crop requires appropriate training to better equip these farmers with knowledge on kava cultivation, such as how to identify kava varieties, cultivation techniques, harvesting, and post-harvest and storage practices for kava handling.
The volunteer should have the following qualifications and background:
A degree in agriculture or other natural resource management related field, with experience in carrying out similar training on cash crops, especially kava.
Strong experience working in the agriculture sector, and the kava subsector specifically, with the focus on sustainability and scale of rural agriculture livelihood activities.
Experience and wider agronomic knowledge on the different types of kava varieties found in Solomon Islands preferred.
Familiarity with requirements of kava regional and global markets.
Understanding of the kava production processes and marketing.
Strong analytical, written, and verbal communication skill with advanced use of Microsoft Office programs.
Ability to travel and work in remote locations, including some reached by small motorboat, and comply with COVID-19 guidance such as vaccination and wearing a mask.
Volunteers for Solomon Islands are required to have a full Covid-19 vaccination at least four weeks prior to travel.
Volunteers should note that some assignment sites are only accessible through small motorboat.