Sustainable Agricultural Systems Promoter - Volunteer Position - Onsite in Benin - 2 years, plus 3 months training
Peace Corps
United States
Posted on May 3, 2025
About The Job
Apply by :
October 1, 2025
Know By
December 1, 2025
Depart On
June 7, 2026
Duration
2 years, plus 3 months training
ELIGIBILITY: Must be at least 18 years of age. Must be a U.S. citizen.
Project description
What words will describe your Peace Corps service as a Sustainable Agricultural Systems Promoter in Benin? Collaboration. Food Security. Economic Development. Learning. Community. Growth. Adaptation. Leadership. Belonging.
Imagine watching the sunrise as you bike to your community garden, greeting the people you meet in the local language. After watering your plot, you and your counterpart meet a group of young mothers under a mango tree to co-facilitate a training on nutrition. You go to friend’s house for lunch, just in time to help make your favorite cassava and fish dish. In the afternoon, you and your counterpart meet to plan your next entrepreneurship club meeting with students at the local school. It’s market day in the village, so you bike home along the winding path that leads to the market, buy a pineapple, and pick up your new outfit from the tailor, just in time for a colleague’s upcoming wedding. After dinner, you sit out under the stars with the kids from next door, eating pineapple together and exchanging text messages with family back home, translating the conversation between English, French, and a local language.
You and your counterparts will collaborate with community members to promote food security through agriculture-based income generation. Working with community members to develop their capacity to manage income, expenses, and create savings plans, will strengthen household economic security and resilience .] You will also work with families to increase and diversify their household food production and consumption. The ability of families to break the generational cycle of malnutrition will allow their children to receive proper nutrition during their critical first 1,000 days, which will lay the foundation for their future ability to grow, learn, and succeed.
Benin’s economy depends on agriculture, and women as well as men farm and garden to produce food for their families and for sale. Seasonal rainfall and a subtropical climate make it possible to grow a variety of foods, yet Benin’s most vulnerable populations face challenges accessing nutrient-rich foods on a daily basis. A number of factors contribute to these challenges, including environmental stressors, declines in income levels, rising food prices, food producers lacking access to markets and quality seeds, and limited nutrient-rich foods in local markets.
To Address These Challenges, You Will Work With Motivated Community Partners Including Local Agricultural Associations, Women’s Groups, Secondary Schools, And Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs). Your Local Supervisor May Be The Head Of a Technical School, NGO, Or President Of a Local Women’s Co-op And You Will Do Your Work In Collaboration With Local Beninese Counterparts. You And Your Counterparts Will Use a Participatory Approach To Assess Local Knowledge, Resources And Needs, And To Identify The Most Appropriate Activities To Address Local Food Security Challenges. These Activities May Include
In addition to your primary work, you may also work on secondary projects that meet community needs, such as an English club, youth leadership clubs, or malaria prevention activities.
Required Skills
Qualified candidates will have an expressed interest in working in agriculture and one or more of the following criteria:
Apply by :
October 1, 2025
Know By
December 1, 2025
Depart On
June 7, 2026
Duration
2 years, plus 3 months training
ELIGIBILITY: Must be at least 18 years of age. Must be a U.S. citizen.
Project description
What words will describe your Peace Corps service as a Sustainable Agricultural Systems Promoter in Benin? Collaboration. Food Security. Economic Development. Learning. Community. Growth. Adaptation. Leadership. Belonging.
Imagine watching the sunrise as you bike to your community garden, greeting the people you meet in the local language. After watering your plot, you and your counterpart meet a group of young mothers under a mango tree to co-facilitate a training on nutrition. You go to friend’s house for lunch, just in time to help make your favorite cassava and fish dish. In the afternoon, you and your counterpart meet to plan your next entrepreneurship club meeting with students at the local school. It’s market day in the village, so you bike home along the winding path that leads to the market, buy a pineapple, and pick up your new outfit from the tailor, just in time for a colleague’s upcoming wedding. After dinner, you sit out under the stars with the kids from next door, eating pineapple together and exchanging text messages with family back home, translating the conversation between English, French, and a local language.
You and your counterparts will collaborate with community members to promote food security through agriculture-based income generation. Working with community members to develop their capacity to manage income, expenses, and create savings plans, will strengthen household economic security and resilience .] You will also work with families to increase and diversify their household food production and consumption. The ability of families to break the generational cycle of malnutrition will allow their children to receive proper nutrition during their critical first 1,000 days, which will lay the foundation for their future ability to grow, learn, and succeed.
Benin’s economy depends on agriculture, and women as well as men farm and garden to produce food for their families and for sale. Seasonal rainfall and a subtropical climate make it possible to grow a variety of foods, yet Benin’s most vulnerable populations face challenges accessing nutrient-rich foods on a daily basis. A number of factors contribute to these challenges, including environmental stressors, declines in income levels, rising food prices, food producers lacking access to markets and quality seeds, and limited nutrient-rich foods in local markets.
To Address These Challenges, You Will Work With Motivated Community Partners Including Local Agricultural Associations, Women’s Groups, Secondary Schools, And Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs). Your Local Supervisor May Be The Head Of a Technical School, NGO, Or President Of a Local Women’s Co-op And You Will Do Your Work In Collaboration With Local Beninese Counterparts. You And Your Counterparts Will Use a Participatory Approach To Assess Local Knowledge, Resources And Needs, And To Identify The Most Appropriate Activities To Address Local Food Security Challenges. These Activities May Include
- Promoting weather-resilient/bio-intensive gardening techniques.
- Co-teaching food transformation and preservation techniques to increase income earned from harvested crops
- Coaching women’s groups and youth clubs on entrepreneurship
- Working with individuals and community groups on basic accounting, feasibility studies, marketing strategies, business models, and savings and credit programs
- Organizing cooking demonstrations and trainings on nutrition and diversified diets to improve infant and child health
- Planting community and school gardens
In addition to your primary work, you may also work on secondary projects that meet community needs, such as an English club, youth leadership clubs, or malaria prevention activities.
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
- 5 years' professional work experience