The John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer Program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), aims to promote sustainable improvements in food security and agricultural processing, production, and marketing by leveraging the expertise of U.S. volunteers.

ACDI/VOCA seeks a specialist in Persimmon Cultivation and Post Harvest Processing for a Volunteer Assignment in Armenia. The selected Volunteer will collaborate with the host to train farmers on best practices with a focus on pruning, pest and disease issues and post-harvest cold storage techniques.

***As part of the Farmer-to-Farmer Consortium, this assignment is made possible through USAID funding. In accordance to USAID guidelines, any candidates submitted for consideration under this project must have a valid US passport or Green Card.***

This is a 2-week assignment, scheduled for April/May 2024.

Provisions for the Volunteer:

• All international and local travel
• All lodging
• A per diem to cover meals and incidentals
• Travel Visa (if applicable)
• Emergency Medical Evacuation Insurance
• In-country support from field office staff
• Local cell phone to use during assignment (if needed)

While in-country, the Volunteer will:

• Conduct hands-on training on correct terms and techniques of pruning and treatments of persimmon (work in the field and on farmers’ property orchard)
• Make assessment of current state of the orchards and advise improvements
• Provide in-classroom or hands-on training on post-harvest handling and correct sorting of persimmon

• University degree in Horticulture, Agriculture, or a related field
• At least 5 years relevant work experience
• Practical experience growing persimmons
• Excellent cross-cultural communication and interpersonal skills
• Previous international experience a plus
• Proficient computer skills including Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel and apps like Zoom, WhatsApp, Facebook Etc.