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Urban Agriculture Trainer

Peace
Corps

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COUNTRY
Senegal
REGION
Africa
SECTOR
Agriculture
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
None

ACCEPTS COUPLES
No
POSITIONS AVAILABLE
11

APPLY BY
Jan. 1, 2018
KNOW BY
March 1, 2018
DEPART BY
Sept. 23, 2018

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Before You Apply

You can only have one active Peace Corps Volunteer application, so choose a
position that best fits your skills and interest. You have the opportunity to tell us if
youd like to be considered for other openings and more about the ones that interest
you most!

Project Description
As an urban or peri-urban Agriculture Volunteer in Senegal, you will provide a valuable service
to urban community members who face unique food security challenges, by successfully
engaging in agricultural production. You will promote the transfer of appropriate skills and
technology through demonstration within the community where you live.

You will likely be assigned to Senegal's Horticulture department within the Ministry of
Agriculture. You will be responsible, along with your host country colleagues and others in
your assigned area, for participating actively in the creation of work plans, monitoring and
expanding the work of previous Volunteers, and maintaining a documentation system for the
reports of your work zone.

Peace Corps Senegal's program philosophy emphasizes demonstration and the exchange of
ideas. Depending of the conditions of the town and the ecology of your assigned area, you
can expect to be promoting sustainable practices via some of the following activities:
 Increasing levels of vegetable, flower, herb, or field crop production by use of improved seed
varieties and agricultural practices

Protecting production areas from pest damage (e.g. Integrated Pest Management)

Increasing soil fertility (e.g. composting);

Protecting production areas from animal and wind damage (e.g. live fencing and windbreaks)

Increasing the production of market-quality vegetables, flowers, and herbs for sale and home
consumption

Increasing animal protein availability through the extension of small poultry raising
techniques

Developing individual and organizational capacities at the city level

Promoting improved seed selection, storage, and handling techniques

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
The most competitive candidates will have an ability to work with youth and womens groups,
and French language background, particularly speaking skills.

Required Language Skills

There are no pre-requisite language requirements for this position.

Additional Language Information

Basic knowledge of French is desired as Peace Corps Senegal provides no French training. You
will first learn survival Wolof, and will spend the subsequent weeks of Pre-Service Training
learning the local language of your community, which you will use to communicate with local
farmers.

Living Conditions

Most Urban Agriculture sites are considered cities and large towns by Senegals standards,
though they often differ greatly from what many Americans think of as a city. Most of the
cities (63%) where Urban Agriculture Volunteers are placed are a rural town with less than
25,000 inhabitants. Half of these rural towns have a population under 15,000 people.

You will live in a room with cement or metal roof within the compound of a host family. This
set up is ideal to allow you a certain amount of privacy with the benefit of language and
cultural immersion and added security provided by a host family. Your space within your host
familys compound will include a private latrine and shower area.

Senegalese dishes are tasty, based on rice or millet with meat, fish, or vegetable sauces, but
there is usually less variety than Americans are accustomed to having. Vegetarians have been
able to make arrangements to maintain their diet, though a vegetarian diet in Senegal can be
even more monotonous.

You will likely have access to running water or electricity.

Communication systems are improving throughout Senegal. You will find that cities have
telephones, cell phones, internet access, and a hospital or health center.

Learn more about the Volunteer experience inSenegal: Get detailed information on culture,
communications, housing, and safety including crime statistics [PDF] in order to make a
well-informed decision about serving.

Medical Considerations in Senegal

Senegal may not be able to support Volunteers with the following medical conditions:
asthma, including mild and childhood; insulin-dependent diabetes; gasteroenterology;
requiring a psychiatrist for psychotropic medications support; seizure disorder; ongoing
counseling.

The following medication(s) are not permitted for legal or cultural reasons: none identified.
 Volunteers who should avoid the following food(s) may not be able to serve: peanuts and
shellfish.

After arrival in Senegal, Peace Corps provides and applicants are required to have an annual
flu shot, to take daily or weekly medication to prevent malaria, and to receive mandatory
immunizations.

Before you apply, please also review Important Medical Information for Applicants [PDF] to
learn about other health conditions typically not supported in Peace Corps service.

Does this sound like the position for you?

Get started on your journey.

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Learn what it's like to serve in Senegal

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to these needs and to the Peace Corps mission.

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