Agronomist: Regenerative

**Position Title**:Agronomist: Regenerative

**Position Type**: Regular - Full-Time

**Position Location**:Delmas

**Requisition ID**: 32912

**REGENERATIVE AGRONOMIST**

**PURPOSE OF THE JOB**:

- Potato growers face increasing challenges from climate change and variable weather, rising input costs, and regulatory uncertainty. To face these existential threats to our industry, and secure supply for the future, McCain is partnering with our growers to re-imagine the way we grow potatoes with a commitment to implement regenerative agricultural practices. McCain defines Regenerative agriculture as an ecosystem-based approach to farming to improve farm resilience, crop yield and quality. The framework includes armoured soils, preferably with living plants; enhanced crop diversity; minimised soil disturbance; reduced toxicity of pesticides; enhanced farm and ecosystem diversity; reduced agro-chemical impact; optimised water use and increased soil organic matter. While it is a global framework, we are working closely with our farmers to discover what works best on their farms
- in a way that makes economic and agronomic sense for each country and region. The McCain Regenerative Agriculture Framework is a farmer-centered framework developed in consultation with growers and other agricultural experts. It is a pathway to progress and guide for our farmers to support their progression toward a more regenerative model.
- Sustainability & regenerative agriculture trials to expand knowledge regarding best practices for Regenerative agriculture locally
- Share local and global regenerative agriculture knowledge & implementation
- Ability to build trust and personal connections with a very large range of stakeholder profiles
- Monitoring and keeping record of farmers regenerative progress
- Resource use efficiency improvement (Increase yield, improve quality, reduced input costs, reduced pesticide & fertilizer inputs etc);
- Represent McCain SA on Global platform;
- Knowledge transfer & technology exchange;
- Cross functional support;
- Research & innovation/networking.

**RESPONSIBILITIES**:

- This person will also be responsible for **training** to increase farmers’ understanding of the benefits and opportunities of Regenerative agriculture in potato cropping systems and equip them with the knowledge to address any challenges. The regenerative agronomist will also be responsible for research and development regarding regenerative agriculture, such as reduced tillage, pesticide & fumigation reduction, and biological control products. These trials will mostly be performed at our Farms of the Future program, as well as undertaking university trials, developing unique partnerships and creating Innovation Hub models with farmers. Also developing digital agriculture technologies to ensure farmers have access to better quality data and insights. We continue to work collectively with other stakeholders to harmonize and align measurement tools and verification practices.
- Support Agriculture and other McCain divisions regarding regenerative agriculture related information. Format can be from investigation with report to providing of information, testing facilities, research. Provide information to various global and local teams in their format to enable reporting on global/ local scale. Capture known information needs on a regular basis to enable fast turn-around time where possible. Assist all Agriculture divisions on request when challenges are experienced in the format required. Facilitate and drive health and safety within Agronomy. Ensure continual capacity development within Agriculture, including self.
- Supply/handle crop inputs at fields during the growing season: potato seed, fertilizer, water.
- General farming activities carry out with tractor during planting season.
- Transport potatoes from harvester to loading line.
- Do daily inspection checks on the tractor and report deviations to Farm Unit Leader
- Assist with equipment maintenance and repairs in workshop or field
- Carry out general farming activities on a daily basis and as per ad hoc instruction
- Ensure that all work in executed within a safe environment.
- Ensure that all safety guards are working and in place on equipment
- Wear the correctly allocated PPE at all times.
- Equipment safety guards
- Keep the work area clean and safe (equipment, tractors, workshop)

**REQUIREMENTS**:

- BSc Degree in relevant Agricultural/regenerative/sustainability sciences
- Valid Tractor Drivers License
- Experience and understanding of statistical trials (planning, lay-out, planting to evaluation), regenerative & fertilizer trials experience will be an advantage
- Report writing skills in English must be well developed
- Good working knowledge on statistical analysis and implications in regards to trials
- Good knowledge and understanding of agricultural production systems and variables, e.g. crops, climate, disease, fertilization, irrigation, soils, equipment etc.