Agronomist (Hass Avocado/Macadamia) job at Summit Recruitment and Search Africa

Background

Our client, an agribusiness based in Mityana District, Uganda, specializing in Hass avocado and macadamia production, is seeking to hire an experienced Agronomist.

The successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing crop science and agronomic practices across both orchards. This is a hands-on role requiring daily presence in the field, working closely with the field supervisor while coordinating with the Farm Operations Lead and the CEO to ensure optimal crop performance and farm productivity.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement seasonal agronomic programmes for avocado and macadamia orchards, covering nutrition, pest and disease control, pruning, and overall orchard hygiene.
• Conduct regular block-by-block scouting to monitor tree health, pest and disease pressure, and crop development stages.
• Track and report flowering, fruit set, retention, and overall crop performance across all orchard blocks in a structured and consistent manner.
• Coordinate irrigation and fertigation schedules to align with crop nutritional needs at each growth stage.
• Ensure accurate and up-to-date recording of all field activities, including chemical and fertiliser applications, within the farm management system.
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of all input programmes (e.g. fertilisers, crop protection, foliar feeds), linking application activities to observable field outcomes.
• Track key performance indicators per block (e.g. pest/disease levels, fruit set, fruit size and quality), and proactively recommend adjustments where results fall short.
• Maintain full compliance with export and certification standards, including GlobalG.A.P. and local regulatory requirements, ensuring proper documentation and audit readiness.
• Plan and manage input requirements in advance, ensuring cost awareness, budget adherence, and accurate inventory tracking.
• Coordinate with the field supervisor and Farm Operations Lead to deploy labour effectively, ensuring all agronomic activities are executed to required standards and aligned with overall farm operations.

Key Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Horticulture, Crop Science, or a related field preferred; relevant hands-on experience will also be considered.
• Demonstrated experience with GlobalG.A.P. standards and maintaining accurate records for export compliance.
• Good understanding of packhouse operations and post-harvest quality, with awareness of how field practices impact export grading.
• Strong field scouting and diagnostic ability, with the capacity to identify pest and disease issues early and implement appropriate interventions.
• Comfortable using digital farm management and reporting systems, with consistent and accurate data input.
• Able to produce clear, structured reports that can be easily understood and acted upon by non-technical stakeholders.
• Commercially minded, with a practical understanding of input costs and the importance of linking expenditure to measurable results.

• Develop and implement seasonal agronomic programmes for avocado and macadamia orchards, covering nutrition, pest and disease control, pruning, and overall orchard hygiene.
• Conduct regular block-by-block scouting to monitor tree health, pest and disease pressure, and crop development stages.
• Track and report flowering, fruit set, retention, and overall crop performance across all orchard blocks in a structured and consistent manner.
• Coordinate irrigation and fertigation schedules to align with crop nutritional needs at each growth stage.
• Ensure accurate and up-to-date recording of all field activities, including chemical and fertiliser applications, within the farm management system.
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of all input programmes (e.g. fertilisers, crop protection, foliar feeds), linking application activities to observable field outcomes.
• Track key performance indicators per block (e.g. pest/disease levels, fruit set, fruit size and quality), and proactively recommend adjustments where results fall short.
• Maintain full compliance with export and certification standards, including GlobalG.A.P. and local regulatory requirements, ensuring proper documentation and audit readiness.
• Plan and manage input requirements in advance, ensuring cost awareness, budget adherence, and accurate inventory tracking.
• Coordinate with the field supervisor and Farm Operations Lead to deploy labour effectively, ensuring all agronomic activities are executed to required standards and aligned with overall farm operations.

• Demonstrated experience with GlobalG.A.P. standards and maintaining accurate records for export compliance.
• Good understanding of packhouse operations and post-harvest quality, with awareness of how field practices impact export grading.
• Strong field scouting and diagnostic ability, with the capacity to identify pest and disease issues early and implement appropriate interventions.
• Comfortable using digital farm management and reporting systems, with consistent and accurate data input.
• Able to produce clear, structured reports that can be easily understood and acted upon by non-technical stakeholders.
• Commercially minded, with a practical understanding of input costs and the importance of linking expenditure to measurable results.

• Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Horticulture, Crop Science, or a related field preferred; relevant hands-on experience will also be considered.