One Acre Fund wants to reach as many needy farmers as we can, as quickly as possible. Our current districts in Western Kenya are each serving between 3,000 and 4,000 clients this season. At the top of each district, we have one extremely dedicated, highly competent leader – the field director. Field directors are the engines of growth within One Acre Fund, pushing the organization to reach even the most ambitious goals season after season.

Our field directors have set aggressive growth targets for the coming season. Our biggest district will aim to reach more than 7,000 clients. Yet field directors already manage on average thirty-three field officers and six field managers. Growing a district staff to fifty field officers and eight field managers necessitates some additional management support to maintain the quality of our services.

In preparation for rapid growth, this season we have developed a new role with our field operations – the assistant field director. In Kakamega, our largest district, we promoted one of our top field managers – Joan Lihru – to the assistant field director position in January.  She has thus far done an amazing job helping to define this important role. Joan joins the Kakamega field director and fellow Egerton University alum Daniel Okongo as a leader of Kakamega District.

Based on this first experiment, we have so far identified three critical roles filled by the assistant field director:

• Field presence and supervision: With 35 field officers per district and more on the way, there is a lot of ground to cover in the field. The assistant field director gives the district another set of highly trained eyes to observe key field activities, to monitor staff, and to capture best practices to improve our program.
• Mentorship of Field Managers: A growing management team needs additional mentorship, and the assistant field director helps fill this role by taking primary ownership over mentorship of half of field managers.
• Planning and logistics: As the district grows, planning and logistics become even more critical to a smooth operation. The field director and assistant field director meet twice weekly to discuss field progress, and to make plans for upcoming field activities.

Within a few short weeks under Daniel’s guidance, Joan was able to independently manage her new mentorship and training responsibilities. Not only has Joan benefited from Daniel’s experience and perspective, but the process of training a high-level manager at the district level has also helped to develop Daniel’s leadership skills.

Aside from helping a district to handle the challenges of rapid scale-up, the assistant field director position serves another very critical strategic purpose. In the next few years, we will grow our service territory in Kenya by opening up new districts and even new regions. These districts will need strong leaders like Daniel and Joan to build a new team, to start a new operation, and to instill their nuanced understanding of the One Acre Fund model and organizational culture. The assistant field director role is a valuable opportunity to rapidly develop future leaders of One Acre Fund. If the experience thus far with Joan is any indication, we can look forward to a fast-growing team of excellent leaders, helping to expand the reach of One Acre Fund to smallholder farmers across East Africa.