Cf Staff Writes Episode 6
Written by Woena Agordah
Even though it’s not unheard of to see women in agriculture or in agriculture-related fields, compared to men it’s quite rare, but this didn’t deter Tracy from taking up the role of field auditor and compliance officer at Complete Farmer.
In her role as a field auditor and compliance officer, Tracy is responsible for travelling to off-site locations (farms), investigating areas of concern, and formulating risk assessments. She routinely evaluates employee compliance with company policies on the farms, investigates any discrepancies found which affect farm operations and documents them for action by management.
READ ALSO: CF Staff Writes Episode 5
In this Episode of CF staff writes, we had a chat with Tracy about her work, personal life and how she’s able to blend it all with the Complete Farmer culture. These were some of her responses.
How long have you been working at Complete Farmer?
1 year and 4 months
What do you like most about working at Complete Farmer?
You see a lot of young people with fresh ideas and fresh energies
Can you tell me an interesting fact about yourself?
I’m calm in all situations, I love water, my favourite colour is black sometimes blue.
I laugh when I’m scared, confused or shy.
My favorite thing to do is just to think.
If you were attending a meet and greet how would you explain your role at Complete Farmer?
My role at Complete Farmer is to make sure everything production-wise goes on the right, I check through all processes and procedures and make sure they are up to standard, all farms insured, and all documentation as they should be.
What inspired your choice in career?
I love Agriculture. It wasn’t the career I’d have chosen in my early years but I developed an interest in agriculture when I started to study it in the university. It was interesting and it’s become a major part of me.
What has been one major accomplishment for you as a field auditor?
Getting all documents ready and on time for our just ended trade.
Of all the farming projects you’ve worked on at Complete Farmer, which has been your favorite and why?
Soybeans in Karaga. I had a lot of mixed feelings at the start of the circle. Due to bad weather, the farm cycle started later than planned and I was anxious, to say the least. But when it finally started it ran smoothly to completion and we had a successful harvest.
What’s a typical day in the life of a field auditor at Complete Farmer like?
I get to work at 8 am, call farm managers and make sure everything is going on right on the field, check-in with the field administrator for the main field to make sure things are going as planned, I then make a plan for the day with things listed in my to-dos, If there’s a trade I check in with the Field admin for aggregation, do follow-ups on trade documentation, write reports on audits, On some days, I close at late as 9 pm. I don’t leave till I’m done with what I planned to do within the day.
Between planting season and harvest season, which is your favorite and why?
Planting. It makes me know whether to be excited or otherwise, because the seasons are not completely predictable.
What do you do at your leisure or when you’re not working?
Listen to Music or just think (Mostly just think through the music).
In your own opinion what do you think of the African farming scene and what does it need to acquire more prestige?
I think we the youth are still getting involved and it’s giving it a new phase. I also think there’s a lot more to be done.
I think to acquire prestige, more effort needs to be put towards finding efficient ways to reduce post-harvest losses in the African agriculture value chain. This would go a long way in adding value to crops, earning farmers more money, providing more employment opportunities, stabilizing prices (for example, tomato could sell at 50 pesewas in its peak season but could go to 5gh when it’s scarce) and improving food safety and security.
What is the one thing you think every aspiring field auditor should know about the role?
You need to know the field you are auditing because it goes beyond the documents presented to you.
READ ALSO: CF Staff Writes Episode 4
So there we have it, a very energetic young woman with a passion for agriculture who made a career out of her interests and continues to strive for what she believes in. An inspiring story of self-discovery continuing on the path to self-actualization. Her healthy approach to combining work and life has enabled her to come as far as she has today. And as part of the complete farmer team has brought us one step closer to feeding tomorrow.
