James Muhia

• While serving as Desk Officer, NMK, a government of Kenya Project implemented by ministry of Agriculture to reduce hunger and poverty in vulnerable and marginalized communities duties and responsibilities were:
• To create awareness of project in area communities
• Vetting group applications for project grants
• Evaluating sustainability and impact of proposed CIG groups projects
• Mainstreaming and integrating gender, HIV, sustainability, environment, and other cross-cutting issues within project implementation
• Training beneficiary groups, staff and stakeholders on project implementation and deliverables.
• Writing periodic reports and forwarding to national project secretariat

Highlight of achievements

During project implementation, flagged crop farming opportunities in valley bottoms and kitchen gardening adjacent animal water sources. 87 predominantly nomadic pastoralist households adopted crop farming as livelihood activity.

Working with Murang’a County Government, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries as Principal Agricultural Officer and deployed to National Agriculture and Rural inclusive Growth Project (NARIGP) as Component 3 leader. The aim of NARIGP is to increase agricultural production and productivity using community participatory and value chain approaches.

Core duties and responsibilities were

• Implementing work plans
• Undertaking participatory monitoring and evaluation with communities
• Ensuring delivery of complete soil and water management practices under sustainable land management employment program
• Ensuring NARIGP activities are socially inclusive, technically viable, environmentally friendly and contribute to sustainable development
• Ensuring marginalized and disadvantaged groups are given hope and voice
• Taking deliberate efforts to mainstream gender

Highlight of achievements

• 49 % implementation level of 100 million Kenya shilling Ititu-Ikundu (two neighboring villages) irrigation multi-community investment
• Played a leader’s role in laying out 1867 farms including 449 VMG farms. From these, 1675 soil conservation structures were done on these farms including 432 for VMGs
• Facilitated formation of 321 CIG groups to directly receive funding from NARIGP to upscale their farms sustainable land management practices

• Developed farm business plans and value chain development
• Capacity build and trained farmers and staff in Agribusiness issues
• Facilitated formation of producer market groups
• Monitoring performance of agricultural markets and market systems
• Developing farm compensation guidelines
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation of agricultural programs
• Preparation of work plans and budgets
• Compiling sectional periodic reports

Highlight of achievements
• under my leadership, 20,531 farmers (56 %) registered for crop insurance programme of whom 82 % paid premiums by the second face of the programme which cautioned smallholder households against total crop failure
• developed sub-county major crops gross margins
• registered 24,877 farmers in government subsidized fertilizer programme which increased food productivity by 21%

• Coordinated and supervised Crop Development Programs
• Collated, analyzed, stored and disseminated crop production data
• Assessed staff and farmers’ training needs
• Collaborated with stakeholders on availability, quality of seed, agro-chemicals and other farm inputs
• Monitored compliance of set standards of horticulture production and other crops
• Trained farmers on GLOBAL-GAP standards and certification
• Assessed regularly food requirements, production deficits, post harvest losses and production trends
• Coordinated coffee rehabilitation program
• Mobilized, trained and linked farmers groups on contract farming in snow peas and French beans farming and marketing
• Compiled sectional progress reports, work plans and budgets.
• Resolved problems, improved operations and provided exceptional service

Highlight of achievements
• Through T & V (training and visit) programme and with support of field staff, I reached over 1500 individual farmers and 276 farmer groups with customized training packages
• The ward Agricultural Pests Control teams whose formation I spearheaded are still in place today and which have recorded big achievements in controlling seasonal pests’ attacks such as locusts

Worked with Ministry of Agriculture, Ijara district, Northeastern Kenya as Agricultural Officer and later as Senior Agricultural Officer, while deployed as Divisional Agriculture Extension Officer, Masalani Division and coordinated implementation of agricultural extension, projects, and programs.

• National Agriculture and Livestock Extension Programme was a SIDA supported national project whose aim was to transform local farming areas into areas of regular group extension interventions by attracting relevant research, commercial and development collaborators.
• Duties and responsibilities
• Carrying out community Participatory Rural Appraisal and Broad-Based Survey
• Flagging opportunities and problem hot spots for intervention
• Lobbying for community support from relevant collaborators and private investors

Highlight of achievement

Identified one community that did not have nearby water source. Women and children used to walk 15 km to nearest water source which unfortunately was very unclean. Brought all community elders together to discuss how to solve water scarcity problem. Organized humanitarian walk to raise funds to dig a small community water pan. With support from key community leaders and key government departments such as District Commissioner and ministry of public works, one 8,000 cubic metre water pan was dug. Community used that water to do small scale vegetable gardening next to that pan which greatly improved their health and many more children enrolled in nearby school. produced 1.7 tons of green vegetables and 1.2 tons of tomatoes in first year. School enrolled 31 new students.