148 YOUTH TRAINED ON AGRIPRENEURSHIP IN VIHIGA COUNTY
To fully and successfuly implement the National Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP), the use of the Agri-preneur model will be fully utilized . These Agripreneur Model has been operationalized and rolled out in the 34 National Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP)- implementing counties Vihiga County included. It will be strategically deployed in all project wards with established community institutions with a total of 175 Agri-preneurs on-boarded across 25 wards. This AP approach aims to strengthen the program’s impact, promote agricultural growth, improve extension services, and promote economic empowerment at the grassroots level.
His Excellency Dr. Wilber Ottichilo, EGH commissioned 148 out of the 175 newly recruited and trained Agri-preneurs since some had already been employed by the County Government and will be replaced to work for the next 18 months.
Their roles and responsibilities will include:
✅ Participate in coaching, mentorship programs and sessions as per the program design.
✅ Act as a key ambassadors for smallholder farmers’ empowerment using the
agri-preneurs’ model.
✅ Play the central role of consolidating farmers’ agro-inputs, mechanization, and marketing requirements and facilitating transactions for approximately 350 to 500 smallholder farmers within their area of operation in collaboration with the agritechs (business accelerators) and the county.
✅ Collaborate with the county teams to develop FFS/ FFBS for learning purposes with support from agritechs. This will entail close collaboration with the extension linkages lead at national and county.
✅ Collaborate with the counties on farmer mobilization, farmer registration collecting additional data as needed to support their innovations, and trainings on behalf of the agritechs and generate reports to the county.
✅ Work with KALRO and the county to disseminate TIMPs and e-Services, as well as
validate products/services and capture feedback.
✅Report to the agritechs with data that has been validated at county level.
✅ Provide feedback to the county, agritechs, BA on opportunities, gaps and learning that may inform implementation.
These Agripreneurs will be working under instructions of Ward Agricultural Extension officers and Ward Livestock Extension officers as follows:
✅ There will be 7 agripreneurs in each ward with each agripreneur will be assigned an enumeration area.
✅ Each Agri-preneur will cover about 300 farmers.
✅ Remuneration for agripreneurs will be through Community Driven Development Committees (CDDCs) to individual accounts as follows:
1st month- boot camp – Ksh. 10,000
11 months – Ksh.15,000
6 months – Ksh. 5,000
Both the County and National Governments are providing a platform for agripreneurs to undertake agribusiness and it’s expected that after 18 months, the agripreneurs will be fully commercialized (provide their services at a fee to farmers.
Five motorbikes were also commissioned to aid with extension services in the 5 wards that that were not part of the first phase of the project (NARIGP).
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