Project News

OJT Report: Participated in activity briefings about SHEP Biz!!

Hello.
I'm Shogo Takeda working in SHEP Biz project in Kenya as an On the Job Training (OJT).

In this Project News, I would like to write about the Sensitization held in Meru and Tharaka Nithi County in middle of July.

Sensitization were held 4 times in total, to explain the outline of the SHEP Biz and the plans of coming activity for a total about 20 participants, including officers of Ministry of Agriculture, extension officers, and representatives of farmer's group from each County (The project targets 2 areas per County).

SHEP projects have been already implemented in Kenya 3 times. So most of participants already heard of SHEP, and participated with feeling both anxious and expectation.

Sensitization was started with a repeat of slogan "grow and sell to grow to sell"

SHEP concept, to make farmers motivated by a series of trainings instead of providing materials seems so fresh for extension officers who don't have plenty human resource and budget to agricultural extension activity. An extension officer said "Understood, but we don't have enough extension officers to train a lot of farmers."

But officers of the Ministry of Agriculture persistently explained the possibility of agricultural extension, to extend concept from extension officers to one farmer, and from one farmer to another continuously.

Officers from the Ministry well understand the tough situation of rural extension officers. But officers from the Ministry explained to County extension officers and shared the concept with them that steady extension activity is the very way to support smallholder farmers. Participants seriously participated in the sensitization from 6 to 7 hours in total until the end.

Agricultural extension in Kenya has been greatly affected by every change in direction at the national level, such as structural adjustment and decentralization.

I felt that based on these experiences, SHEP projects are supported by persistently extension activity by expectation and motivation of the extension officers who have been fully realized the importance to motivate farmers than anyone.

Explanation of the background of SHEP

Explanation of "to ease the asymmetry of information"

Chuka Sub-County facility where senstization was conducted