Kirui Raymond

Livelihoods, agricultural development and resilience professional with 18 years of professional experience, including 10+ years after a Bachelor's degree, implementing donor-funded agriculture, livestock, food security and rural livelihoods programmes in Kenya and Uganda. Experienced in livelihood assessments, community engagement, agricultural and livestock interventions, income-generating activities, market and value-chain development, farmer and cooperative strengthening, VSLAs, climate-smart agriculture, training, field monitoring, MEAL and donor reporting. Coordinated implementation of a €1.8 million BMZ-funded dairy value-chain and women/youth employment programme reaching more than 5,000 smallholder households, strengthening six cooperatives and supervising 12 staff.

Strong practical experience translating agricultural and market opportunities into improved household productivity, income and resilience through community-based programming and multi-stakeholder partnerships.

Programme Officer - Vihiga Dairy Farmers Cooperative Society Ltd. - Vihiga County, Kenya

(2018-01 - 2024-12)

• Coordinated implementation of a BMZ-funded dairy value-chain and women/youth employment programme within a total programme budget of €1.8 million.
• Implemented community livelihood activities covering farmer capacity building, enterprise and value-chain development, market linkages, cooperative strengthening and household resilience.
• Supported VSLAs, farmer field schools and model farms to improve savings, financial inclusion, skills transfer and uptake of improved livelihood practices.
• Engaged farmers, community groups, cooperatives, county government, financial institutions, private-sector actors and development partners to strengthen market access and sustainability.
• Participated in field assessments, beneficiary monitoring, data collection and analysis using KoboToolbox, Excel and SPSS; prepared workplans, donor reports and technical documentation.
• Facilitated trainings and demonstrations on livestock production, feeding, enterprise practices, value addition, business opportunities and climate-smart agriculture.
• Supervised 12 staff, coordinated field schedules and monitored delivery against project plans, indicators and quality requirements.
• Supported adoption of solar milk cooling and biogas solutions to improve resource efficiency, reduce losses and strengthen livelihood sustainability.

Field Coordinator - Welthungerhilfe - Western Kenya

(2016-01 - 2018-04)

• Coordinated field implementation of dairy, livelihoods, soil rehabilitation and climate-smart agriculture interventions with smallholder communities.
• Conducted field assessments of farmer constraints, soil health and dairy productivity and used findings to inform practical interventions.
• Facilitated farmer training, participatory extension, agroforestry/conservation agriculture and market-linkage activities.
• Monitored programme indicators, collected field data and prepared regular reports in line with organisational and donor requirements.
• Linked farmers with processors, buyers and service providers to strengthen market access, productivity and sustainability.

Technical Officer - Green Solutions Uganda - Uganda

(2015-01 - 2015-12)

• Supported climate-smart agriculture, agribusiness, renewable-energy and sustainable market-system initiatives.
• Facilitated training and mentorship for farmers, cooperatives and entrepreneurs on sustainable agriculture, business planning and market analysis.
• Conducted market research and feasibility assessments and developed partnerships with businesses, buyers, cooperatives, energy providers and financial institutions.

MSc - Animal Science (Animal Nutrition) - Maseno University

BSc - Animal Science - Egerton University

Diploma - Animal Health - Egerton University