Forage Agronomy Internship - Kenya

Nourishing prosperity Alliance (NPA)

Venture 37 project support to

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Nourishing prosperity Alliance

Location: Nakuru, Kenya
Internship Duration: 6 Months

Background:

Land O'Lakes Venture37 is a 501(c)(3) non-profit committed to helping communities around the world thrive through agriculture. Affiliated with Land O'Lakes, Inc., Venture37 has more than 40 years of experience implementing agricultural development projects in more than 80 countries around the world. Venture37 strengthens economies by improving local agriculture, helping agribusinesses create jobs and linking farmers to markets. It delivers integrated solutions that help build and improve food and agriculture systems through more competitive markets, more resilient systems, healthier and more nutrition-secure communities, and more inclusive societies.

Project Summary:

Nourishing Prosperity Alliance is a five-year project funded through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to increase productivity and incomes of small-scale dairy farmers through access to improved animal feed sources. NPA aims to establish commercially viable and sustainable forage markets that equitably strengthen the regional competitiveness of the dairy industries in Kenya and Ethiopia. Forage markets will be developed through the implementation of activities that drive demand and improve supply of forage, as well as improve the enabling environment for market development.

Internship Objective:

The objective of Forage Agronomy internship is to provide an internship opportunity to a passionate incumbent with relevant knowledge and skills to work with the team to implement NPA Forage Project. The intern will work closely with the agronomy team to support forage research, farmer engagement, data collection, and advisory services.

Position Summary:

The intern will assist the NPA Kenya team in forage crop demonstration set ups, soil health assessments, farmer training, data collection and research activities to improve sustainable livestock feed production and nature-based soil conservation practices. The role will assist in providing hands-on experience in forage production, conservation techniques, and sustainable land management while contributing to knowledge dissemination for smallholder farmers. All intern activities will be done with support and collaboration from the NPA Kenya staff.

Primary Responsibilities:

The intern will be responsible for:

a) Field Support & Research

· Assist in establishing, managing, and monitoring forage crop plots (silage maize, sorghum, pearl millet, Lucerne and pasture grasses).

· Conduct soil health assessments to determine nutrient availability and suitability for different forage crops.

· Evaluate plant growth stages, biomass yield, and forage quality parameters (crude protein, digestibility).

b) Farmer Engagement & Training

· Participate in 14 pre-organized field days, demonstrations, and farmer training sessions with the NPA Nakuru staff.

· Provide short technical talks to farmers on forage management, conservation, best agronomic practices, soil nutrition and correction and nature-based soil conservation practices.

· Support development and distribution of extension materials, including fliers, SMS messages and presentations.

c) Forage Conservation & Utilization

· Conduct trials on silage and hay production techniques.

· Monitor fermentation quality of silage and post-harvest handling of silage.

· Assist in training farmers and assist them in producing practical cost-effective methods of forage storage to reduce losses. This will be done in collaboration with Hello Tractor.

d) Operational & Administrative Support

· Assist in forage seed distribution, record-keeping, and trial coordination.

· Work with the agronomy team to streamline data collection, analysis, and reporting.

· Contribute to compiling reports on trial outcomes and farmer feedback.

e) Digital & Knowledge Sharing

· Support the proposed SMS-based farmer outreach and agronomic advisory services in collaboration with our project partners Unga, Corteva, ILRI and farmer cooperatives.

· Assist in developing blog posts, social media content, and educational videos on forage production.

· Document case studies of successful forage interventions.

Internship Deliverables & Timeline:

Deliverable	Description	Timeline
Forage plots setup	Establishment of maize, sorghum, and pasture grass plots	Month 1
Soil health assessment	Collection and analysis of soil samples from demonstration sites	Month 1
Crop performance monitoring	Data collection on forage growth, biomass yield, and quality	Ongoing
Silage and hay trials	Production and evaluation of different forage conservation methods available to farmers and propose new methods (silage bags)	Month 2-4
Mid-season crop performance report	Analysis of plots crop progress, growth stages, early results and diseases observed	Month 3
Farmer training sessions	Field days, demonstrations, and workshops on forage management	Month 4
Forage quality analysis	Lab testing for protein content, fiber digestibility, and dry matter yield	Month 5
Final project report	Summary of findings from the six-month internship highlighting key challenges faced in implementation, farmer adoption rates, recommendations and success stories	Month 6
	A completed project presentation at end of the internship

Reporting & Supervision:

The intern will report to the Technical Manager and will be expected to provide:

· Weekly progress updates on trial performance and field activities.

· Mid-season and final reports summarizing findings and recommendations.

Required Skill and Qualifications:

· Bachelor's degree, Diploma (or final-year student) in Agronomy, Crop Science, Agriculture, or a related field.

· Basic knowledge of forage crops, soil health, and pest/disease management.

· Strong communication skills with ability to communicate both verbally and in writing.

· Skills in farmer engagement, training and developing extension materials.

· Knowledge and some experience with data collection, performance management and analysis of agronomic data.

· Ability to work independently, conduct fieldwork and organize training sessions.

Resources & Support:

· The intern will be required to have their own working laptop.

Venture37 will provide:

· Access to demonstration sites, technical guidance, and research data.

· Support for logistics and fieldwork coordination.

· Office workspace and a monthly stipend.