Technical Intern – Promotion of Innovations for Agriculture (i4Ag)

Agricultural mechanization is the use of machinery, equipment, and motorized implements for agricultural practices. The potential for Agricultural development and transformation is significant when the correct use of mechanization is sufficiently adopted as it can help improve overall efficiency of food systems, reduce the cost of producing outputs, providing services, enhance economies of scale, raise labour productivity and livelihoods. Traditionally, mechanized practices are thought in terms of tilling, seed drilling and spraying but mechanization has a much broader application along the food systems such as Irrigation, post-harvest management, cold storage, value addition and processing.

It is with this background that the project Sustainable Mechanization of Value Chains Through Gender-Sensitive Business Models, funded by BMZ’s Fund for the Promotion of Innovations for Agriculture (i4Ag) aims to increase demand for mechanization services through the establishment of machinery rings (organized farmer groups facilitating inter-farm mechanization as a core business.) as well as promoting the use of innovative mechanization solutions for smallholder farms and small-medium Agri-enterprises. The project is jointly implemented by GIZ, the German Machinery Rings Foundation, and Volkswagen

Based on this approach, the initiative has the following intervention areas:

1. Mobilization of farmers and entrepreneurs to facilitate access to mechanization opportunities in services and other business models
2. Promotion of climate smart solutions including mechanization, Integrated soil Fertility Management (ISFM), Integrated Pest Management (IPM),
3. Improve self-organization, governance, and other capacity challenges
4. Strengthening the demand of Mechanization services for scale and improvement of farmer income.
5. Integration of gender youth strategies through a transformative gender and youth action plan on business development, leadership integration, entrepreneurship coaching and training on soft skills in the rural society.

Responsibilities

The Intern will support the National Coordinator with the following tasks and responsibilities:

Training Support: 

• Assist in the logistical and content preparation for farmer and stakeholder training sessions.
• Support coordination with local , trainers, and smallholder farmers.
• Participate in training sessions and document proceedings, attendance, and key takeaways.

Data Collection and Monitoring Support: 

• Conduct field visits for data collection from farmers, service providers, or local institutions.
• Support the input, cleaning, and basic analysis of collected data

Reporting and Documentation Support: 

• Contribute to regular reporting, including preparation of short activity reports and photo documentation.
• Draft success stories, case studies, or short blog-style entries highlighting project milestones and outcomes.
• Support the documentation of lessons learned and best practices for internal and external knowledge sharing.
• Assist in maintaining an organized project filing system (SharePoint or similar).
• Attend meetings with local partners, take notes, and summarize action pointsto the coordinator.
• Support with administrative tasks as needed including procurement and preparation of payment documents etc..

Other duties and additional Tasks: 

• Participate in team meetings.
• Any other duty that may be assigned by the immediate supervisor (the National Coordinator)

Qualifications

Academic Background: 

• Degree or diploma in Agricultural Economics, Rural Development, Development Studies, Environmental Management, or any other related field.
• Certificate in computer application skills.
• Ideally with a focus or strong interest in sustainable agriculture, smallholder development, or agricultural technologies.

Professional Experience: 

• Initial experience (internships, student projects, or short-term assignments) in rural development, project management, or agricultural extension is an asset.
• Experience working with smallholder farmers or local NGOs voluntary or otherwise is considered a plus.

Skills and Competencies: 

• Must have proficient knowledge of Microsoft applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint etc).
• Strong organizational and coordination skills, with attention to detail.
• Good command of data collection tools and basic data handling
• Solid communication skills in English; Swahili language skills are a strong advantage.
• Ability to work independently, be proactive, and adapt to rural field settings.
• Interest in gaining hands-on experience in agricultural development in a practical, field-oriented environment.

Assignment period: Up to six months

Duty location: Nairobi.