Abigail Mbevi

A competent and experienced Agronomist and resilience livelihood expert with vast experience in Emergency preparedness and response, Disaster Risk Management, Climate Change Managmeent, Nutrition Sensitive Food Systems, Rural Development, Strategic Project Planning and Management. I have more than 15 years of field related experience through working with the UN agencies, National & County Governments, Non-Governmental Organizations, Private sector, vulnerable and resource challenged communities to design, plan and implement relief, Resilience livelihoods and food systems programmes.

World Food Programme (WFP)- Somalia Country Office          December 2021 to December 2022

Program Associate based at Nairobi Liaison Office

Current responsibilities

• Coordinating and facilitating support towards ensuring drought affected, vulnerable, displaced and refugees receive timely food assistance to meet food and nutrition needs through close collaboration and consultation with Cooperating partners, Government, Food Cluster teams and other UN agencies.
• Provide technical support towards design, planning and implementation of emergency preparedness, anticipatory plans, humanitarian response and relief activities as well as related reporting
• Initiate development of strategic douments like  emergency response guidelines, intergration of referral pathways under WFP programmes like gender and protection, nutrition and women empowerment, project proposals and concept notes for fundraising of relief and livelihood programmes. 
• Provide technical guidance to Area/field Offices across Somalia during design, development, review, and submission of project proposals for relief, livelihood, and resilience interventions for funding consideration.
• Conduct capacity needs assessment for Corperating Partners, Government and community and develop interventions on delivery of humanitarian assistance, beneficiaries targeting & distribution, Cash Based Transfers, Climate Smart Agricultural technologies and vocational trainings. 
• Information management for relief and livelihood programmes that entails development of progress and annual reports, documenting inputs, outputs, lessons learnt as well as preparing donor reports on programme achievements
• Coordinating forums related to food security cluster with UN agencies, government and NGOs in planning and resolving challenges arising from implementation of food and nutrition security programmes. 

World Food Programme (WFP)-Kenya Country Office              September 2020 to November 2021

Program Associate-Supporting Garissa and Tana River Counties 

Accomplishments 

• I facilitated delivery of food assistance to 100,000 vulnerable beneficiaries, 40 agri-nutrition groups, 100 youth groups undertake various relief, livelihood and sustainable food systems activities envisaged to achieve food and nutrition security. 
• I provided specialized technical support for effective designing, implementation, monitoring and reporting of Sustainable Food System (SFS) in arid and semi-arid counties of Garissa and Tana River which involved jointly coordination and implementation of SFP activities with County governments, local NGOs, UN agencies, and communities making it more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable.
• I initiated specialized technical support and innovative ways during rolling-out and up-scaling of nutrition-sensitive approaches using value chain model, Village Savings and Loaning Associations (VSLA) and youth empowerment/agribusiness activities which were part of food system and resilience projects. 
• Conducted capacity strengthening for Government technical officers, WFP staff, NGOs and Communities on Disaster Risk Reduction approaches like innovative climate smart agricultural rainwater harvesting and management (RWHM) technologies, good agronomic practices contributing to increased productivity 
• Linked with internal counterparts to support effective collaboration, implementation and monitoring and reporting of project activities and acted as a point of contact for resolution of operational queries and difficulties within my technical areas of responsibility; 
• Led the Food and Nutrition security assessments and the developments of policies and strategies related to Social protection, Youth Empowerment Health care, Disaster Risk Management and climate change. 

World Food Programme (WFP)-Kenya Country Office                          April 2019 to February 2020

Programme Assistance-Sustainable Food Systems & youth in agribusiness                    

Accomplishments

• I led the County technical team, NGOs and community during design, planning and development of community action plans, food system strategies and annual work plans in line with County priorities that guided implementation of resilient livelihood nd food systems programmes. 
• Provided  leadership and coordination support to County technical teams, local NGOs and communities during designing and roll out of the Makueni Youth Agri-business Empowerment Project (MYAEP) that supported 60 youth groups to engage in agribusiness using value chain model.    
• I initiated development of training modules on youth mentorship as well as organizing capacity building sessions for government staff and Youth groups on agribusiness project model, financial inclusion, economic empowerment and importance of youth engagement in agriculture.
• Facilitated coordination mechanisms at county level, planned technical committee meetings; supported officers to implement recommendations from commitee meetings at sub-county and ward levels.

National Drought Management Authority (NDMA)                                June 2013 – February 2019

County Food/Cash for Assets Coordinator (CFFAC) - Makueni County

• Directed the coordination and provision of specialized technical expertise to Cash-Food For Assets projectduring design, planning, implementation and monitoring of resilience programmes that supported 61,000 vulnerable beneficiaries with food  and non food assistance that impacted positively to their food and nutrition outcomes
• Coordinated and facilitated in design and development of project Protracted Relief and Recovery Operations proposals that are inclusive and cognizant of community needs and in line with Government priorities.
• Managed the Capacity Needs Assessment of Makueni County technical teams, partners, NGOS and Communities to identify capacity gaps in areas of EPR, Resilient Livelihood, Supply Chain Management, Social Protection and capacity strengthening plan on:Disaster Risk Reduction, Participatory Community planning, climate smart technologies, good agronomic practices, livelihood diversification and intergration of referral pathways across livelihood resilient programmes 
• Prepared and disseminated programme reports, reviews as well as documented lessons learnt while identifying innovative strategies and technologies coqnizant of emerging trends in climate change for consideration during future programming.
• I led County technical teams during development of  County policies and plans: Contingency and response plans; Ending Drought Emergency framework; Youth empowernment, Social Protection and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) for Makueni County that guided county planning and development initiatives. 

Caritas Kenya           June 2009 to April 2012

Project Officer – Livelihood and Financial Inclusion.

Accomplishment- 

• Provided specialized technical support during design, development and implementation of Arid and Marginal Recovery (ARC) project aimed at sustaining access to food in vulnerable rural communities through enhanced resilience to shocks. 
• Facilitated community mobilization, selection of beneficiaries, capacity needs assessment, monitoring implementation of voucher for work transfer modality to beneficiaries  while documenting lessons learnt to assure project objectives and impacts are achieved. 
• I trained farmers on economic empowerment interventions: best farming practices, achieving food, seed and nutrition security, upgrading of local livestock breeds, micro irrigation activities, market identification, dynamics and pooling/ collective-marketing approach. 
• Prepared quarterly work plans and budgets,  project reports and shared with Partners. 

Syngenta East Africa-           Technical Specialist                             May 2008 to May 2009

Accomplishment:

• Capacity building of farmers and actors along the agricultural value chain on focused and viable agronomic techniques and practices aimed at increasing productivity and profitability while promoting firms’ products to farmers, stockists, stakeholders for example Ministry of Agriculture through organized field days, market day, exhibition, trade fairs and workshops
• I developed scripts and content for radio talk back shows and presenter mentions for Royal Media Stations that targeted farmers in lower station to build their capacity on agronomic practices, livelihood diversification based on assessed needs.
• Represented the organization in development forums like county stakeholder forums, fairs and field days.

Topserve E.A (BASF Agents)- Field promoter                                                 October 2006 – April 2008

Accomplishment: 

• Offered technical advice to farmers on crop agronomy to assure improved productivity of quality agricultural produce and therefore, incomes and economic growth. Areas trained on included: best agronomic practices, crop protection.

 Marketed new Company’s agro-chemicals and public health products to stockists and farmers across Kenya.

1. Master of Arts in Project Planning and Management- University of Nairobi (2013-2016)
2. Post Graduate Diploma in Project Management- Kenya Institute of Management (2010-2011)
3. Bachelor of Science in Agriculture- University of Nairobi (2002-2006)