Peter Kyalo Mua AKA “Super Coach”, is a father of 3 with over 12 years of extensive knowledge and experience in the mango value chain (main cash crop in his community) from planting, protection, spraying and marketing. The community development diploma holder made a conscious decision to work with international organizations and agencies to support local community in Mbooni East Constituency and Makueni County at large. Over the past 12 years he has worked with -Techno Serve {2009-2017 mango value chain under the project -} Agrochemicals Association of Kenya 2018 {where he was trained as spray service provider} KEPHIS 2019-2020 {Komesha Fruit Flies Campaign in Makueni County} CropCare Technologies 2020- current {spray service provider and trainer of trainers (ToT for SSPs and a mentor for other coaches}.
It is while at one of KEPHIS training that he encountered CropCare Technologies, a Kenyan based company that specializes in providing essential support services to agribusinesses with a goal of enhancing the functionality, efficiency and productivity of crop based value chains through implementation of demand driven interventions including capacity building, market linkages, access to finance and farm inputs and promotion of food safety among consumers. With the vast knowledge and experience that Peter had accumulated over the years, it was apparent that he would make a great coach and SSP in the project, a partnership between CropCare and KCDMS that seeks to promote sustainability of the SSP model in six counties in Kenya to improve productivity of horticultural value chains including mango, banana, avocado, pineapple, passion fruit, sweet potato, and African Leafy Vegetables.
Armed with information on financial literacy skills and how to guide different groups {youth groups, CBOS, and Self Help Groups} on resource mobilization through Village Savings and Loans Associations, Peter is on a journey to transform his community one farmer at a time by offering services on planting, pruning, grafting scouting and spray services as well as well as brokering linkages to finance and market for his farmers in Makueni. To enhance sustainability of his business as a service provider, Peter charges farmers a small fee and cumulatively in most months he is able to earn $1000. The secret to being to being a successful coach is offering value to your clients, he says.
For the project to continue being effective and generate lasting impact, Peter feels that there is a need for all stakeholders to collaborate. The farmers in each locality need to collectively adopt innovative technologies for a better output. For example, in mango value chain when some farmers in one locality embrace the fruit fly trap and others don’t, the fruit flies keep shifting thus the net effect is zero. The traders on the other hand should be more involved in the process and not just show up to pick the final products which would guarantee them better crop and higher returns. In the case mango value chain, some farmers are willing to install fruit fly traps but they don’t have the financial capacity to do so. The traders could chip in by buying the traps and offtake a better product once it’s grown. Finally, development agencies working in the region ought to pull their resources together.
