Production Specialist Food
Resume:
Curriculum Vitae
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NAME: Joseph Kamau Wambui
MOBILE NO: 072*******
EMAIL: ad8lz5@r.postjobfree.com
PROFESSION: Agronomist, Agriculture food production specialist, Hybrid seed production specialist/ Crop Scientist.
PROFILE
Hands on Agronomist (Crop Scientist) in the Horticulture industry in field and greenhouse crops production of hybrid high valued vegetable crops and seeds for determinate and indeterminate tomato, cucurbits (seeded, seedless watermelon and squash), maize commercial seed, beans, and open pollinated vegetables. Production of ornamental cuttings from mother stock to shipment, seedlings raising for vegetables crops and production of vegetable seeds. Experienced on working in agricultural projects, field work research in controlled (greenhouse) and open field for agronomic traits assessment, nutrients and water use efficiency. I have experience of working in field and vegetables crop production for the export market. Experienced on drip and overhead irrigation, plant nutrition and soil fertility management. CAREER OBJECTIVES
Effective and accountable role: Ability to overcome complex crop production challenges and make sound decisions, strong work ethic and high level of integrity in all my assigned tasks. A proponent of accountability and results driven expert in assigned tasks. Consistency in result delivery: Driven by the need to strategize, innovate and disapprove the words “It can’t be done”.
Assiduous labor: Always gives my best to achieve maximum output in my area of assignment while working as individual and in a team assignment. ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
2017-2024: University of Nairobi.
MSc. Agronomy and Crop Science (Field crops Production)
2011- 2015: Maseno University.
Bsc. Horticulture, with Information and Technology (Second Class Honor’s Upper division).
2006 to 2009: Ituru High School.
Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE)
Attained mean grade of B (Plain)
1997 to 2005: Kia--ora Primary School.
Curriculum Vitae
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Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE).
CERTIFICATES OF TRAINING.
17th _ 20th April 2018: Occupational Health and Safety management by Universal work, health and safety consultancy limited.
27th - 29th March 2019: Trained internal auditor on; Integrated Management Systems. ISO 9001:2015 and EMS 14001:2015 by SGS International Academy. 25th – 26th of June 2019. Occupational Health and Safety Management by international safety training center.
1st March to 31st October 2022. Training and project work and certification on Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt. Expert on root cause analysis using 5 WHY and Fish Borne diagram for process improvement. (Project done: Squash yield increase by changing irrigation from gravity to pump pressure).
SKILLS AND COMPETENCES
Team leadership and management.
Excellent spoken and written English and Kiswahili.
Field crops operations management for fruits and industrial crops.
Field soil sampling for nutritional analysis and recommending on amendments.
Field and greenhouse breeding and trials of vegetables and cereals.
Fields crops nutrients deficiency identification and amendment using the right fertilizer regime, pests and disease monitoring and control through integrated pest management.
Knowledge in plant nursery raising, production of several field and greenhouse crops.
Excellent communication skills to all levels and training of farmers on best agronomic practices.
Conceptual and analytical skills, project management, roll out and implementation.
Budget making and effective management of resources and accountability.
Presentation skills, statistical analysis of data using approved scientific software’s and effective interpretation and presentation.
Good command of micro-soft office tools.
Ability to work well in team environment as well as in isolation and Unsupervised.
Farmer mobilization skills, training and contracting for crops production.
Extensive field work experience dealing with farmers to provide technical advice. WORK EXPERIENCE.
Name of Employer Bayer East Africa Limited
Date 06/11/2023-August 2024.
Position: Field hybrid maize seed Production Supervisor Role purpose: Plan, execute, and manage activities related to the production of commercial hybrid maize seed in Kenya. Assist with relevant field trials in the specific geographical area of operation.
Curriculum Vitae
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Key Responsibilities
Work closely with the regional product supply team to recruit and train, contracted seed growers and evaluate end to end field production operations on a regular basis to achieve the set targets or goals.
Work closely with the field quality and production research team to achieve maximum yield and genetic purity in the production of maize hybrid seed.
Capture information that can assist the production research division in the recommendation of future production of the hybrids.
Work with the country production lead and sub-Saharan Africa planning lead to provide inputs in the planning of the commercial seed production plan for Kenya.
Build and sustain a reliable grower base in the most ideal production areas to ensure a consistent supply of high quality and reliable quantity seed.
Advice and assist growers in adopting the best production practices to ensure that the best quality and quantity of seed supply of seed is ensured.
Apply production research planting and crop management recommendations to ensure that seed production is with the lowest risk possible in terms of reliability and cost.
Communicate effectively with the site operations team to ensure that the seeds are delivered timeously to the processing plant without quality loss.
Regular updating of production seed database and other production programs.
Provide regular feedback to the country and regional supply chain team on the status of the crop.
Manage the human rights program for the field operations as per Bayer human right policy implement, coordinate, and functionalize QMS (ISO 9001) systems in the field operations.
Oversee one Toller operation.
Ensure an active caring environment where people safety is regarded as priority and always to established environment, safety, and health policies. Name of Employer Agricore Africa limited.
Dates: 01/03/2023 to 31/10/2023
Position: Seed Production Manager
Role purpose; Implement seed production plan for vegetables, cereals, pulses, and forages in Kenya in liaison with Head of seed production and Marketing manager. Liase with KEPHIS on seed crop registration and inspections. Select and recruits’ suitable growers while ensuring timely seed production.
Curriculum Vitae
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Key Responsibilities
Planning for seed production according to 12 months’ sales projections for maize, beans, and vegetables.
Preparing annual seed production budget for finance and administrative approval
Monitoring parent seed availability with R&D for ensuring timely sowing and delivery of seeds.
Preparing MIS report for seed production progress every month.
Reviewing all selected fields and contracted farmers for seed production.
Reviewing and getting approval from head of department for all grower’s agreement signed before sowing.
Ensuring timely distribution of basic seeds for sowing.
Reviewing field production reports from field production officers and prepare a summary report for all production sites.
Ensure quality parameters are met before presenting crops for KEPHIS inspection and approval.
Share all production locations and field reports with quality team for random inspections.
Ensure production locations have appropriate isolation distances for quality and quantity.
Ensuring all crops are registered with KEPHIS for certification.
Ensuring that production fields are rogued before inspection by KEPHIS and internal inspectors.
Coordinate timely harvesting, drying, KEPHIS approval certificate and arranging transport for delivery to the factory for processing.
Reviewing farmers’ payment requests from production officers and submit for approval and processing by account department.
Name of employer Syngenta Pollen
Limited Ruiru.
Position: Assistant Field Production Specialist (Watermelon and Squash hybrid seeds production) Third Party (DWA Kibwezi).
Dates. August 2020 to February 2023.
Role Functions
Curriculum Vitae
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Role Purpose: Ensure timely and consistent production of hybrid vegetable seeds of Tomato, Pepper, Watermelon (seeded, and seedless watermelon varieties) and Squash) of required quantity, quality by contracted vendors.
Responsibilities of the role
Ensure that land/GH preparation is done on time and according to protocols ahead of planting season.
To ensure stock seeds are received in time and have all relevant quality information with them.
Implementation and overviewing Fair Labor Program and other certifications.
To ensure timely nursery/bed preparation to adhere to the sowing calendar.
Advises on consumables necessary for successful production activities of the ordered quantities.
To ensure that proper labelling at all stages for traceability and purity control.
Train’s production teams at different levels on relevant activities and protocols to enhance productivity and efficiency i.e., sowing, planting, labelling, de-suckering, defoliation, roughing, emasculation, pollen harvesting, pollination, harvesting, extraction, drying, storage, packing, and advising on shipment procedures.
Preparation and submission of monthly Vendor Progress Reports (VPR) to the Global Seed Production Specialists (GSPS) to ensure the planning and marketing teams are reliably informed on the production progress.
Prepares and disseminates precise but informative and periodical reports to the stakeholders to keep all fully informed and up to date with the vendor activities.
Seeking, obtaining, and sharing technical information concerning any issues that the vendor may require –tapping into the Syngenta knowledge base on behalf of the vendor.
Training, guiding, and ensuring adherence to Phytosanitary standards in the field to control pests and diseases.
Advising on crop protection, irrigation and crop nutrition and follows up to ensure any anomalies are corrected.
Assisting to ensure the vendor collects and provides data on various growing and productivity parameters to assist in evaluation, decision making as well as cost transparency.
Ensuring that contracts are availed and signed off by the vendor in good time.
Coordinating relevant teams to ensure crop inspections by Kenya Plant Health and Inspectorate Services (KEPHIS).
Follow up with Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services (KEPHIS) for all matters related to seed certification (Seed sampling, Seed testing, labeling, and Maintaining KEPHIS certificates).
Training and enforcement of HSE rules and regulations and championing implementation of Syngenta HSE Policy in all business operations.
Performing new vendor scouting and assessment based on agreed criteria whenever required.
Any other tasks & projects as may be allocated from time to time. 3. Name of employer: Syngenta Pollen limited
Position: Hybrid Indeterminate Tomato Seeds Production Supervisor. Curriculum Vitae
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Dates: 2016 July to end of July 2020.
Responsibilities of the role
Coordinating transplanting of seedlings as per the greenhouse production schedule.
Correctly label all varieties and cross checked to avoid possible pollen/seeds/Fruits mixing.
Allocating duties to general workers monitoring their progress to achieve production set targets and maintaining discipline within the production team as per company policies.
Training production team to enhance productivity and efficiency.
Evaluating workers to measure performance and identify areas of improvement for relevant action.
Ensuring operation activities in the greenhouse adhered to crop production calendar.
Monitoring and reporting any irrigation anomalies to the relevant person for action.
Coordinating rouging of off types before harvesting to achieve 100% purity.
Ensuring emasculation, pollination, pollen, and fruit harvesting and crop maintenance to achieve quality seeds.
Generating production data for purposes of Vendor Progressive reports.
Follow-up on Phyto sanitation requirements in the greenhouse to control pests and diseases.
Championed compliance to good Seed and Plant Practice’s (GSPP) and ISO standards in areas of work while keeping and updating the necessary records for tracking.
Enforced HSE rules and regulations and championed implementation of Syngenta HSE policy in daily operations.
4. Name of employer: Syngenta Pollen Limited.
Position: Industrial Internship (Hybrid indeterminate tomato vegetable Seed’s production).
Dates: January 2016 – June 2016.
Responsibilities of the role
Seeds variety confirmation, sowing using propagation trays in Z-35 media and seedlings raising.
Tomato seedlings pricking out.
Nurturing of young tomato plants in the nursery before dispatch for transplanting.
Coordinating emasculation and pollination.
Dispatching of seedlings from nursery block plan implementation and actual transplanting.
Jute twines stringing of young plants and crop cultural practices e.g., defoliation rouging of males for pollen harvesting and mature fruits before harvesting for seeds extraction for females.
Labor allocation to production team and training on GSPP, Phyto sanitation and HSE compliance.
Fertigation seeds post-harvest handling and scouting for pests and disease control.
Seed’s extraction, treatments and packing for shipment. 5. Name of employer: AAA Growers limited Hippo Farm Thika. Curriculum Vitae
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Position: Management Trainee (Field vegetables production for export). Dates: 2015 October – 2016 January
Areas of training
Field and Greenhouse preparations for exports vegetables production.
Transplanting of chilies, Tender Stem Broccoli, and field production of French beans.
Field vegetable production for Tender stem broccoli, butter nut, chilies i.e., serenade, jalapeno, daiya, super-hot, hot-wax and Demon orange.
Greenhouse production of chilies i.e., hot-wax, serenade, and the production of Herbs such as Tarragon and Basil varieties (British).
Vegetable’s pests and disease management using integrated pests and disease management.
Pest and disease management chemicals planning and applications.
Harvesting and post-harvest processes for vegetables meant for the export market.
(a) Name of Company: Garton Limited Mtaro Estate. (Socfinaf Co. ltd). Position: Industrial Internship.
Dates: 2015 August – 2015 October
Areas of Training:
Coffee pulping and Fermentation process.
Coffee grading and drying processes i.e., sun drying and use of conditioning bins.
Dry coffee beans moisture determination, weighing, packing and dispatch to coffee mills for dry husks removal.
Transporting of coffee beans to coffee mills at Kofinaf Coffee mills Oakland’s for dry husks’ removal.
Field soil and foliar sampling for nutritional analysis.
Field overhead and drip irrigation applications.
(b) Name of Company: Syngenta Pollen Limited Ruiru. Position: Industrial Attachment.
Dates: 2014 April 2015 January – 2015 May.
Areas of Training:
Production of ornamental cuttings.
Hybrid production of tomato seeds.
Research and development process of breeding cereals and vegetable seeds.
Post-harvest processes for seeds and cuttings.
Logistic and procurement for seeds and cuttings. Curriculum Vitae
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(d) Name of Company: Garton limited Mtaro Estate (Socfinaf Co. ltd). Position: Industrial Attachment.
Dates: 2013 January - 2013 May.
Areas of Training:
Coffee overhead and drip irrigation application.
Weeds control through herbicides application.
Pest and disease management for coffee, fungicides, and pesticides application.
Post-harvest processes and grading of Coffee beans.
Dry coffee beans bagging and dispatch to coffee mills. MAY 2018 TO October 2020: SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT.
ROLE: Project officer for Lets Grow.com. Project on tomato seeds production data entry and monitoring in Kenya.
This is an online platform that is focused on monitoring crop growth and development by providing real time and accurate Information about the prevailing climatic and growing conditions of the crop in the production environments/Greenhouses. It also facilitates data entry from field activities for ease of access by the growers and global seeds production team remotely on real time basis.
Responsibilities:
Daily monitoring of the online platform for production blocks under operations.
Training the production team and growers in Kenya on how to use the tablet and navigate through the online platform.
Preparation of the minutes of the project progress and flash report and sharing them with the project core team and all stakeholders globally.
Organizing and coordinating weekly meetings between the core team as well as the zoom meetings.
Designing and installing the varieties modules in all the production blocks of the site.
Training key users of the platform in Kenya such as growers and other stakeholders on how to work with the plat form.
Analyzing the sent data and prevailing greenhouse climatic conditions and advising the management accordingly.
Career accomplishments
1. Continuously performed beyond the set targets of seeds order in all the production blocks cycles (Beyond 100% with challenging varieties) as a supervisor for hybrid vegetable seeds.
2. Managed to achieve seeds quality and quantity results beyond all the previous years for the most challenging tomato varieties produced in Kenya. 3. Successfully played a key role on the roll out of the pilot project block on use of Lets Grow.com in tomato seeds production in Kenya.
Curriculum Vitae
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4. Successfully completed the first phase of Let’s Grow.com project in Production blocks in Kenya Syngenta hybrid tomato seeds production site successfully beyond the set timelines.
5. Successfully managed to develop pest risk analysis document for shipment and sale of squash and watermelon seeds produced in Kenya to Mexico through corroboration with KEPHIS.
6. Actively participated in root cause analysis for low yield in seedless watermelon varieties and implementation of action plans.
7. Achieving increased yield of Tosheka maize Variety in Bura Irrigation scheme and KH500 as the seed production manager in Agriscope Africa Limited. 8. Achieved high grain quality and size for commercial maize seed at Bura Irrigation scheme compared to previous years.
9. Successfully restored production efficiency of Maize Hybrid Varieties in Agriscope Africa (Easeed) after a production crisis which was facing the department. 10. Established regular monthly meetings between production, marketing, and factory departments to tract on the progress of production. 11. Successfully started Hybrid commercial maize seed for DK777 in Bura Irrigation scheme and Tana with a record of 600 acres from the previous years of 30-50 acres. 12. Successfully mobilized community-based groups in Hola and Bura to be contracted as Bayer growers of DK777 commercial maize seed.
REFEREES
1. Gustavo Ramirez. (Lets Grow.com Project manager). EAME Veg PPT Production technology lead. (Lets Grow.com Project Manager). ad8lz5@r.postjobfree.com
Mobile: +316********.
2. Patrick Tendwa
Operations Manager
Selecta one Juja Kenya
ad8lz5@r.postjobfree.com
3. Nicholas Mengich
Senior Breeder and Head of Production. Agriscope Africa Limited 072*-***-***.
Curriculum Vitae
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