Pascal Gitari Kaumbutho
Pascal Gitari Kaumbutho
(PhD CEng MIAgrE)-
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Pascal is the Founder and Managing Director of Agrimech Africa Ltd. He is a unique individual who has been a Senior Lecturer and Researcher and an NGO (www.kendat.org) Founder and Leader. He has been a Commercial Farmer, growing and aggregating irrigated horticultural produce for market, with own transport and value-addition facilities. Pascal grew up on a small farm on the slopes of Mt Kenya. With continuing and lifetime pursuit of helping smallholder farmers, and with demonstrated personal concern for a more resilient planet, Dr Kaumbutho founded Agrimech, a Conservation Agriculture (CA) mechanization services company. The company was founded on a frustration of lack of real progress in the farming sector of Kenya, a matter where mechanization has much (if not everything) to contribute. To demonstrate his caring and the passion for youth engagement in agriculture, Pascal ensures that every Agrimech Hub has a youth advancement component. Aware of the importance of market-pull, Pascal ensures that every Agrimech Hub has a farmer-service unit that congregates value-chain partners to make business deals and organize structured market-reach.
Dr Kaumbutho holds Masters and PhD Degrees in Agricultural Engineering from Michigan State University, USA. He is Chartered Engineer (CEng) and Member of the Institution of Agricultural Engineer (MIAgrE) of United Kingdom. He is the Author of many Technical Publications, as well as numerous End-User and Training Materials. His continental experience and consultancy work have traversed the Farmer Needs and the Extension Agent arena, focusing on closing value-chain gaps in farm power and mechanization, partnerships and logistical networks that improve smallholder farmers’ productivity and profitability. Practitioner qualities of Pascal become vividly evident at the nexus between environment-friendly farming practices, farm power options that enhance efficiency and resilience, and renewable energy applications for a more sustainable mother-earth.
Over the last 30 years, Pascal has worked on the improved utilization of animal and tractor power. He is a pioneer of the CA Movement in the continent and he was the East Africa Consultant for the AUC-FAO Movement of Sending the Hoe to the Museums of Africa. This work led to the Framework for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization for Africa (F-SAMA), which Governments are adopting, to support private-sector led mechanization services. The realization is that, rapid CA advancement is only possible if mechanization services that attract youth to farming and remove the work-burden from women farmers, are made real. A natural networker and passionate capacity builder, Pascal is helping build partnerships and support-systems called for, in the urgent pursuit of a Climate-Smart Africa.