Benard Juma - Our Alumni
Agriculture – My Tool for Empowerment of Farmers
My name is Benard Juma, a proud alumnus of Bukura Agricultural College. I joined Bukura Agricultural College to pursue a Diploma in Agricultural Extension and Community Development, graduating in the year 2017. On completion, I volunteered in various agricultural initiatives to gain practical experience and exposure that helped build a strong foundation in agribusiness, market linkages, and smallholder farmer empowerment. I secured my first job after graduation through a referral from Newton Obbuyi, a fellow Bukura alumnus. Over the years, I have worked with multiple organizations, including: TruTrade Africa (2018-2022) as a Sourcing Manager, overseeing trade operations in Kenya and Uganda, Kyosk Farm & Fresh (2022) as an Interim Commercial Manager, leading market linkage initiatives, Sokofresh Agri innovations EA Ltd (2023) as Operations Manager, expanding sustainable agent models and Thrive Agric (2023-Present) as the Country Manager for Kenya, driving strategic agribusiness growth and market expansion.
My journey in agriculture has been shaped by passion, resilience, and the desire to create sustainable solutions for smallholder farmers. In 2019, together with Charles Odhiambo, another Bukura alumnus, we co-founded Greenwells Agriculture with a goal of providing smallholder farmers with market access, agronomic support, and financial empowerment, and creating a sustainable agricultural ecosystem. Today, Greenwells Agriculture has grown into a thriving enterprise, impacting thousands of farmers across the country.
The skills such as agribusiness management, agricultural extension, and community development acquired in the course of my training at Bukura Agricultural College (BAC) have been instrumental in my career. These skills have also helped me navigate through produce aggregation, market linkage, and program management while effectively working with smallholder farmers and key stakeholders.
I strongly encourage young people to consider pursuing agriculture as a career. Agriculture is the backbone of any economy and offers immense opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship. Bukura Agricultural College provides hands-on training and industry-relevant skills, making it an excellent choice for aspiring agripreneurs and professionals.
