This archive report was first published on 14 July 2019.
On July 14, 2019, the Kenyan government announced a Sh22 billion strategy to make farming attractive to young people, addressing youth unemployment and revitalizing the agricultural sector.
The Kenya Youth Agribusiness Strategy aims to offer various interventions, including mentorship programs, training, and credit facilities to stimulate young Kenyans' interest in agriculture.
According to the report, youth engagement in agriculture has been hindered by a lack of information on access to markets, factors of production, including land and financing.
“The decreasing number of youth involved in farming as an occupation/business is a national signal of distress in the agricultural sector. This is already negatively impacting on the economy,” reads part of the report.
Although agriculture remains a crucial plank of the country's economy, contributing over a third of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), most young people have given it a wide berth.
However, with the strategy, the Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri's ministry and the Council of Governors believe they might have found a solution.
“The low interest in agriculture among the youth could partly be attributed to the public sector systems that have concentrated more on production with limited value addition, processing and marketing. These are the concerns that informed the development of this strategy,” said the Cabinet Secretary.
As part of the strategy, about Sh3 billion will be used to offer mentorship programs, provide services including financial services and market information to about 100,000 youths who are out of school.
Five hundred youth engaged in agribusiness, 10 from each county, will also be helped with faster facilitation of licenses; access to credit, technologies, and extension so as to scale up.
