Youths’ rejection of agriculture hindering Kenya’s productivity

 

Every day, you and I take a meal at least once. The meals consist of farm produce harvested from livestock and crops, including ugali, milk, beef, vegetables and fruits.

But amid the enjoyment, have you ever stopped and asked yourself, “who does the farming”?

Figures from Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) indicate that the average age of a Kenyan farmer is 60. Yes, 60!

At the same time, KNBS data shows the life span in Kenya stands at 66 and at age 60 and above, a majority of these people are fighting chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension. According to a recent research by USAid, agriculture contributes approximately 33 percent of Kenya’s gross domestic product.

Farming technologies

This basically means we have left the so-called “dying population” to support the backbone of our economy — agriculture.

KNBS statistics indicate that Kenya’s youthful population (18-34) stands at 13,777,600 or 29 per cent of all people in this republic.

Most of this population is energetic, has skills and understands the cutting-edge farming technologies. In my village in Kirinyaga, for instance, I have a friend who is an agronomist.

He has very interesting ideas and I follow his posts on WhatsApp where he gives farming advice to farmers, mostly old men and women. Our agriculture is failing because we, the youth, have chosen not to farm.

In other countries, agriculture is a mass employer and could easily solve our unemployment crisis.

The fact that each year the number of graduates surpasses the number of jobs in the market is the reason why we should embrace agriculture. The advantage of farming is that it employs both the educated and the illiterate.

Agribusiness

The agronomist above, for instance, could start an agribusiness and employ all the drop-outs who wake up every morning to take illicit brews in Kirinyaga.

Of late, there have been media reports on coffee farms being converted into houses in Kiambu and surrounding areas.

While many claim it has something to do with dwindling returns, I want to believe there are no youths who want to farm those plots. Young people, let us take matters agriculture in our own hands.   BY DAILY NATION