Cooperatives Opens Doors For Youth In Agriculture

 

Prof. Ken Waweru, Director of Research and Innovation from Cooperative University of Kenya (CUK)

The youth in Africa and Kenya in particular have rarely taken farming as a lifetime venture owing to the misconception that it a preserve of the poor with limited prospect making it big.

The stigma associated Farming as a career is so grave that even parents would not encourage their children to take up as source of livelihood but instead encourage white collar jobs but going by the latest technological advancement in the sector, the input of the younger population comes handy.

Currently, gone are the days when traditional subsistence farming using old and counterproductive ways of production have been replaced by smart agriculture driven by technology.

Twenty six year old Dennis Kemboi, from Molo, Nakuru County is one such young man who despite graduating from university did not intend at one moment to be at home with his parents practicing farming.

For him, his intentions and aspirations had always been getting a good well-paying job that would fulfill all his dreams but also uplift his parents.

Prof. Ken Waweru, Director of Research and Innovation from Cooperative University of Kenya (CUK) speaking on implementing the Kenya Rural Transformation Centers Digital Platform project

Kemboi tells KNA that three years down the line after clearing college and later working on contract for an organization in his home town , he has  now fully invested in Agriculture and has been working on three value chains , namely Dairy, Cereal and Potato farming

Kemboi says although he has been learning on the job based on what he saw his parents doing as he grew up , he has now  added the various technologies he has learnt through different engagements

“I started with the little savings I earned  from contract employment and I bought two cows, I went on to grow potatoes  having  been inspired by the organization I was working for  and as for maize I went on to continue growing it  as my parents did as it is a staple food for Kenyans”.

Kemboi proudly says that he is now among the many players working towards food security in the country but is also quick to say he would not  have managed if it wasn’t for him joining a cooperative.

He named the Elburgon progressive dairy cooperative where he not only sells milk but is able to get inputs such as seeds, dairy meal  and even Artificial Insemination services for his cows from the same cooperative as well as access credit.

“Before getting into cooperatives, we used to sell our products through brokers who were milking us dry, dodging us when it came to payments and  sometimes at the end of the month they would play hide and seek  making it very difficult for us”,  he said

The Cooperative model that he was introduced to, Kemboi says has been a  sure market, they source the best, get their money in time and get to see the fruits of their labour,

“ I saw an opportunity in farming ,  a niche and ever since I have never looked back. My parents are the ones who leased a portion of their farm to me but once they discovered I was very serious on agriculture, they gave me some portion of the ancestral land and when they saw my first harvest in dairy, potatoes and also cereals they were ready to support me in any way I needed”, he said .

Currently Kemboi said he is operating 23 acres of land some of which he is leasing from around saying that in a good year he is  able to earn from the three value chains between Ksh 80,000 to Ksh, 100,000

In the next five years, Kemboi  who is very optimistic  would want to see himself mechanizing all his operations both at the farm and at dairy , increasing efficiency and increasing yield to boost income  and also be an example to other youth that agriculture through cooperatives is doable

Dennis Kemboi who has been engaging in three agricultural value chain of milk, maize and potatoes

Kemboi  noted that despite his satisfaction with what he is doing and also wanting to venture into other products such as  sunflower production that the government has been promoting , he called upon government to address matters of licensing and getting approvals for value addition

“One needs almost 12 certifications for them to value and add their products, the government should reduce the amount of documentation by consolidating everything into one document to make it easier. By Government easing our entrance into the market of value addition and being able also to market our products, most youth will have employment and raise the economy of the country.

Prof. Ken Waweru, Director of Research and Innovation from Cooperative University of Kenya (CUK) said they are currently implementing the Kenya Rural Transformation Centers Digital Platform project to connect farmers in the three value chains of Dairy, Maize and Potatoes

“The focal points of this integration are the farmer cooperatives and we are using them to enhance farmers’ incomes through eliminating bottlenecks and the gaps that are within those value chains, notably middle men”, he explained .

“This digital platform is supposed to make sure that players within the value chains are visible to one another. From the input suppliers to the cooperative and the markets where this product is supposed to reach’, he said  during the media tour to publicize the platform.

The project which was launched last year, Prof Waweru said  has  already done a stakeholder mapping of all the agricultural cooperatives in the three value chains in four  pilot counties of Narok, Baringo, Nakuru and Nyandarua

“All the agricultural cooperatives in those four counties have already been mapped and the GPS locations of each of them has already been picked. At the moment we are going around to the four counties to raise awareness of the digital platform that is supposed to onboard the farmers beginning September”, Prof. Waweru said .

Prof. Waweru noted that creating a digital platform will see farmers benefit from reaching market directly, reaching input suppliers through the digital platform but also will benefit on other value adds such as financiers, getting value add services like disease surveillance, credit and all these will be at the platform with a click of a button

Innovation and digitization around the Agricultural value chain is the way to go , Prof Waweru added, saying it eliminates a lot of inefficiencies and that is  why they  picked a digital platform as one of the interventions to address.

“We actually foresee that when the digital platform is fully operational, there will be an ecosystem around it and innovations around services that farmer’s need building onto or plugging into the digital platform”, he said .

The genesis of the project , Prof Waweru explained, is that the  university, through its researchers, approached the African Development Bank with a proposal and were funded  to a tune of  Ksh 105.5 billion (USD 815,000).

Robert Chemjor, a mixed farmer from Emining, Mogotio, Baringo County said that the Government should invest in Agriculture so that they are able to attract youth but also give them employment especially when it comes to horticulture.

“My call is to invest more in agriculture. Agriculture, first of all, is a source of food for all. Two, it can be a source of income. Three, it is a source of employment. It can employ all the youths. And if the youths can be impressed to do agriculture, we do not have a lot of problems as they will have an income’, Chemjor who is a retired teacher said.

Kenya has seen over the years decline in youth participation in agriculture. The youth labour force in agriculture has declined from 60.7 percent to 28.4 percent in 202) in a span of 25 years  despite agriculture being central to addressing  youth unemployment .

By  Wangari Ndirangu