Being the biggest industry in Kenya, agriculture is still the mainstay of Kenya’s economy
and employs the largest chunk of the actively working population. At the same time, it is
the source of food and raw materials which feed the nation and power associated
industries, respectively. This means that if this industry were to halt to a stop, then the
country would face an existential threat.
Kenya would be unable to neither feed herself nor provide meaningful employment for
its citizens. As it stands, the country is already facing such a situation. Kings Agricultural
Services (KAS) understands that the agricultural sector is in a dire situation and
interventions from all stakeholders are necessary to keep it afloat. There are numerous
issues that have resulted in an industry whose productivity has been on a downward
spiral.
Furthermore, the Kenyan population has been rising at an unprecedented rate and is
projected to hit 80 million within the next two decades, the majority of whom will be aged
between 15 and 35. At the same time, there are environmental obstacles such as global
warming and water scarcity. Therefore, the country needs to significantly boost its food
production to feed this bulging population and create employment opportunities for the
youthful population in spite of environmental barriers.
According to the Youth and agriculture: Key challenges and concrete solutions report,
published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in
collaboration with the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and
the International Fund for Agricultural Development, there are six major challenges
facing youth in Agriculture.
These include:
1. Insufficient access to knowledge, information, and education
2. Limited access to land due to unfavorable land tenure systems
3. Inadequate access to financial services
4. Difficulties accessing green jobs
5. Limited access to markets
6. Limited involvement in policy dialogue
As an organization, KAS believes that solving these issues would encourage more young
people into becoming active players in the agricultural sector and thrive in it. Based on
our Hub and Spoke business model, KAS is working towards solving these problems in a
number of ways.