Agriculture is the only available job market for the youths now, DP Gachagua asserts

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has called on young people to embrace Agriculture-related jobs as they are the most readily available jobs in the market today.

Speaking on ‘Kenya’s Gold’, an agricultural show that premiered on Citizen TV on Monday, the DP said it is important for youths to engage in farming activities. 

A lot of young people are not embracing agriculture, as data shows the average age of a Kenyan farmer is 61 years old yet 71% of the Kenyan population consists of youth aged 35 and below.

Gachagua said the government is determined to attain food security and stop food importation.  

"Edible oils take about Ksh.1.2 billion yet we have very fertile lands in western Kenya and Nyanza where we can do, soya beans, palm oils, which are some of the ingredients that constitute the Edible oils. The government has an agreement with western countries like Mali, to receive seedlings to help start off the journey of self-sustenance with the oils," Gachagua noted.

According to the DP, some of the interventions that the government is doing to make agriculture an attractive venture to youths include; introducing Climate Smart Agriculture, and setting up aggregation centers where they will do online marketing for agricultural produce. It also includes young people in greenhouse farming and the horticulture sector, which is quite an attractive farming method since it requires less land and utilises technology.

The biggest setback that hinders young people from agriculture, Gachagua said, is lack of land and capital.

He termed the Hustler Fund as a very innovative way of inviting youths to engage in agriculture as phase two of the project will enable groups to apply for funding of upto Ksh.1 million to fund Poultry farming, Pig rearing, Dairy farming, and Greenhouse.

Gachagua advised youths to borrow land from their parents for farming.

Agriculture provides employment to 40% of the total population of Kenya and 70% to those living in Rural areas and contributes to about 21% of Kenya's Economy GDP.