A project of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) seeking to entice educated youth to go into agriculture and agribusiness established in Makueni County in Kenya, in collaboration with the University of Nairobi andMakueni County Government was officially launched yesterday, 10 March.
The Makueni Youth Agripreneuers (MYA) project, based at the University of Nairobi, Kibwezi station, brings together university graduates in the region from diverse backgrounds who will be trained on modern farming methods, processing of and value addition to agricultural produce, and entrepreneurship. The project will be replicated in other parts of the country to engage more youth in agriculture and contribute to reducing the country’s high unemployment rate.
The initiative is part of a larger program called IITA Youth Agriprenuers (IYA), started three years ago in Nigeria by IITA’s Director General, Dr Nteranya Sanginga, that aims to tackle the twin challenges of youth unemployment and the need to increase agricultural production to supply food for a rapidly increasing population.
The Makueni project was officially launched by Oscar Musembi Marco, Kibwezi West Sub-County Administrator on behalf of the Makueni County Governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana and its Deputy Governor, Hon. Adelina Ndeto Mwau, at an event at the IITA-Kenya offices at the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe).
Mr Marco lauded the initiative, saying it was much needed in the Makueni County in its current efforts to transform itself and become self-reliant on food. “Through this youth program we are on the right path to transform Makueni County from being food insecure to becoming a breadbasket of the country,” he said, “ and transform the youth in Makeuni from job seekers to job creators.”
He added that the Makueni Country government had set aside Kshs 25 million (equivalent in US$) to give low interest loans to youth, women, and those with disabilities. He urged the youth to take advantage of this incentive.
IITA’s Director General Sanginga, who was also at the event, said Makueni County had been selected so the youth can support the Institute’s efforts in providing a solution to the problem of aflatoxins―deadly chemicals produced by molds which attack maize and other grains―in the area that was one of the hotspots in the country.
“IITA is setting up a factory to produce a biological control solution to aflatoxins known as aflasafe. The technology requires sorghum to be used as a carrier. The youth will produce and supply the factory with sorghum,” he said. “They will create employment and at the same time produce a great public good for the people of Makueni.”
He further added that the program was a start and would be replicated throughout the country and that members of the group would be involved in outreach and training other youth.
He said overall that the IITA Youth Agripreneurs program had received a lot of support from donor agencies and was well on track on its target to spread to 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Prof Geoffrey Kironchi from the University of Nairobi and one of the collaborators in the project, said the University had donated part of its 1200 acres of l and and greenhouses at its Kibwezi station to the youth to start growing vegetables through irrigation as a kick-off activity. He added that the project, bringing diverse youth from different backgrounds, could be instrumental in attracting youth to agriculture.
“Our youth are not attracted to agriculture yet there are a lot of opportunities in the sector. We all have to eat every day. There is also a lot of wastage of food and uneven distribution. While some parts of the country have abundant food supply all year, others are constantly faced with famine and starvation.”
This was echoed by Prof Nancy Karanja also from the University of Nairobi, who said the University was fully committed to the project and its endeavor to create youth employment. “It’s very disheartening as teachers and parents when you find your students loitering around after graduation because there are no jobs,” she said. “And on the other h and as a country, we can only talk of development once we are able to feed ourselves.”
Others at the event were Dr Victor Manyong, IITA Director for Eastern Africa; Dr Bernard Vanlauwe, IITA Director for Central Africa; Dr Kristina Roing De Nowina, MYA Project Manager, representatives of IYA from Nigeria, Ug anda, Tanzania, and Kenya, and representatives from other partner institutions.
For more information, please contact:
Catherine Njuguna, Regional Corporate Communication Officer, IITA – C.Njuguna@cgiar.org
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About IITA www.iita.org
IITA is one of the world’s leading research partners in finding solutions for hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. Its award-winning research-for-development (R4D) approach addresses the development needs of tropical countries. IITA works with partners to enhance crop quality and productivity, reduce producer and consumer risks, and generate wealth from agriculture. It is a nonprofit organization founded in 1967 in Nigeria and governed by a Board of Trustees. IITA works on the following crops: cowpea, soybean, banana/plantain, yam, cassava, and maize. It is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.
About IITA Youth Agripreneurs https://iitayouthagripreneurs.wordpress.com/
The IITA Youth Agripreneurs is a group of young graduates involved in agribusiness, with the aim of serving as a model to other young people planning to venture into agribusiness and becoming the trainer of trainers. The activities of the group cut across the value chains of different crops including cassava, maize, plantain/banana, and soybean. For cassava, they are into stem multiplication and root production. For maize and soybean, their focus is on seed multiplication (both certified and foundation seeds), whereas for the plantain/banana, they are doing sucker multiplication and fruit production. Recently, they have also ventured into fish production.
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