The Kenya National Farmers’ Federation, KENAFF Youth Programme in partnership with Wingfarm celebrated the World Youth Skills Day on Wednesday, 24th day of July 2024; with the theme being “Youth Skills for Peace and Development.” at the Farmers’ Conference Centre, Kikuyu.
Ms. Huldah Too, the Head of KENAFF Young program, inaugurated the event by emphasizing that the global initiative aims to focus on equipping young people with essential skills for their future.
“KENAFF aims to empower young people through programs such as: International Young Farmers Program which is an internship program in Germany, World Food Organization (WFO) Gymnasium Program that offers public speaking and networking opportunities, Global forum for food and agriculture, and Master of Law through WFO program that ensures youths build skills in food systems.” She further noted that young people advocate for peace through advocacy for peace and equality, civic engagement and are drivers of economic development and job creation.
How a number of organizations promote youth empowerment in agriculture.
The event that is usually celebrated on 15th of July 2024 was graced by: Mr.Kamau Njoroge CEO Wingfarm Organization, Mr. Charles Lusweti representative from Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Development, Celestine Musavi from Savistine Agribusiness, Ms.Pauline Aoko Senior Principal Lecturer Kenya School of Agriculture, Felix Magaju Director of Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC), Ms. Alice Thome Lecturer Kenya School of Agriculture,Silas Kenyatta M & E expert ,Youth in Modern Agriculture Project (YMAP), and Arthur Muiruri President Kenya Agriculture Students Association(KASA).
Speaking at the event, Wingfarm’s CEO Kamau Njoroge, noted that “the average age of a farmer is approximately 61 years and in rural settings, more than 70 percent of people depend on agriculture therefore it is crucial to empower young people to engage in agriculture and become their own bosses.”
Felix Magaju Director of Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) noted that their programme supports incubation in Commercial Forestry among others and that over 2100 of its programs are youth-led. He urged the youth to get out of their comfort zones when it comes to seeking for jobs and pursuing knowledge revolution. “Have tenacious spirit to improve your skills, go out of your way to get what you do not have.”
Charles Luswethi, a representative from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Development, mentioned that their categories of engagement are in high schools and youths that are out of school. Some of the interventions by the ministry of Agriculture to ensure youth development include: The Enable youth Program where about 2,008 youths have been involved in transformative value chains for youth space such as Mushrooms, fish, livestock, fish and poultry.
The program targets individuals with particular level of knowledge such as Degree holders who are able to grasp certain content easily. The program also offers individual financial support that ranges from Ksh. 500,000- 2 Million. It also requires the financed individual to empower five more people to ensure communal knowledge and use of skills to improve economy through agribusiness. He noted that, “Agribusiness is about the gap that you are coming to fill and thus requires one to gather more information from agricultural institutions and look at market trends and know where they are applicable in your skill set to promote sustainability.”
Additionally, the event marked the importance of agricultural skills among the youth such as building resilience, providing skill power, promoting creativity and enable agricultural sector to close gaps. Youth can get skills through vocational and agribusiness trainings, and through social media platforms such as YouTube
The role of institutions in skilling youth for peace building and sustainable development.
Participants through group discussions explored how various sectors contribute to skilling youths for peacebuilding and sustainable development. Government bodies are tasked with designing legal frameworks for youth in agribusiness and creating new laws. Learning institutions focus on providing funding, conflict resolution and job opportunities. Civil society organizations work on instilling environmental skills and changing perceptions about agriculture. The Private sector is involved in advocacy, awareness, networking and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
Conclusion.
World Youth skills day is a day dedicated to promoting peace and development while empowering young people with the skills needed to become agripreneurs. It also emphasizes on the importance of sustainable agriculture and fosters overall economic growth. Through various programs offered by agricultural institutions, youths can acquire the essential skills needed for a successful career in agriculture.