Growing Rural Youth Agribusiness in Kenya: Stories And Best Practices Of The Vijabiz Project
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CTA, Ustadi. 2020. Growing Rural Youth Agribusiness in Kenya: Stories And Best Practices Of The Vijabiz Project. Wageningen: CTA
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Youth constitute about 30% of the Kenyan population and 60% of the total labour force, with 1 million youth entering the labour market each year. The 2013 UNDP Kenya’s Youth Employment Challenge report revealed that 64% of unemployed Kenyans were youth, which is a critical concern for the country.
As the backbone of Kenya’s economy, agriculture accounts for 65% of the nation’s annual exports and contributes 24% to gross domestic product. Youth agribusinesses are facing many challenges to grow; an issue the Vijabiz project set out to address.
Vijabiz – the Youth Economic Empowerment through Agribusiness project – has been implemented by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and USTADI, with main funding provided by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).