Employment for rural youth

Kelvin: Building a Diversified Agribusiness Step by Step

Kelvin made ends meet with casual work in farms, eventually returned home to his village in Bungoma County and did a training on computer packages. Even though he did not end up working in the IT sector, the training marked an important milestone in changing his career and life: His trainer was Paul Wabomba, the chairperson of Bungoma County Youth Visionary Network, a youth organisation engaged in meaningful job creation through agribusiness and other support activities in the agri-food sector. He invited Kelvin to one of their meetings, which turned out to be an eye-opener for the young man: “I saw that there are things I can do in farming to generate money, without waiting for employment. I can even use my IT skills for online marketing of my products,” recalls Kelvin.

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– Patrick,  Operator of a seedling nursery  (Malawi) 

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– Curlstar, Founder of the Vihiga Youth Agripreneurs Network (Kenya)

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– Adjaratou, Fruit juice entrepreneur (Burkina Faso) 

“Not long ago, I didn’t have any work of my own, I just did what everyone in our village does – help my parents in the fields. I never thought that one day I would start my own business. I would like to see more young people to have the courage to start their own business in the countryside.” 

– Fabelsa, Chicken egg producer (Mozambique) 

“Youth run away from agribusiness because they view it as something negative that can’t bring them money. I’m not saying it’s an easy journey, but as youth we have the energy to do something. Especially when we come together as a group.” 

– Curlstar, Founder of the Vihiga Youth Agripreneurs Network (Kenya)

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– Adjaratou, Fruit juice entrepreneur (Burkina Faso)

“Thanks to a digital career platform, I learned how to write a better CV, compete in job interviews and finally found a job in a seedling company that was advertised on the platform.”

– Sharon, Sales and marketing employee (Kenya)

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– Renny, Poultry farmer (Kenya)

“Not long ago, I didn’t have any work of my own, I just did what everyone in our village does – help my parents in the fields. I never thought that one day I would start my own business. I would like to see more young people to have the courage to start their own business in the countryside.” 

– Fabelsa, Chicken egg producer (Mozambique) 

“During the Covid-pandemic, I had the idea to produce Mango juice, as I knew that demand was there. Thanks to the right support, I have built up a professional production, employing three people during Mango season.”

– Adjaratou, Fruit juice entrepreneur (Burkina Faso) 

“I started a banana nursery with two friends to provide farms with virus-free, high-quality seedlings. Our vision is to substitute banana imports from Tanzania with local production.” 

– Patrick,  Operator of a seedling nursery  (Malawi) 

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