Resilient Agriculture

Embarking on a transformative journey, 100k young men and women will reshape agriculture in nine Kenyan counties.

Practical Action will cultivate entrepreneurship in this five-year project by creating work and income opportunities while contributing to the rural economy and a healthy environment.

Collaborating with policymakers and businesses, we’re making agriculture dynamic for young people, especially women. Join us on this journey to a future where rural landscapes thrive and agriculture is a first choice. Together, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, we’re sowing the seeds of extraordinary change.

Agriculture holds incredible potential to create dignified job and income opportunities for young people in western Kenya.

Yet, limited access to land, capital, affordable inputs, skills, and markets hinders the potential of agribusiness to boost rural economies and employ young people. Land degradation and climate change further reduce productivity, leading to food insecurity, poverty, migration, and youth unemployment.

Four of every ten young Kenyans are out of work, with six of every ten unemployed youth being women. This is three times the national unemployment rate. Many other young people are stuck in low-paying, unfulfilling jobs.

Enhancing the skills of young men and women in regenerative agriculture and agribusinesses, along with facilitating access to resources like finance, land, and markets, can unlock substantial income and job opportunities. It will also restore the health of land, water, and biodiversity and contribute to the fight against the climate crisis.

Through this project, Practical Action harnesses agribusiness’s vast, untapped potential to create lasting opportunities for marginalised young people in western Kenya. We’re committed to supporting them in building a thriving future for themselves and their communities.

Our approach

Practical Action works closely with governments, communities, development agencies and private companies to promote sustainable farming that is resilient to climate change’s impact and embraces inclusivity for everyone’s success.

The project uses the following approaches:

• Mentorship. Farmers and young agri-entrepreneurs will transfer skills and knowledge to young people on productive and sustainable agribusiness through peer-to-peer learning.
• Regenerative agriculture. Young farmers will be supported to use planet-friendly methods to boost productivity, reduce input costs and restore degraded land.
• Participatory Market Systems Development (PMSD). This approach enables markets to work more effectively for marginalised groups, providing more profitable and fairer opportunities.
• Youth Savings and Loans Associations (YSLA). These associations enable young people to access affordable capital and qualify for credit from other financial institutions.
• Gender transformative actions. Behaviour change campaigns will empower women to seize opportunities in agribusiness and shift cultural norms for an equitable future.

Our goals

Our goal is to reshape agriculture in Western Kenya into an attractive and resilient employment for youth while breathing new life into rural economies and reversing environmental decline. By addressing the barriers that hinder young people from agriculture, we seek to unlock lasting opportunities for prosperity.

• Provide young people with the skills to start and operate their agricultural businesses sustainably and effectively.
• Open doors for youth-focused agribusiness initiatives by including them in the development plans of county governments – thus creating a better operating environment.
• Shift social norms and perceptions to support young women’s involvement in farming.
• Facilitate training to help young people adopt regenerative agriculture techniques and manage agribusinesses.
• Enable young people to access affordable capital to start and expand their agricultural businesses.
• Make it easy for young people to acquire land and farming tools by establishing relationships with suppliers and landowners.