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Kenyan Youths Grow Yields and Income from Cashew and Sesame Value Chain Project

The Ngerenya Youth Group was formed in 2018 and made up of 15 young professionals, farmers and students, through Farm Africa’s Cashew and Sesame Value Chain Project in Kenya. It was funded by the European Union, the project gives young people a platform where they can learn from each other and gain skills to start and expand their own agribusinesses.

On a humid mid-morning, young men and women from the village of Tezo in Kilifi County in coastal Kenya came together under the shade of a leafy neem tree to share their latest ideas on how to build local agricultural businesses. Photography: Farm Africa

Knowledge and tools to provide services such as nursery establishment, biological pest management, as well as top working and pruning skills to revitalise old trees and increase yields was provided by Farm Africa.

The financial management training by the platform has supported the group members to understand how to run their business operations profitably.

The project has trained 555 young people, with 200 of them having already established tree nurseries and grafting services to support farmers in their communities.

The Ngerenya Youth Group has established their own nursery in Tezo, planting cashew, coconut, mango, tomato, kale and amaranth seedlings by using contributions from members as start-up capital.

“The selling prices of the seedlings vary. The more time a seedling takes to reach the transplanting stage, the higher the cost of production, which then translates to a higher selling price.” says member Florence Mtepe.

Also, income-generating activities for this youth group include the establishment of kitchen gardens for farmers and drilling holes for tree planting using tools that Farm Africa lends them.

The platform is connecting the members to financial institutions in order to ease the youth groups funding accessibility for further business expansion. At least three groups have applied for no-interest youth enterprise fund loans to grow their businesses.

“The activities we are engaging in have improved our livelihoods considerably. From the group revenue and my own tree nursery that I have established at home, I am able to support the education of my siblings,” commented member Alice Mwangala.

The Ngerenya Youth Group members have been impacting knowledge, creating jobs and mentoring other young people and the unemployed in their respective communities.

 

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