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Launch of the Youth Economic Empowerment through Agribusiness in Kenya ProjectCONCEPT NOTECONTEXTGeneral backgroundThe most recent national population census in Kenya (2009) recorded youth as 11.7 million, accounting for 30% of the total population and constitutes 60% of the total labour force. The largest age group in Kenya is between 0 and 17 years old accounting for 50% of the total population. The Institute of Economic Affairs foresees in its Youth Fact Book 2010 a shift to a concentration of 15 to 34 year olds, transitioning Kenya from a “child-rich” nation to a “youthful” population. Within this context, the high rate of youth unemployment in Kenya remains a critical concern.The UNDP Kenya’s Youth Employment Challenge report 2013 shows that 64% of the unemployed Kenyans are youth, with unemployment rates much higher than the national average of 10%, with rates recorded at 30% for those aged 20 to 24 years, 20% for those aged 25 to 29 years and 9% for those aged between 30 and 34 years. The women youths are facing much higher unemployment rate compared to male youths. Young rural women suffer the triple disadvantage in terms of lack of opportunity due to being young, women, and exposure to early and arranged marriages.The Kenya Country Report on Youth Employment 2014 indicates that one million youth enter the labour market annually. These youths offer a dynamic work force that is innovative; they have a high uptake of technological know-how and the ability to take on significant levels of risk. However, Young people prefer white-collar professions to blue-collar employment in sectors such as Agriculture citing that the jobs are less likely to make a decent living - low income, underutilization of skills and low productivity are some of the problems that they experience.Agriculture, as the backbone of Kenya’s economy – it contributes 24% of the annual GDP and another 27% indirect contribution (ASDS, 2010-2020) and accounts for 65% of Kenya’s exports -, presents a huge opportunity for the creation of employment to absorb the youth, uplifting their living standards and ensure achievement of food security for future generations. The Kenya government has recognized this and identified agriculture as one of the key sectors to deliver the 10% annual economic growth rate envisaged in the economic pillar of the Kenya Vision 2030.There are few opportunities for young farmers, rural youth and other young professionals to get access to assets and improve their skills in agri-business. Agriculture is taught with minimum enthusiasm in primary and secondary schools, and see tertiary level agricultural courses as needing more resources and curriculum improvements. Additionally, the World Bank (2014) paper on Entrepreneurship Education and Training (EET) reports that EET programmes in Kenya and Ghana are good at teaching general business and financial skills, but less effective in developing entrepreneurial attitudes, problem solving skills and soft skills generally. Therefore, promoting youth entrepreneurship has been identified as one of the avenues of addressing the issue of youth unemployment. Situation in Kilifi and NakuruMain challenges facing rural farmers in Kenya include: the effects of climate change that have greatly affected farmers’ ability to plan their farming activities, lack of information on post-harvest handling, high costs of production, limited use modern science and technology in agricultural production, and limited access to credit and market facilities. Hence the agriculture sector is not seen as a viable sector of employment and remains highly unattractive to youth due to the risks, intensive nature and low profitability.To tackle these challenges, various national and international stakeholders have put in place specific programmes. The government has developed the Kenya Youth Agribusiness Strategy 2017-2021. The strategy is aimed at providing new opportunities for youth in agriculture and its value chains. By providing support (e.g. skills and access to markets) to youth groups in rural areas in Kenya youth’s potential can be fully used to contribute to the agriculture sector goals of achieving food and nutrition security, income generation, employment and wealth creation, whilst improving rural livelihoods.The Counties of Nakuru and Kilifi through their annual development plans have developed a number of programmes addressing youth in agribusiness including the Youth in Modern Agriculture Project (Y-MAP) in Nakuru County, the Kenya Youth Economic Empowerment Project (KYEEP) in Kilifi County aimed at enhancing participation of youth in agriculture to Create employment creation and income generation.USTADI foundation and the Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation, have also developed a project proposal to help address these challenges. This project, dubbed “Youth Economic Empowerment through Agribusiness in Kenya” targets the counties of Kilifi and Nakuru. The Project won a grant from the International Funds for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and is co-funded by CTA and USTADI.IFAD’s values as mentioned in the Strategic Framework 2016-2025 outline that inclusive and sustainable rural transformation must be driven by smallholder agriculture and rural development agenda that, among others, delivers 1) increased social, human and financial capital to poor rural people, 2) strengthened institutions of and for poor rural people, 3) enhanced productivity, profitability, resilience and diversification of poor rural people’s economic activities, and 4) greater, and more gainful participation of poor rural people in rural, national and international economies. IFAD’s Kenya Country Strategic Opportunity Programme (COSOP) objectives put emphasis on improving access of vulnerable rural young women and men population to productivity-enhancing assets, technologies and services (strategic objective 2), and enhancing their sustainable access to improved post-production technologies and market (strategic objective 3).About the project The overreaching goal of the Youth Economic Empowerment through Agribusiness in Kenya Project is to create sustainable employment for the rural youth in the counties selected through active engagement in agribusiness for wealth creation and poverty reduction by Building entrepreneurship capacity, creating market linkages and added value for 100 -150 groups rural youth groups (2250 beneficiaries; 30% females) in cereals, dairy and fisheries value chains. This will contribute to the agriculture sector goals of achieving food and nutrition security, income generation, employment and wealth creation, whilst improving rural livelihoods. In its implementation, it will address the following objectives:Build entrepreneurship capacity, create market linkages and added value for 100-150 rural youth groups in cereals, dairy and fisheries value chains. The key components of project are presented in the figure ponent 1. Enabling Sustainable Youth Agripreneurship1.Skills and capacity building2.Enterprise Development and linkages to petative grants1.Awareness creation1.Conduct learning journeys1.Design clinics and Grantees selection process2.Selection of 100-150 Youth Groups and Organization of capacity assessment.2.Business operation review, mentoring and support2.Grants Awards3.Mentorship and modity Business opportunity workshop3.Participation in business fora4.Training on Entrepreneurship4.Innovative facilitation of access to capital5.Training on ICT and social media for agribusinessComponent 2. Value additionComponent 3. Project management and capitalization1.Identify at least fifteen opportunities for value addition along the three value chains (Dairy, fisheries and cereals)1.National inception workshop2.Develop project visibility and documentation2.Conduct market analysis of the agribusiness products identified above (demand ,supply, quality and standards, consumption, competitors3.Training on experience capitalization and mid-term review (KM strategy , project3.Identify key gaps to business success(technological ,socio/ organization ;product quality, supply chains) that need to be addressed for the business to be successful4.Key learning and monitoring studies5.Equipment4.Develop and Implement business growth strategy for 15 businesses6.Conduct close-out meetingThis project has taken into account key issues faced by youth involved in agriculture in Kilifi and Nakuru including; lack of capital and necessary skills, use of outdated technology, lack information on the right type of farm inputs to use and the appropriate time of application of the same, and lack of access to markets among others.It will contribute to rural youth entrepreneurs’ improved access to productivity-enhancing knowledge, assets, technologies and services, and sustainable access to improved post-production technologies and markets. The entrepreneurial approach will create better and more rural enterprises, adding to the diversification, inclusive value chains, and sustainable employment objectives.OBJECTIVE OF THE LAUNCHThe objectives of the launch organized by CTA-USTADI are to:Launch the VijaBiz programDiscussion on how to strengthen partnership with counties and key national stakeholders for a successful project implementation. EXPECTED RESULTSVijaBiz Project is officially launchedStakeholders aware of the project and how counties can participate and benefit.Strengthened networking and partnership framework with key stakeholders concerned by the project.TIMEFRAME AND VENUE OF THE WORKSHOPThe launch will take place on 28th and 29th of August 2018 at Sarova Panafric hotel, Nairobi County, Kenya.PARTICIPANTS50 participants are planned to attend from Nakuru, Nairobi and Kilifi counties. This will comprise both private and public sectors participants involved in the 3 value chains of dairy, cereals and fisheries.The list of participating institutions include:NakuruNairobiKilifiGovernorIFADGovernorCEC Youth CTACEC Youth CEC AgricultureUSTADICEC AgricultureCounty DirectorsEuropean UnionCounty DirectorsSDCP RepresentativeCabinet Secretary AgricultureKCEP CRAL representativeKCEP CRAL representativeASDSP RepresentativeIncubator -Egerton UniversityAAINIncubator Pwani UniversityCereal Growers AssociationPhysically disabled youth representativeATVETYouth representatives (Fisheries, Cereal, and Dairy)DANIDAYouth representative (Fisheries, Cereal, and Dairy)Farm DriveEast Africa Grain CouncilMkulima YoungYouth-Enterprise Development Fund-NairobiEquity group foundation FASRAT-project representativePROFIT representative - IFAD funded project on financingAgriculture Finance Corporation-Youth Enable OfficerKilimo CentreFORMATThe workshop will be bringing together key stakeholders from the national government, county governments, non-governmental stakeholders, and the private sector for a peer-to-peer exchange.We shall have discussions on day one to discuss the whole project, challenges in the different value chains and how to address them as well as the role of the different stakeholders. On the second half- day we shall have the official launch by USTADI-CTA and IFAD. On the second day, we shall have other high level delegates including governors from both counties and the cabinet secretary for agriculture will do the official launch. ................
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