KISUMU EAST, Kenya, August 4 –The quest to improve our national food basket through agricultural production and enhanced income generation has been heightened with the roll out of different youth-friendly practices that are climate smart resilient and adaptive to Kisumu County locality.
To attain these ends, about 300 young people drawn from across the lakeside’s eight sub-counties and a consortium of 21 Community Based Organizations (CBOs) convened at the Kisumu East Sub-County Youth Empowerment Centre to mark the Kisumu County Youth Innovation and Model Day.
At the exhibition booths, the organisations showcased different innovations and products like Indigenous Seed Preservation, Availability and Quality, conversations on Black Soldier Fly and Vermin Composting Technology, among others.
Others initiatives suggested to the attendees include Kitchen and Conical Gardening approaches, and Organic Waste Utilization.
The day- long engagements and learning was also coupled with demonstration farms, and tangible insights from a panel of experts’ comprising of duty bearers, community members, users of the various products and the media.
They addressed key issues such as Access to Information, Policy Gaps and How best to link duty bearers with community the community members.
Making remarks during the event, Kisumu County Executive Committee Member for Youth Affairs, Sports and Culture, (CECM) Beatrice Odongo said that the Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o-led administration is focused on creating employment opportunities for the youth in the area.
“We would like to major on agriculture by involving the youth to also enable them not only be employment seekers, but also become job creators,” she said at the function held on Wednesday.
Appraising the role of partners and stakeholders, Hon Odongo called for consistent and collaborative effort within organizations to scale up their areas of reach to onboard more numbers of youth.
She highlighted the critical roles that her department has been playing in offering support to the youth and women saccos.
“We have capacity built and supplied them with products they need in fishing and chicken farming.” Odongo explained as she acknowledged that through ones persistance: there’s money in agriculture.
Echoing similar sentiments, event host Nyalenda Young Turks Organization Executive Director Victor Ogwel expressed optimism that the CBOs will be play an ambassadorial role of sharing the gained knowledge with those in the grassroots.
“I urge the entire community to embrace modern Agroecology best practices with the smalls farms they possess. Through kitchen and conical gardening they can improve food security, Nutrition for the children, PWDS and the elderly across households,” Ogwel advised.
He also pointed out that they also assist youth-led organizations to get assistance from the both tiers of government (national and county), the business community and the media fraternity.
“We are also trying to bridge the disconnect between the GENZs and the law enforcement officers. Staging this kind of engagement at a sub-county police headquarters is a clear indication that young people are showing positive signs towards this course,” he said while emphasizing that this also boost community security.
Through various platforms,he noted, that the media are part of the torch bearers in disseminating information that informs, educates and shapes public opinion on agriculture and other issues.
Most of the youth lauded the effort saying that they are now better placed to solve health matters and agro-business within the communities.
Mr Ogwel further indicated that they help building capacity of grassroots organizations and tip them on CSOs funding.
“They are using Local Community Fundraising methods and its high time we start our own initiatives that we can fund, support and adopt to reduce over-reliance on donor fundings.”
