The Youth Cafe joins THE TECHNICAL WORKING PARTY “TRANSFORMING ECOSYSTEMS FOR JOBS IN AGRICULTURE THROUGH TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION” [TWP – TEJATI] 2024-2025

In a strategic move towards revolutionizing youths in the agricultural sector in Kenya, The Youth Cafe  joins the THE TECHNICAL WORKING PARTY “TRANSFORMING ECOSYSTEMS FOR JOBS IN AGRICULTURE THROUGH TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION” [TWP – TEJATI] 2024-2025. The Youth Cafe is represented by its Executive Directo, Willice Onyango and Advisory Board Member, Dr. Moses Mwaniki

The Technical Working Party - TEJATI is an important component of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, under the State Department of Agriculture tasked with the mandate of innovatively thinking through the process of ensuring that 470,000 new sustainable jobs are created per year along food and cash crop value chains across Kenya for the period between 2024 - 2025.

The overarching task of the ‘TWP-TEJATI’ is to evoke the minds of/and innovatively engage stakeholders across 47 counties of Kenya in thinking jobs for Youth, Women and PWDs in agriculture along agriculture value chains through employing a new paradigm shift in strategy.

With a rapidly growing global population and a significant youth demographic in Africa, the demand for food is set to rise substantially. Kenya, with its youthful population, is presented with a unique opportunity to embrace innovative agricultural technologies, learn, adopt, and upscale them. Considering that the majority of our food is cultivated in rural areas, it's crucial to emphasize urban agriculture to reduce our overreliance on rural food production and achieve a more balanced food supply. Promoting food production in urban and peri-urban areas in concurrence with rural development will alleviate the strain on the government's finances and contribute to bolstering the nation's food reserves. 

In this regard, The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development in partnership with INAPs and other partners has organised the first "Agritech Kenya County Fair 2024" This event will bring together a diverse range of stakeholders within the space of agriculture and technology; from young farmers to agri-entrepreneurs, policymakers, and technology enthusiasts. The "Agritech Kenya County Fair 2024" is a landmark event that paves the way for the future of agriculture driven by a new generation of young farmers in Kenya. This event aims to address critical issues in food systems, technology, and youth engagement from a bottom-up indulgence approach. 

The primary objective of the Agritech Kenya County Fairs (www.agritechcountyfair.org ) within which the TWP-TEJATI’s foundation lies, is to establish a robust foundation for cooperation and collaboration among stakeholders in the job creation space in Kenya. This cooperation aims to provide workable and practical proposals that have potential to revamp the development and execution of sustainable and impactful programs and projects within the agriculture sector, with a strong focus on job creation. Although there have been instances of successful programs that have positively affected the livelihoods of Kenyan youth, there remains a substantial gap in the design,planning, and implementation of these programs to be able to absorb a substantive number ofyouths in employment considering the sectors’ employment absorption potential. The ultimate goal is to absorb as many young individuals as possible in agriculture sector which is the most significant source of employment in Kenya.

With a rich history of actively engaging and empowering young people in the agricultural sector, The Youth Cafe is thrilled to bring its expertise and experience to the table in the Technical Working Party (TWP – TEJATI) for the years 2024-2025.

Recognizing the pressing need for innovative strategies to ensure sustainable job creation, especially for Youth, Women, and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in agriculture, The Youth Cafe aims to contribute to this transformative initiative. The TWP-TEJATI's mandate aligns seamlessly with The Youth Cafe's mission to bridge gaps in the design, planning, and implementation of programs aimed at absorbing a substantive number of youths into employment.

As one of the partner in the "Agritech Kenya County Fair 2024," organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development in partnership with INAPS and other key collaborators, The Youth Cafe seeks to collaborate on practical proposals that can revolutionize the agriculture sector's approach to job creation. By leveraging its extensive network and experience, The Youth Cafe is committed to contributing towards achieving the Ministry's goal of increasing food production and offering sustainable jobs for youth, both at the national and county levels. The Agritech Kenya County Fairs, serving as a cornerstone for this collaborative effort, represent a vital platform for stakeholders to collectively address critical issues in food systems, technology, and youth engagement, ensuring a bottom-up approach towards a more inclusive and prosperous agricultural future for Kenya.