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Outdated policies, missed opportunities: The call to bring Gen Z into agri-policy
West Pokot potatoes youth champion, Fibian Cheptoo, during a stakeholder policy dialogue workshop at Four Points by Sheraton, Hurlingham, Nairobi, on July 16, 2025 .
What you need to know:
- Youth participation in policy-making remains low, which limits their ability to benefit from government initiatives.
- CABE, a knowledge-sharing organisation, works to enhance the skills of smallholder farmers, women, and the youth.
A new study by a non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on youth employment through agriculture and agribusiness highlights the urgent need to involve young people in key policy and decision-making processes to streamline food systems.
According to the findings by the Centre for African Bio-Entrepreneurship (CABE), youth have long been excluded from agricultural and food value chain policy formulation, despite their technological know-how and innovative potential, which could help reimagine and transform the sector, especially in the face of increasing climate change shocks.
The study, conducted earlier this year and whose findings were released recently, notes that agriculture continues to be perceived negatively by youth, largely due to outdated policies that fail to recognise their contributions to a sector that remains the backbone of Kenya’s GDP.
“We are still operating on conventional policies, and youths see agriculture as a dirty, low-paying job. Our study, conducted across four counties, emphasises the need to bring young people into decision-making spaces, especially given their tech-savvy capabilities,” said Patrick Odame, Executive Director of CABE Kenya.
Patrick Odame, the Executive Director of Centre for African Bio-Entrepreneurship, Kenya.
Youth participation in policy-making remains low, which limits their ability to benefit from government initiatives.
The study recommends creating room for their involvement in policy formulation so their voices can be heard and their needs addressed.
CABE, a knowledge-sharing organisation, works to enhance the skills of smallholder farmers, women, and youth entrepreneurs in Africa.
It runs several programs, including advocacy for youth participation in food systems policymaking.
The study, which engaged over 500 youth and youth-led Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Makueni, Nyandarua, Kakamega, and West Pokot counties, found that current financing policies are unfriendly to youth.
