Influence of Kenyan Youth’s Perception towards Agriculture and Necessary Interventions; a Review

Abstract

Approximately 64% of unemployed persons in Kenya are youth, most of which live in rural areas and lacks formal education and vocational or professional skills. In spite of this, youth participation in agriculture has been relatively low in the country. This may be partly attributed to, among other factors, thepoor perception of the youth on agriculture. Agriculture which is basically a ruraloriented sector remains the backbone of the Kenya's economy contributing over 30% of GDP. The sector provides over 80% of employment opportunities in the country but remains unattractive to the youth. This implies that most of the Kenyan youth are not fully engaged in productive economic

Karakteristik Petani Muda Agribisnis dan Faktor-faktor yang Mepengaruhi Alih Fungsi Lahan di Malang

“…Pencapaian maksud tersebut, maka sasarannya adalah generasi muda pertanian terutama petani muda. Optimisme perlu dibangun dengan pandangan bahwa dengan membina petani muda agar berjiwa agribisnis (wirausaha) sehingga pembangunan sektor pertanian akan tetap berlanjut (Njeru, 2015). Hal ini berarti perlu adanya peningkatan kompetensi petani muda dalam mengakses teknologi, modal, pasar dan manajemen sehingga menjadi petani muda wirausaha mandiri yang inovatif, kreatif, mampu bersaing, berwawasan global dan professional (PERMENTAN No.…”

Youth in Agriculture; Perceptions and Challenges for Enhanced Participation in Kajiado North Sub-County, Kenya

“…The study findings also agree with those of Brooks et al (2012) who found that if youth's contribution is matched with the right skills and resources, the much needed youth potential in agricultural sector could be realized. But, as Njeru et al (2015) and Noorani (2015) contends, lack of incentives and drudgery are some of the reasons why youth are disinterested in agriculture and that in most parts of the world, agriculture is seen as a less worthwhile subject or as a last resort for under-achievers. These study findings are supported by Brooks et al (2013) and Noorani (2015) that agriculture in Kenya is not the thing to do unless everything else fails and it is not perceived by many as an activity that provides a good standard of living (Leavy & Hossain, 2014).…”

“…Evidence in East Africa also shows that the status of agriculture as "a poor man's job" is further reinforced in schools when students are sent to dig the school farm as a form of punishment for a mistake. Instead, salaried employment in the formal sector is promoted and portrayed as a prestigious occupation with high esteem (Njeru et al, 2015).…”

“…African agricultural curricula have disappeared in schools while in Asia it is outdated and inadequate. Therefore, there is a need to include agriculture in the school curriculum from primary school level and that teachers need to instill a positive perception towards agriculture by explaining to their students the many aspects of agriculture; its importance to everyday life; and its career opportunities (Njeru, Gichimu, Lopokoiyit & Mwangi, 2015).…”

Challenges and enhancement of youth participation in agricultural education for sustainable food security

“…The growth of a country's population comes along with it food security challenges, because environmental resources must be over tapped to meet up with needs of the population Encouraging the youth who are highly dynamic and flexible could lead to agricultural development (Njeru, 2017) and consequently food security. Being one of such developments, some authors emphasized the need to include agriculture in primary school curriculum to enable teachers to instill a positive perception in students by explaining the many aspects of agriculture; its importance in everyday life; and inherent career opportunities to the youth (Njeru et al, 2015). That entails providing a sound background for the up-growing youth to be partakers in agricultural education where they could play their roles effectively.…”