Engaging Kenyan Youth in Agriculture and Nutrition (EKYAN)

The Engaging Kenyan Youth in Agriculture and Nutrition (EKYAN) project, is a transformative initiative funded by UNICEF with a total budget of USD800,000. This project, implemented by a consortium led by SNV, in partnership with Proportion Global and ASSEK, aims to create sustainable economic opportunities for youth in the agricultural sector.

Running from October 2024 to September 2025, the project targets Busia, Kirinyaga, Kisumu, and Samburu counties, engaging 3,200 out-of-school youth, including marginalised groups such as young mothers and persons living with disabilities. By providing essential skills, mentorship, and financial linkages, EKYAN seeks to enhance youth entrepreneurship and employment in agriculture, contributing to improved livelihoods, food systems, and climate resilience.

The challenge:

Kenya faces significant challenges in providing economic opportunities for its youth, who make up 75.1% of the population. With an unemployment rate of 14.2% among young people and over 1 million youth entering the labor market annually, many are left without access to education, employment, or training opportunities. The agricultural sector, which holds immense potential for job creation, is currently underutilised by young people due to negative perceptions, limited skills, and lack of market access. Additionally, climate change, poor soil health, and reliance on unsustainable agricultural practices have worsened food insecurity and environmental degradation.

As part of the consortium, SNV will focus on addressing these key challenges by:

• Providing agricultural training and mentorship to 3,200 out-of-school youth, equipping them with skills in climate-smart and regenerative agricultural practices.

• Facilitating market linkages to ensure youth entrepreneurs can access stable markets for their produce and develop sustainable agri-businesses.

• Promoting financial inclusion, linking young agri-preneurs to financial institutions and savings schemes to help them scale their businesses.

• Enhancing food security and nutrition by integrating nutrition-sensitive agricultural practices, such as vegetable value chains and kitchen gardens.

Through these targeted interventions, SNV aims to foster a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agricultural sector in Kenya.

The approach:

• The project will develop a youth engagement strategy using an evidence-based human-centered design, informed by baseline data, and gender and social inclusion analysis. A needs-based assessment will guide the development of training and coaching methods tailored to out-of-school and unemployed youth (aged 18-35), marginalised groups (including persons with disabilities and young mothers), as well as formal and informal small-scale youth groups.

• The project will deliver training based on SNV’s Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship curriculum. A total of 30 Trainer of Trainers will be trained on the curriculum and equipped with the tools to train 3,200 young people.

• The project will facilitate youth participation in county agricultural fairs and marketing events to showcase their products and connect with producers, off-takers, and service providers. Additionally, starter kits will be provided to select young agri-preneurs in collaboration with SMEs and other companies, ensuring stable access to markets for these young entrepreneurs.

• The project will support youth in establishing and improving Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) and accessing SACCOs or banks. Additionally, the project will pilot the Chomoka platform, a digital savings scheme, in one county to assess the viability and interest of young agri-preneurs in using the platform to enhance their savings and investment capacity for their businesses.

Project outcomes:

• To develop an evidence-based youth engagement strategy that improves access to learning opportunities for young women and men.

• To enhance youth entrepreneurship and career readiness for agribusiness models and agri-value chains for improved livelihoods and household nutrition.

• To enhance access to functional and sustainable market opportunities and market-enabling systems for young women and men.

• To empower young women and men to become investment-ready through enhanced access to inclusive finance.