Catherine Mungai @catmungai
Youth and CSA: Lessons
and Experiences from
CCAFS East Africa

CCAFS goals and objectives
CCAFS is aligned with CGIAR’s vision: A world free from poverty and
environmental degradation seeking impact in three system levels:
CCAFS overarching goal
Catalysing positive change towards climate smart agriculture (CSA),
food systems and landscapes, and contribute to a climate-resilient
and food and nutrition secure East Africa
Improving
natural
resources and
ecosystem
services
Improving
food and
nutrition
security
Reducing
poverty
By promoting CSA, CCAFS EA aims to address these persistent constraints
and challenges through innovative technologies and practices, policies and
enabling environments and conducive investment

CCAFS East Africa focus countries and research sites
• Established six research sites across ET, KE, UG and TZ
• Selection based on farming systems and risk profile, climatic, major agro-
ecological, environmental and socio-economic challenges and livelihoods

CCAFS & CSAYN Online Discussions
• Youth Engagement in CSA and the 2030 Agenda 13 – 22 July 2016
• Engaging African Youth in Agribusiness in a Changing Climate 15 July – 12 August 2017
• Scaling Up Climate Smart Agriculture: Integrating Youth and The Digital Revolution 19
September – 20 October 2017
• Partnerships, innovations and financing for youth in climate-smart agriculture 23 April-21 May
2018
www.canafrica.com

Perception and the Generation Gap
The person’s age and agriculture issues are rather complex. During their
infancy (child) stages they tend love agriculture so much that they go to
fields with parents and even cry to do farm activities. As they get old
(youth), the shun agriculture because of ‘ the dirty and heavy’ activities
involved. Thus, they prefer white collar jobs in offices and to work in
industries. When people get old, they retire from industries and opt to
engage in agriculture again. I refer this as sunrise (child stage), midday
(youth) and sunset (old aged) stages.
Never (Online Discussion on Engaging
African Youth in Agribusiness in a
Changing Climate)

The Gender Issue
From my experience what I have gathered is that indeed farming is
rendered not ‘cool’. But what makes it not cool? Firstly most small
scale farmers do not engage their youth in planning and sharing of
ideas, but only as labourers (I could testify to that. after having
graduated with a Bsc in Agric and very enthusiastic still my parents
would never take any farming advice from me because they believe
so much in their experience and not new knowledge. The situation
was worsened because I am an African girl child)
Leocadia (Online Discussion on Engaging African Youth in
Agribusiness in a Changing Climate)

What can we do?
The problems facing youths in agribusiness are enormous but it
shouldn’t deter courageous minds from finding a way through.
…….. Willing youths need to be empowered by concerned bodies.
They need to be put in charge of their own lives and destinies. They
need a re-orientation. They need to know that ‘you can own a farm
even though you are a graduate of accountancy’. They need access
to the elusive subsidy on farm equipments. They need to be taught
practices that boost productivity, they need to be taught packaging,
preservation and processing techniques. They need to be taught how
to launch deep into the huge waters of agriculture even though they
are newbies ….my humble opinion
Luchez (Online Discussion on Engaging African Youth in
Agribusiness in a Changing Climate)

For example
I am with Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union
(ZFU) and my organisation partnered
with a local mobile operator and other
service providers to scale up the tested
climate resilient solutions that can be
attractive to youths and these include
weather based index insurance, ICT
enabled climate information and
production advisory services
• Simba Muchena (Online discussion
on Partnerships, innovations and
financing for youth in climate-smart
agriculture)

Youth Engagement in CSA activities
CCAFS is working with youth groups in East Africa:
Smart farms – combination of CSA practices
−Greenhouse production of tomatoes & green beans for better
disease and pest control, continuous production to meet market
demand and water efficiency.
−Irrigation - Rain water harvesting irrigation (RWHI)
−Aquaculture - fish farming for improved nutrition and income
 Improved small ruminants - uptake of resilient breeds of goats
(Galla) and sheep (Red Maasai) -
 Agroforestry- Integrating fruit trees and multipurpose trees for
fodder and fuel wood, and tree nurseries
 Climate Information Service (CIS) – Informed farm decisions

Greenhouse production of tomatoes
(4 youth groups in Nyando) – Kamula, Onyuongo, Obinju and
Kapsokale)

Youth group members pruning their crop in the
greenhouse

Drip irrigation – vegetable production (Kales, black
nightshade, cabbages).

Pest control for better yield

Aquaculture - youth embrace fish farming for
nutrition and income

Tree nurseries integrating fruit trees &
multipurpose trees for income

Fruit trees – Pawpaw and Avocado for income

Water harvesting for irrigation

Resilient livestock —drought tolerant Galla
Goats & Red Maasai Sheep

Climate information services – youths embrace CIS for better
informed farm decisions

CCAFS Youth Research Activities -
Global
1. Disaggregation and analysis of data in the design, implementation,
and reporting of activities (e.g. by sex, age);
2. Youth engagement in policy and how this can be improved at global
and national policy levels);
3. Identifying CSA options and incentives that offer attractive
opportunities for young farmers;
4. Use of ICT technologies and engagement processes to meet the
CSA and climate information needs of youth to strengthen youth
entrepreneurship and climate resilience; and
5. Capacity strengthening including through participatory learning
approaches with youth (e.g. use of participatory video and theatre
and ICTs).

www.ccafs.cgiar.org
Thank you