Land rights, Land-Based Innovations, and Diversified Livelihoods for young farmers in Kenya Edna Mutua

1. Youth Participation in Livestock Production and Marketing in Rural Kenya
Edna Mutua (PhD)
ednamutua@gmail.com
Panel Session: Land Rights and Youth Employment in Africa
Conference on Land Policy in Africa
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 14-17 November, 2017
www.future-agricultures.org/apra
Matasa Fellows Network: http://www.matasafn.org
Funded by UK aid from the UK Government

2. Youth Participation in Livestock Production and
Marketing in Rural Kenya: A case of Baringo County
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3. Background
1. In 2014, agriculture employed 3 in every 4 workers in rural
Kenya (MoALF 2015).
2. It contributed 27.3% of Kenya’s GDP- mainly from crops
19.7% and livestock 4.9% (MoALF 2015).
3. Up to 60% of Kenya's livestock are found in arid and semi-
arid areas which make up about 80% of the country's land
mass.
4. Livestock are sources of food and income, stores of wealth, a
means of expressing cultural identity, harnessing social
prestige and conducting rituals/religious activity
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4. Land, Youth and Livestock Production
• Young people, both male and female, were actively involved in livestock
production at household level although the labour provided was unpaid
• Young people owned livestock but in lower quantities than older people
• Land use was determined by the head of household; and other family
members used it as prescribed
• Inheritance was the main means through which young men acquire land,
young women were not culturally allowed to inherit land
• Land was transferred to young men at the time of parents choosing or
after their demise
• When droughts struck, inter-community conflicts over water and pasture
occurred, sometimes resulting in loss of property and lives
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5. Land, Youth and Livestock Marketing
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• Livestock trekking was mainly done by young men
• Cattle, sheep and goat markets were still considered
male spaces
• Young persons traded more in sheep and goats than
cattle
• More male youth aged engaged in cattle, sheep and
goat trade than women
• Women who traded in livestock for a living came
from other counties thereby breaking cultural
limitations

6. Implications on Employment
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• Inability to determine when one will own land with
land affects young peoples’ ability to make
independent decisions on land use
• Consequently, young people prefer to engage in non-
agricultural income generating activities
• Young women are rarely engaged in cattle, sheep
and goat trade as an income generating activity

7. Thank You
The People of Baringo County
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