About 40 passionate young agripreneurs drawn from all 47 counties have been equipped with Agroecology value chain skills and social media marketing techniques by the Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) positioning them to tap into rapidly expanding digital markets as consumer preferences shift online.

The 3 days training youth empowerment in Agroecology value chain skills and social media marketing took place at Baraka Agriculture College, Nakuru County.

The training equipped youths with practical hands- on skills across key areas, including poultry production, African leafy vegetables (ALVs), biofertilizer production and sustainable animal feed innovations such as azolla based feeds.

Speaking to the press after the training on Thursday, Collins Otieno, an agripreneur from Kajiado County, said he produces organic peanut butter by using locally available materials.

He affirmed that the knowledge obtained from the training will go a long way helping fetch customers online and improve his organic business.

“In this era most people are embracing digital platforms, and our coming here has helped us explore how we can package our messages to attract customers,” Otieno stated, adding that when you use social media for products and businesses it would be visible not only in the regions but in the entire country.

However, Otieno challenged young people to move beyond seeking opportunities and instead become creators of them by venturing into agribusiness enterprises that can uplift them.

He urged the youth to take advantage of the skills and knowledge gained from such training to start sustainable ventures along the agricultural value chain, from production and processing to marketing and distribution.

 “I call upon the government to create a conducive environment for the youths and support them financially, youths have skills but the government is not supporting them to their expectation,” he said.

He added that Agroecology offers a sustainable path forward, noting that food produced through ecological farming methods is free from harmful chemical residues and therefore safer for human consumption compared to produce grown through conventional inorganic practices.

He emphasized that adopting Agroecology not only protects consumer health but also preserves soil fertility, biodiversity and the long-term productivity of farmland.

“Most of the diseases we experience today are linked to the excessive use of chemicals in crop production,” he said.

“When farmers depend heavily on synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, traces of these substances often find their way into the food we eat. By embracing Agroecological practices, we can significantly reduce these health risks and ensure that what reaches our tables is safe, nutritious and wholesome,” he added.

Nyambura Simiyu, an established agripreneur from Spring Agric, noted that youths know much and have talents but only need someone to take them to the next level.

“It gives me hope to see youths taking agribusiness seriously, my job here was to impact their skills to be able to grow their agri- enterprises,” she said.

She pointed out a huge gap in funding youth enterprises calling on funders, government and development partners to invest financial help to the youths.

“Many youths are stranded because of funding if the government and other funders chip in they can do better than this,” she said, further, she asked the funders to make the funding cycles shorter.

Moraa Ratemo, a programs Officer at Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) in charge of market development, reported that the organization is supporting Agroecology farming in 14 countries.

“Agroecology means farming without harming the environment, therefore the organization we advocate for use of indigenous foods, and also in our thematic areas we want youths to be in agribusiness,” Ratemo noted.

She argued that when it comes to youths there is always an assumption that without land you cannot do Agribusiness, but remember when it comes to Agriculture it is a whole value chain, from production to consumers.

“As consumers you should also create a demand, you need to consume the youths’ agri-business products so that they can keep on producing more, without markets the youths will not sustain their businesses,” he said.

She further stated that they have set up organic markets in different parts of the country.

“We have set up many organic markets where you can source organic products for consumption,” she said.

However, Ratemo stated that Agriculture being a devolved function, the organization is working with counties where Agroecology policies have been launched.

She mentioned Murang’a, Busia, Makueni, Nakuru and Vihiga as some of the counties that have implemented the Agroecology policies.

She said that some counties are still processing the policy implementation.

Pamela Nasimiyu, Principal Baraka Agricultural College, said the institution remains committed to advancing sustainable agriculture as a key driver of rural development with a focus on empowering young people and farming communities.

She noted that by equipping them with practical, hands-on skills, the college is helping bridge the gap between organic farming practices and modern, sustainable approaches that can improve livelihoods.

“We provide skills in critical areas such as animal production, crop production, tree nursery management, poultry and piggery,” she said, adding that the training is tailored to ensure farmers and youth can diversify their income streams while adopting environmentally friendly farming methods.

Nasimiyu further observed that youth entrepreneurship remains a central concern for the institution, given the need to make agriculture more attractive and economically viable for young people.