NAKURU, Kenya, Feb 12 – Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF) Acting Chief Executive Officer Benedict Atavachi has urged young people to invest in agribusiness, describing the sector as a high-return venture and a key pillar of Kenya’s economy.
Speaking during a Youth Agripreneurship Training Forum in Nakuru County attended by more than 300 youths drawn from all 11 sub-counties, Atavachi said agriculture remains the backbone of the country’s economy and offers vast opportunities for wealth creation.
He assured the youth that the Fund is ready to provide affordable financing to support their agribusiness ventures in line with President William Ruto’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
Atavachi announced that YEDF is offering individual agribusiness loans of up to Sh2 million at single-digit interest rates.
“YEDF Agribusiness Loan is a vital financing product which supports youth in agriculture and unlike other organisations, we can award large amounts with a single-digit interest,” he said.
He emphasized that the loans are tailored to meet the needs of young farmers, with repayment schedules aligned to agricultural production cycles to support business growth and sustainability.
The training forum was organized in partnership with One Acre Fund’s Tupande, a social enterprise serving over 1.2 million farmers across 34 counties in Kenya.
Tupande provides smallholder farmers with access to financing, farm inputs, training, and market linkages, helping to create sustainable pathways to prosperity.
During the forum, YEDF unveiled a partnership framework with Tupande that combines Youth Fund financing and enterprise development services with Tupande’s technical support, inputs, and market access.
The four-year programme aims to reach at least 300,000 youths across 34 counties.
Atavachi expressed confidence that the partnership would enhance loan repayment rates, noting that beneficiaries would receive structured support from Tupande throughout the farming cycle.
“With the technical and market support from Tupande, we are almost guaranteed smooth loan repayment while empowering young farmers,” he said.
Atavachi underscored the need for practical interventions to tackle challenges limiting youth participation in agriculture.
“Limited access to affordable financing, market access, land availability and vital business skills continue to affect youth participation in agriculture,” he noted.
He was accompanied by Nakuru County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture Leonard Bor and senior officials from One Acre Fund.
One Acre Fund Communication Officer Karigu Ekumbo said the youth were trained in modern agronomic practices and linked to both private and public sector partners.
She revealed that Tupande, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and YEDF, is implementing a four-year (2023–2026) initiative dubbed “Reshaping Kenyan Agriculture for Dignified Youth Livelihoods.”
Ekumbo encouraged young people, especially women, to view agriculture as a viable pathway to wealth creation rather than subsistence farming.
“Young people and women should see agriculture as a business opportunity that can transform their lives and communities,” she said.
