Empowering Youth in Sustainable Agriculture
Mufaro Mupetesi was seconded to us through PELUM via the Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture and Marketing through Youth Involvement (PSAMY) project by NOREC, where he will be conducting his internship by providing Agroecological training to our farmers for one year.
This week, we welcomed officers from PELUM HQ led by Monica Nyaga, the Gender and Youth Officer, along with Diana Mwangi, M&E, and Roland Mwalunga, Logistics. They came to assess Mufaro’s progress and evaluate how the knowledge sharing was benefiting the community. The purpose of this visit was to follow up on the Pelum-supported PSAMY project, funded by the donor NOREC and to monitor the progress of the exchange and identify any gaps in terms of support, aiming to improve the working relationship between Pelum, ADS Western, and the NOREC participants.
The PSAMY project aims to increase youth participation in sustainable agriculture and agricultural value chains through knowledge and cultural exchanges between Kenyan and Zimbabwean youth, focusing on sustainable agriculture and marketing. However, it acknowledges the challenges associated with engaging youth in agriculture, as it remains unattractive to most. The program seeks to enhance partnerships and collaborative arrangements between PELUM and FACHIG, with participants transferring knowledge and skills to member organizations, farmers’ groups, and youths.
ADS Western is a member of PELUM Kenya, which is a network of Civil Society Organizations/NGOs working with small-scale farmers in East, Central, and Southern Africa. PELUM Kenya promotes agroecological principles and practices through advocacy, networking, capacity development, and knowledge sharing. Various agroecological practices promoted include organic agriculture, sustainable agriculture, regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, permaculture, conservation agriculture, biodynamic agriculture, family farming, and bio-intensive agriculture. Notably, all PELUM Kenya Member Organizations do not endorse GMOs or the use of synthetic agricultural inputs.
