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{
    "id": 1165858,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1165858/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 40,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Khaniri",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 171,
        "legal_name": "George Munyasa Khaniri",
        "slug": "george-khaniri"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank you for the opportunity. I rise pursuant to the provisions of our Standing Orders and in particular Standing Order No.47 (1) to make a Statement on a matter of countywide concern mainly the diminishing interest of our youth in agriculture. Mr. Speaker, Sir, research from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) shows that the agricultural sector solely employs 40 per cent of Kenyans, including 70 per cent of Kenya’s rural population. This then contributes to over a quarter of Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Another quarter comes from its linkages with other sectors, accounting for 65 per cent of total export earnings. Mr. Speaker, Sir, agricultural processes do not only benefit farmers. From each emerging burgeoning fashion designer working with cotton or leather to persons in the tourism and hospitality industry all have direct outputs linked to the success or failure of agriculture as a sector and all build careers on the success of Kenya’s farmers. For a sector so central to Kenya’s economy, not only does agriculture benefit us business-wise, but also in our daily lives, since we are humans and we need to eat. Mr. Speaker, Sir, studies show that young people have a negative attitude towards agriculture and the work it entails. Most of our youth believe that a career in the agricultural sector is not profitable to small-scale and individual farmers, but instead only profits large industries and organizations. Besides this, the sector does not have relatable role models to steer the younger generation towards wanting to venture into it. Due to this belief, we find that very few, if any, young people are venturing into agriculture as a career or even just as a hobby. This is a very worrying trend and it leaves Kenya’s agricultural future in a lot of uncertainty. We need to find ways in which these knowledge gaps can be bridged because there is no pride whatsoever in our agriculture sector despite it having great potential for the benefit of Kenya and its citizens. Mr. Speaker, Sir, it has become evident that as much as many people would like to venture into agriculture, they become more and more discouraged due to fear of making losses. Investing in agriculture in this country does not seem appealing because the Government has not made vigorous efforts to ensure that farmers are given incentives and have favourable returns on their investment. Our youth have seen how farmers continue to be mistreated in this country and have not benefited from their farming activities. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the price of input to engage in farming is quite high. Yet when it gets to reaping the benefits of hard work, the yield is low. Look at what happened last year to the maize farmers; they invested heavily in buying seeds only to later find that they were supplied with suspect seeds that failed to germinate, leading to crop failure and, therefore, huge losses."
}