FMC Corporation Invests In New Program To Support Agricultural Opportunities For Youth In Kenya

FMC Corporation, an agricultural sciences company, announced a $1.5 million investment in Generation Unlimited's Engaging Kenyan Youth in Agriculture and Nutrition (EKYAN) programme on March 14, 2023. The programme will train youth for agribusiness jobs and improve the economic livelihoods of smallholder farmers across the country.

Generation Unlimited is the world's first global public-private-youth partnership created to address the urgent need for more youth education, training, and employment opportunities. FMC will fund a three-year pilot of GenU's EKYAN programme, which aims to train young people to be agripreneurs by providing extension services to Kenyan smallholder farmers.

"We are acutely aware of the food crisis ravaging countries across Africa and the world. Youth and agriculture investments are required to strengthen agri-food systems, increase global food security, and bring long-term economic stability to the region "said Mark Douglas, president, and CEO of FMC.

He continued further, "FMC is honored to be the first major corporate sponsor of GenU's EKYAN programme. We are thrilled to be able to contribute to their efforts to prepare young people for careers in agriculture and to make a significant difference in the lives of Kenyan farmers, and, ultimately, the health and well-being of people across Africa."

The program's pilot phase will establish Centers of Excellence (CoEs) in multiple Kenyan counties. The CoEs will serve as community training hubs, preparing youth to provide extension services to smallholder farmers in the region, such as access to quality inputs, advanced technologies, and financing. In addition to training young agripreneurs, the CoEs will serve youth aged 10 to 24 through local schools and agricultural clubs supported by Kenya's Ministries of Agriculture, Education, and Youth on an annual basis.

"This collaboration will create a generation of young agripreneurs with the skills and real-world knowledge to boost yields, increase incomes, and create jobs for the community," said Kevin Frey, CEO of Generation Unlimited. "With youth driving innovation in food systems, local economies will benefit from long-term agribusiness transformation."

The EKYAN programme will boost local food production and farmer incomes by increasing the adoption of climate-smart and data-driven farming practices and technologies, while also providing youth with employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in agribusiness.

-PRNewswire

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