Agriculture CS Mutahi Kagwe has unveiled a bold proposal to send thousands of young Kenyan farmers to Europe, framing it as a strategic masterstroke to cure local unemployment and global labor shortages.
In a presentation that stunned the 49th Governing Council of IFAD, Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe declared that Kenya's youth are no longer a "ticking time bomb" but a "demographic dividend" waiting to be cashed in. His proposal? A structured, government-backed program to send young Kenyan agripreneurs to age-stricken European nations for specialized internships.
The logic is simple yet provocative. Europe is aging; its farms are emptying. Kenya is young; its graduates are jobless. "We must stop viewing our youth as a problem to manage," Kagwe asserted from the podium in Rome. "They are an opportunity to unlock." The plan targets countries like the UK and Italy, where the average age of a farmer is pushing 60.
Critics have long decried the "brain drain," but the Ministry insists this is "brain circulation." The six-month internships are designed to be strictly rotational. Participants will gain hands-on experience in hydroponics and vertical farming, smart irrigation systems, and automated dairy management.
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