KISII, Kenya Apr 1 \u2013 KISII, Kenya Apr 1 \u2013 The steady migration of young people from rural areas to towns in search of scarce formal employment is leaving elderly parents to shoulder the burden of farming in Kisii County, raising concerns over the future of key cash crops such as coffee and tea.<\/p>\n
Across the larger Gusii region, aging farmers continue to tend plantations with minimal support as school leavers and graduates relocate to urban centres hoping for better opportunities.<\/p>\n
The growing trend is now threatening agricultural productivity in a region heavily dependent on farming for livelihoods.<\/p>\n
Coffee farmers in the region largely rely on cooperative societies, many affiliated with the Gusii Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, which plays a key role in milling and marketing produce.<\/p>\n
Payments are channeled through Savings and Credit Cooperative (Sacco) societies, forming a critical financial backbone that supports farmers\u2019 daily operations and long-term investments.<\/p>\n
However, with fewer young people participating in farming, stakeholders warn that the sustainability of both production and cooperative systems is increasingly at risk.<\/p>\n
Elijah Obwori, the Kisii County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Fisheries and Cooperative Development, has urged young people to join Saccos to access affordable credit and venture into income-generating activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cSaccos offer cheap loans and youth-friendly products. I urge youths to join them, invest, create jobs and improve their lives,\u201d said Obwori.<\/p>\n
He spoke during the Annual Delegates Meeting of Wakenya Pamoja Sacco at the Kisii Agricultural Training Centre, alongside Environment CEC Cyrus Nyabicha.<\/p>\n
Obwori noted that integrating youth into cooperative societies could inject innovation and technology into the sector, helping modernize agriculture and expand the cooperative movement.<\/p>\n
County officials are now calling for deliberate efforts to bridge the generational divide between elderly farmers and tech-savvy youth.<\/p>\n
Obwori emphasized that young people bring valuable skills in technology and digital finance, innovation in agribusiness and modern farming techniques.<\/p>\n
These, he said, could significantly boost productivity while strengthening Saccos and creating employment opportunities.<\/p>\n
He also urged parents and guardians to encourage youth participation in cooperative societies to ensure long-term sustainability.<\/p>\n
According to the CEO of Wakenya Pamoja Sacco, the institution is actively equipping youth with business and investment skills while offering loans to support enterprise development.<\/p>\n
The Sacco currently operates branches in Nyamira, Homa Bay with expansion plans targeting Nakuru and Nairobi.<\/p>\n
Sacco Chairman Francis Ayieko said membership has grown significantly\u2014from 140,450 in 2024 to 148,039\u2014driven by product diversification and aggressive outreach.<\/p>\n
He added that the Sacco has embraced technology across its branches, enabling members to access mobile banking services more efficiently.<\/p>\n
Ayieko also revealed that the Sacco recently amended its by-laws, increasing the number of delegates from 150 to 200 to support expansion into new regions.<\/p>\n
As youth continue to migrate to urban areas, the future of agriculture in Kisii hangs in the balance. Without deliberate efforts to attract young people back into farming and cooperative systems, experts warn that production of key cash crops like coffee and tea could decline significantly.<\/p>\n
The call to action is clear: modernize agriculture, empower youth, and strengthen cooperatives\u2014or risk losing a vital economic pillar.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KISII, Kenya Apr 1 \u2013 KISII, Kenya Apr 1 \u2013 The steady migration of young people from rural areas to towns in search of scarce formal employment is leaving elderly parents to shoulder the burden of farming in Kisii County, raising concerns over the future of key cash crops such as coffee and tea. Across […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-136234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136234"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136234\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}