Under the scorching sun in Uyoma, Rarieda, rows of green kale sway gently in the wind as Wilfrida Okech inspects the progress of her crops.
A few years ago, the 33-year-old mother of two worked as a community social worker. Today, farming has become her main source of income and a pathway to independence.
What started as a quarter-acre farm has grown into a thriving agribusiness supporting not only her family but also several young people and women in her community.
“I used to earn very little and sometimes I did not even know where I would sell my produce. But now farming is my main source of income. I can earn up to Sh50,000 in a month,” she says.
Wilfrida is among thousands of young people benefiting from the Resilient Agriculture that Works for Young People programme implemented by Practical Action Kenya with support from Mastercard Foundation.
The programme operates in six subcounties in Siaya and focuses on helping young people build sustainable livelihoods through agriculture.
Melvin Otieno, a project officer with Practical Action Kenya, says the programme currently works directly with more than 12,800 young people across Siaya county.
“Our focus is not just farming. We are looking at the entire value chain so that young people can genuinely earn an income and improve their livelihoods,” Otieno says.
The programme supports five key value chains: African leafy vegetables, tomatoes, groundnuts, soybeans and poultry farming. Participants are also trained in record keeping, market access, aggregation and climate-smart agriculture.
For Wilfrida, the turning point came when the programme taught her to secure a market before planting.
“When they first came here, they found me growing onions on a small–scale. They asked me where I was going to sell them and honestly, I did not know,” she recalls.
Through the programme, she was linked to a hotel that buys up to 100kg of onions every week.
The guaranteed market gave her the confidence to expand production from a quarter-acre to leasing up to two acres of land.
Today, besides onions and kale, she also grows tomatoes and mentors about 21 young people interested in farming.
“Some of them used to work casually on my farm,” she says. “As we talked, I realised they also wanted to improve their lives. That is how I started mentoring them.”
The programme is also helping tackle unemployment among women in the area, with Wilfrida regularly hiring women from the community to work on her farm.
Despite the success stories, farming remains filled with challenges.
One of the biggest obstacles facing young farmers in Siaya is access to land. Most young people do not own land and instead rely on leased plots, a process often marked by uncertainty and disputes.
“The land I use is leased,” Wilfrida explains. “Sometimes someone tells you the land is an acre but later you realise it is smaller. Other times, landowners change their minds after seeing your farm doing well.”
For many young women, accessing family land is even more difficult because of cultural beliefs surrounding land ownership.
“Some men feel women will become too independent if they own land,” she says quietly. “That is why many of us choose leasing.”
Otieno says the problem cuts across many rural communities in western Kenya, where land ownership largely remains in the hands of older family members.
“In many African homes, parents are still attached to traditional farming systems,” he says. “Convincing them to allow young people to use land for vegetables instead of maize can be difficult.”
To address disputes between landowners and farmers, Practical Action is promoting land lease agreements, although adoption remains slow in some communities due to mistrust and low literacy levels.
Climate change is also shaping farming patterns in the region.
Rarieda lies near Lake Victoria, where rainfall patterns have become increasingly unpredictable. During dry seasons, many farmers depend on irrigation to sustain vegetable production.
Wilfrida’s tomato farm, for instance, relied entirely on irrigation during the last season.
To reduce costs, Practical Action is partnering with organisations such as KickStart International to introduce solar-powered irrigation systems, which are cheaper and more environmentally friendly than fuel-powered generators.
The programme also works with seed companies and market partners to strengthen production and improve market access.
Yet another challenge remains retaining young people in agriculture.
“Young people want quick money,” Otieno says. “But farming takes time. Vegetables and poultry can take at least three months before returns come.”
Some participants have dropped out, prompting the programme to shift focus towards off-farm opportunities such as produce aggregation and market coordination.
Despite the hurdles, the impact is becoming visible across villages in Siaya, where young farmers are gradually changing perceptions about agriculture.
For Wilfrida, farming has restored dignity and independence.
“When you do not have income, you keep borrowing from people,” she says. “But now I depend on myself.”
As she walks through her kale field, she says agriculture has given her more than just money.
“It has helped me change the lives of people around me,” she says with a smile. “That is why, even if I had another chance, I would still choose farming again.”
