Kilimo Makueni

Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International

An organisation partnering with the Makueni County Department of Agriculture.

Project Title

Scaling Commercialization of Drought Tolerant Crop Technologies to Support Dignified and Fulfilling Jobs for 120,000 Youth in Rural Kenya (DTCs 4 Youth Jobs Creation Project)

Project Location

Makueni County

Project Duration

Start Date: August 2022
End Date: July 2027

Project Key Activities

  • Capacity-building training on Product Development, Value Addition, and Marketing
  • Training youth participants from Lower Eastern Region
  • Supporting youth-led enterprises for product testing with KEBS
  • Facilitating KEBS certification for market expansion

Project Key Outputs

  • Capacity-building training conducted on product development, value addition, and marketing
  • 49 youth participants from Makueni and Taita Taveta Counties trained
  • 17 youth-led enterprises (individual and group) from 10 counties undergoing KEBS product testing
  • 15 female youth-owned and 2 male youth-owned enterprises supported

Project Achievements

  • Successfully trained 49 youth participants from Makueni and Taita Taveta Counties in Lower Eastern Region
  • Comprehensive training on product development, value addition, and marketing completed
  • 17 youth-led enterprises currently undergoing product testing with KEBS for certification
  • Strong gender focus with 15 enterprises being female youth-owned
  • Enabled access to formal markets through KEBS certification process

Project Progress

Status: Ongoing - Youth training completed; KEBS certification process ongoing

Project Impact Summary (Key Performance Indicators)

IndicatorAchievement
Farmers Reached:Youth farmers and entrepreneurs from Makueni and Taita Taveta
Youth/Women/VMGs Engaged:49 youth trained; 17 youth-led enterprises (15 female-owned, 2 male-owned)
Employment Created:120,000 youth jobs target (project-wide); 17 youth enterprises in Makueni 
Value Chains Supported:Drought-tolerant crop value chains with focus on value addition and marketing
Productivity/Income Change:
  • Youth entrepreneurship capacity enhanced
  • Value addition skills acquired
  • Market access improved through KEBS certification
  • Female youth economic empowerment (88% of enterprises)
  • Formal market entry enabled
  • Job creation through youth enterprises