It’s been over 3 months since Connect Coffee launched the Embu young farmers training programme in Embu county in collaboration with Rabo bank foundation and the University of Embu. The need to collaborate with young coffee farmers aged between 18-35 years was as a result of the slow adoption of new farming techniques by the old generation.
According to Steve- one of the Embu young project beneficiaries ‘Most coffee farmers are elderly and reluctant to release coffee farms to the new generation leading to reduced adoption of new technologies and reduced coffee production. Due to lack of farms to cultivate most of the youths opted for white-collar jobs’
The training commenced on the 15th Feb – 4th June 2021 involving 70% of youth who directly owned coffee farms and 30% by their parents/guardian. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, the training was divided into cohorts with a duration of 2 weeks. Being a foundation training, the key modules focused on:
- On-site farm management
- Post-harvest loses
- Factory management
- Coffee roasting and brewing
Multiple youths have rented abandoned coffee plots, revitalized them, and have started using advanced methods which have increased production as well as quality.
A few beneficiaries are attached at the co-operative and milling station within the Embu county to support quality control during processing and factory management.
With Embu being the model County, we hope these beneficiaries will be pioneers of a new chapter of specialty coffee in Kenya.
Watch the full documentary of the Embu Young Coffee Farmers Training Program.
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