The Future Of Farming is Young And Ready to Lead

25-year-old Lilian Wanjiku from Kerugoya, in Kenya’s Kirinyaga County, still laughs when she remembers hiding rabbits under her bed as a schoolgirl. Long before anyone called her a farmer, she was simply a curious girl inspired by her grandfather, who practised rabbit farming. When he gifted her two of her own, she hid them in her bedroom and fed them quietly after school, pretending not to notice their smell that would eventually give her secret away.

“One day, when I was in high school, my late father was concerned about the smell, so he checked my room and found the rabbits,” Lilian says. “He said he would not chase them away, but suggested building a hutch for them.”

That was the beginning. She eventually stopped raising rabbits to focus on school, but after settling down to start a family with 25-year-old Levis Munene, she returned to her childhood dream.

“When I got married, I went back to keeping rabbits, which is my passion,” Lilian says.

Levis Munene, from the same town, also grew up with a close connection to farming. He saw his parents growing the maize that fed him and his siblings. This year, when his father gave him a parcel of land of his own, he began putting into practice everything he had learned from his father, his high school agriculture lessons, and the techniques he had picked up through One Acre Fund’s trainings. Now, he stands on his own farm surrounded by maize, sugarcane, bananas, and avocado trees.

“Agriculture is an art of science. I practise agriculture to satisfy economic and financial needs,” Levis says.

Youth farming against the odds

For Levis and Lilian, what began as childhood curiosity is growing into a livelihood. But the journey hasn’t been easy. They face the realities that many young farmers encounter: limited resources, unpredictable markets, and cultural perceptions that farming is for the older generation.

“Renovating the hutch is constant work because rabbits urinate a lot and damage the timber. Additionally, many young people want to farm, but the market can be unpredictable,” Lilian says.

Lilian recently enrolled in One Acre Fund’s youth-focused digital training programs, which provide practical skills in financial management and marketing. The training program currently targets young people in Kenya and offers certificates of completion and incentives, such as data bundles, that provide internet access they otherwise can’t afford consistently. 

Like many youth in agriculture, Levis’ biggest hurdle was the upfront cost of farm inputs. Seeds, fertilizer, and other essentials previously felt out of reach, but having access to flexible credit has now made farming achievable.

“With One Acre Fund, you only pay 10% as a down payment. It was easy to access the loan as a young person,” Levis says.

With multiple crops growing simultaneously, mixed farming helps provide food for his young family of three, repay the loan, and cushion the family against the uncertainty of relying on a single crop’s harvest.

Creating work, not waiting for it

For this young couple, farming is a way to earn a living and build a future for themselves and their family. Yet, it’s just one part of how they sustain their household today. Like many, they balance other jobs while nurturing their ambitions. Levis works shifts at a local petrol station, while Lilian braids hair and does nails on commission at a nearby salon. Beyond her own work, Lilian also leads as the chairlady of a local youth group, supporting other young people as they build livelihoods of their own.

Both Lilian and Levis see farming as more than just subsistence but also a path to independence and opportunity.

More and more young people are claiming space in the agriculture sector, often seen as for the older generations. Through sheer resilience, farmers like Levis are proving that young people are not waiting for perfect conditions; they are shaping their own futures and dreaming big.

Lilian and Levis hope to expand their rabbit rearing into poultry, and Lilian envisions opening a spa to build out her cosmetology business.

With access to practical training, digital tools, and flexible financing, young farmers like Lilian and Levis are turning curiosity and determination into tangible livelihoods. They are not waiting for opportunity; they are building it. By supporting more young farmers like them, their success can ripple out, creating jobs, inspiring other youth, and strengthening entire communities.