Leonard Wagaiwa, 27, never imagined that farming would one day liberate him. Wagaiwa, a resident of Elugulu ward, Butula subcounty in Busia county, says the training opened his eyes.
Before the land yielded abundance, Wagaiwa walked a different path. He worked as a private service provider, supporting women in table banking and earned Sh18,000 per month.
Wagaiwa, just like his peers, planted maize and beans as a side hustle. However, for a long time, it did not earn him much.
His perception would, however, change following the intervention of the Drought-Tolerant Crops (DTCs) for Youth Jobs Creation project.
The project is an initiative of Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in partnership with MasterCard Foundation.
It is aimed at making agriculture a viable and dignified career for young people. It is here that Wagaiwa found the much needed skills and knowledge he had been missing.
Wagaiwa is among the young farmers from Busia and Siaya counties, trained in the cultivation of crops such as finger millet, groundnuts and sorghum that can withstand harsh and unpredictable climate.
After the training, he went back home, not just with new skills but with a new vision. When harvest time came, numbers startled him as the farm that once yielded Sh3,000 soared to Sh20,000.
“I was amazed as I had been sitting on potential this whole time,” he said. Convincing his family to let him expand was an uphill task because in many homes, land is more than soil—it is legacy, control and also a measure of wealth. “At first, my mother refused,” he says.
“But when she saw what I could do, she changed her mind.”
With access to more land, Waigwa scaled up. Last year, he planted one acre of sorghum and another of finger millet for seed production. This time, his hands did not merely harvest crops—they gathered wealth. From 507kg of sorghum, he made Sh40,000.
After expenses, his profit stood at Sh20,000. Finger millet proved even more rewarding—600kg brought in Sh67,000, leaving him with a profit of Sh47,000.
From two acres, he had made Sh67,000—far beyond what maize and beans ever provided. This ignited a spark and he started diversifying.
With Sh40,000, he dug two fish ponds, stocking them with 1,000 tilapia and 1,000 catfish fingerlings. The experiment paid off. His catfish sales brought in Sh60,000, tilapia made Sh27,000. After costs, he made Sh37,000 in profit.
“I wanted to try something new,” he says. “Fish farming seemed like an opportunity and it has been just as profitable.”
Today, Wagaiwa earns an average of Sh50,000 per month—a world away from the struggles of his past. But he has not forgotten the barriers still stand between young people and agriculture. “Land ownership is a challenge,” he says.
“But leasing is an option. You don’t have to wait for inheritance to start your journey.” Once enrolled in a diploma programme in Community Development at Masinde Muliro University, he was forced to drop out due to lack of school fees.
Today, Wagaiwa is no longer just a farmer. He is a certified seed producer, an agripreneur and a pioneer.
“Agriculture is not just farming,” he says. “It’s a business. If young people commit to it, they can create jobs, sustain themselves and secure food for the future.”
