The young minds powering Kenya's agricultural transformation

Under the early morning light in Mwea, Kirinyaga County, a low hum rises above the rice paddies. The sound of drones mapping the fields below. Beneath them, clusters of young innovators testing and experiencing different tools designed to make farming smarter.  

At the recent Agitech Grand Expo 2025, where government officials, researchers and farmers gather to trade ideas, one sponsor stood out for the milestone it is marking. Yara Kenya was celebrating 30 years of partnership with local farmers; three decades spent building an ecosystem of knowledge, digital innovation and sustainable crop nutrition that aims to transform food production from the soil up.

For much of that time, farming in Kenya has struggled under the weight of old perceptions. To many young people, it has meant long hours and low returns, a profession to escape rather than embrace. But that image is beginning to change. This was well demonstrated on the expo grounds; the air thick with optimism and the faces leading this change - strikingly young.

Among them are Edward Njiru and Deborah Wanjiru, two of the thirty young innovators recognised as part of Yara’s Shamba Stars initiative. For Yara – a leader in crop nutrition, ammonia and essential industrial solutions, this is not a token youth program but a statement of belief.

“We do not see young people as tomorrow’s farmers,” says Dr. Winnie Ng’ang’a, Director, Government Relations and Public Affairs for Yara Africa. “We see them as today’s revolutionaries, the driving force behind a food system that must be both productive and sustainable.”

Edward, a 28-year-old software engineer turned farmer from Kiambu, is among those rewriting the rules. From his greenhouse, he grows capsicum and dairy fodder using an app he coded himself. The app feeds him real-time data on soil moisture, temperature and nutrient levels, allowing him to tweak irrigation and fertilizer use from his phone.

“Farming doesn’t have to break your back,” he says with a laugh. “It’s about making the land think with you. When you can measure your soil, you can manage your future.”

For Edward, data is more than convenience. It is credibility. “When you digitize your operations, you can show investors your performance,” he says. “Numbers build trust and in turn, trust opens up credit. That is how small farms develop into agribusinesses.”

A few stands away, Wanjiru, a final-year student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, interacts with exhibitors with intense curiosity. Between classes, she manages a thriving agribusiness in Kirinyaga, using digital platforms to market her produce and manage payments.

“Many young people think farming is old-fashioned,” she says. “But what I see here is innovation. Drones, sensors, digital marketplaces. However, farming is gradually integrating tech while tech continues to transform farming.”

Her words capture a quiet revolution that is unfolding across Kenya’s countryside, one where agriculture is no longer a fall-back option but a stage for creativity, data science and entrepreneurship.

Nurturing this shift has therefore meant rethinking how it supports farmers. Over the past three decades, the company has equally moved beyond fertilizer supply to co-create soil-nutrition programs tailored to local needs. Working with farmers, agronomists and county governments, it continues to generate crop-specific nutrition plans to improve both yield and soil health. It also invests in digital solutions that connect farmers to information, advice and markets.

“Our mission of enabling a nature-positive food future only works when we put the farmer at the centre,” says Dr Winnie. “That is why we build ecosystems around them; networks that combine knowledge, access, and innovation.”

This approach has subsequently established a two-way learning community. Farmers gain better yields using sustainable practices, while the leading global crop nutrition experts gain deeper insights into Kenya’s diverse soils. Those lessons feed directly into research and product innovation, leading to new blends specifically formulated for local conditions. At this year’s expo, several new products were unveiled, each the result of years of field collaboration.

“Thirty years of partnership have taught us that every soil has a story,” Dr Winnie adds. “We are now using that knowledge to craft the next chapter, one that scales innovation faster and reaches more farmers than ever before.”

That next chapter leans heavily on the energy and ingenuity of young people. Through Shamba Stars, the company is generating a platform that will soon evolve into a mentorship and learning hub. It connects young farmers to networks of agronomists, digital tools and funding partners, accelerating their growth and deepening the impact of their ideas.

Wanjiru believes this model can unlock new kinds of innovation. “When youth are integrated into such ecosystems, they learn faster,” she says. “You start to see new ideas emerge; packaging, recycling, agri-fashion. It becomes a whole value chain of possibilities.”

For Edward, digital platforms are already reshaping how farmers think and work. His app now connects him to a small network of growers who share real-time data. “We call it systemised farming,” he says. “Everyone wins, the farmer, the soil and the consumer. You can see productivity improving, but also sustainability. Nothing is wasted.”

The digital thread runs through much of the company’s recent work. From mobile advisory services to online soil testing platforms, the company has been steadily digitising its operations. That shift has made knowledge sharing easier and faster, particularly for younger farmers who are digital natives. It also ensures that the science behind sustainable crop nutrition is not locked away in labs but shared across devices and regions.

For many at the expo, these changes symbolise more than technological progress. They mark a shift in mind-set; from viewing agriculture as a seasonal gamble to seeing it as a science-based enterprise with measurable outcomes and global significance.

Kenya’s agricultural future will essentially depend on this blend of science, sustainability and youth leadership. The company’s goal for the next three decades is to scale innovation in reach and speed, building a more inclusive ecosystem where no critical player is left behind. Central to that ambition will be young people like Edward and Wanjiru, who are already proving that the future of farming is not something to wait for, but something to build.

As the sun dips over Mwea and the crowds at the expo thin, Edward scrolls through the day’s readings on his app. Soil temperature steady, nutrient levels optimal. Around him, farmers chat in small circles, trading insights, booking soil tests, signing up for training sessions.

In a nutshell, the scene captures a nature-positive future. One where technology and ecology work together, and where the farmer is both beneficiary and innovator.

For Wanjiru, the meaning is simpler. “Agriculture is where every idea begins,” she says. “It feeds us, it employs us, it teaches us how to care for the planet. That’s what our generation must protect.”

If the past 30 years have been about learning Kenya’s soils, the next 30 may well be about nurturing its youth, and through them, the fertile ground of a truly sustainable food future.