Young people in Elgeyo Marakwet have been called upon to join farming cooperative organisations in order to revitalise them and learn under seasoned leaders so that the leadership transition will be easier.
Stanley Kigen, the cooperatives officer for the Marakwet West sub-county, stated that joining a cooperative also makes young people more approachable, which makes it simpler for the government to support them in their agricultural endeavours.
The elderly membership and overabundance of brokers and intermediaries in the industry, he pointed out, may be to blame for the fall in the performance of the farm cooperative societies.
Despite the fact that the number of cooperative societies and members has drastically decreased, he noted that broad membership is necessary for cooperative success because the bottom line for cooperatives is pooling resources together.
The new generation's reluctance to support and assume leadership of societies with the majority of its members being over 65 has undermined the capital base over the years, rendering them unable to purchase products from members, according to Kigen.
In addition to the demise of once-vibrant businesses like pyrethrum and cotton-based industries, which drew raw materials from farmers, he also blamed the poor performance of farmer societies on depressed markets and competition from bank lending institutions.
He did, however, point out that Savings and Cooperative Societies [Saccos] had made significant advancements in terms of membership and share capital, and that members had gained access to dividends and loans as a result.
Kigen alluded to the fact that if the agri-based societies in the region were rehabilitated /modernized they would offer employment to the youth and enable farmers to earn good rewards from their labour.
