AGRICULTURAL INCENTIVES: ASSESSMENT OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ECONOMIC STIMULUS PROGRAMME AND YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN KENYA

Samantha Ringa

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

Teresia Kyalo

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

ABSTRACT

Youth entrepreneurship involves acquainting young people and students with the opportunities of small-business employment and ownership. To help reduce youth unemployment levels in the world, different Governments have come up with plans to promote economic growth which will promote youth entrepreneurship and reduce the reliance on formal employment by the youth. This paper looks at an example of this which is the Economic Stimulus Programme launched by the Kenya Government in 2010. This was created to encourage expenditure of public funds in the whole country through initiatives such as the construction of fish ponds to promote aquaculture. This research study employed the descriptive research design and a purposive sampling method was used to sample information from 127 respondents in Kajiado North constituency used in this study. Questionnaires were used as the main instrument of data collection. The data collected was processed and analysed using spread sheets, and the findings were presented graphically. The study results indicated that most of the young business owners were aware of the initiatives by the government but not many had access to them. The study also revealed that agriculture was not the major source of income to many. The main conclusion from the study was that Government of Kenya needs to sensitize the youth about products tailored for them. Young entrepreneurs should be encouraged by the government to form business associations in form of Sacco’s or self-help groups to pull resources, share ideas, experiences and suggestions.

Full Text PDF Format