By Michelle Kovacevic
“When you are young is when you have the energy…that’s when you can multitask. It’s good to be focused and passionate about what you do. Most of the young people from my experience want quick money or quick returns… the key advice I can give you is ‘do the work and the money will follow you.'”
You wouldn’t doubt Joseph Macharia’s focus, passion and energy for a second. He’s been the driving force behind Mkulima Young – an online community that encourages youth to engage in agriculture by creating an online space for young smart farmers or others interested in agriculture to market their produce, ask questions, obtain advice and create networks.
He’s also about to take on an Ashoka fellowship, an award for entrepreneurs who have come up with innovative solutions to social problems, which will give him more time to make Mkulima Young a truly global platform.
At the Global Landscapes Forum’s youth session in Warsaw 2013, Joseph talked about how farming is seen as an old person’s activity and how he has used social media to broaden the appeal of agriculture to Kenya’s youth.
“Youth are in agriculture, but it is not celebrated. Moreover, youth are online; reach them out there and get them involved in agriculture,” he said at the event.
Ahead of the youth activities at December’s Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) in Peru, which will focus on building youth skills and knowledge to become leaders and effectively contribute to discussions, we catch up with Joseph to find out how his career path has evolved and his advice for upcoming youth leaders and participants in the 2014 GLF.
Join the Mkulima Young community on Twitter (@mkulimayoung) and Facebook www.facebook.com/mkulima.young. Watch Joseph’s speech from last year’s Global Landscapes Forum and read The Facebook Farmer.
Listen to this as a podcast:
Register to attend the youth session here.
This is the first of a blog series profiling youth leadership in landscapes. Tell us your youth story – submit blogs to landscapes.youth@gmail.com
