Lead image for Young people in Meru County embrace farming – and thrive .
For long, farming has been associated with what your grandparents did and what you do when there is no other option. It is backbreaking work for little pay, a last resort for those who failed to find something better.
In Meru, however, young people are leasing land, calculating profits and counting harvests like paydays.
Three years ago, Daisy Kathure was 17 and working as a barmaid in Kibiricho. Kathure’s mother died when she was young, leaving her and her younger sisters under the care of a father who was not financially stable. He is battling cancer.
Daisy Kathure, 20, inspects her potato farm in Kibiricho, Meru County on August 6, 2026.
She dropped out of school in Class Eight for lack of fees and took up menial jobs. At 20, she is a farmer. In about a month, she will be harvesting her potatoes and expects to make around Sh150,000. She runs a thriving salon business on the side, but farming is her anchor.
It started in 2024 when her mother’s friend found her working at a bar and introduced her to a programme for young people.