From Idea to National Recognition

The agripreneur model built on youth-led service delivery to farmers is no longer just ours. It has been adopted at the national level.

On Madaraka Day, President Ruto committed to deploying 18,000 youth agripreneurs across Kenya to support over 6 million smallholder farmers. Several counties are already integrating this into their development plans, recognising agripreneurs as agents of change who can bridge advisory, inputs, finance, and market access.

Rethinking Scale: From Lean to Systems

Our journey through the Scalers Program with the Centre for Exponential Change (C4EC) challenged us to move from a “scale what works” mindset to building “what works at scale.” That means designing from the outset for inclusion, adaptability, and long-term sustainability.

We realised early that we couldn’t solve these problems alone. So we began building a network of solvers from tech partners, input providers to schools, governments, and market offtakers. This thinking is what drives Kenya OneNetwork: an open network where every player can plug in, co-create, and transact.

Scale >> Anchored in Schools, Rooted in Communities

With support from partners like UNICEF, we embedded agripreneur-led regenerative farms into 256 public schools across Kirinyaga, Kisumu, Busia, and Samburu.

Sustainability | Building for the Long Term

With donor funding tightening, building a resilient model is no longer optional and we now have the data to back our approach:

But we’re not stopping there.
We’re flipping the model –starting with the market.

Thanks to a new partnership with Unilever and FCDO’s TRANSFORM programme, we’re piloting a demand-led approach that aligns production with real market needs:

• Identify buyer needs and market demand
• Train agripreneurs to translate these into clear production standards
• Support farmers to grow market-ready, quality crops efficiently & sustainably

This is not just training – it’s coordination. Less waste. Higher incomes. Better supply chain outcomes for everyone involved.

A true flywheel for change.

Speed | High-Touch, High-Tech

We’ve been quietly integrating AI into our offering not to replace human connection, but to amplify it. Our goal is to catalyze a measurable mindset shift from “just farming” to “running an agribusiness”. leading to better practices, stronger market linkages, and income growth. We’re also using AI to reinvent how we measure impact. This year, we’re launching Farmer Voices and Agripreneur Voices, real-time feedback systems to ensure we are listening, learning, and adapting in partnership with the communities we serve.

More on how we’re rethinking impact measurement:
What’s Really Changing – Societal Thinking

Looking Ahead

As we head into the second half of the year, we’re more focused than ever:

• Demonstrating the viability of School based agriculture to strengthen School Feeding and Nutrition outcomes at scale
• Accelerating the market-first movement through strategic offtaker partnerships
• Deepening community voice and co-creation at every stage
• Growing a collaborative ecosystem of mission-aligned partners

To every partner, funder, advisor, and friend - thank you. You’ve helped turn a bold idea into a national model, and a proof point into a network that's giving agency, choice and dignity to every actor in the ecosystem to learn, connect, and grow on their terms and pace.

Let’s keep building, not for scale alone, but for systems that work for everyone.

Warm regards,
Sriram Bharatam
Co-Founder & Chief Mentor
Kuza Biashara