“Close your eyes and visualise a farmer. What do you see?”- were the opening words of Germaine Akeza, the Agri-Preneur and social media agri-influencer, while addressing youths in agriculture. This was at the recent inaugural Youth Café, a monthly intimate storytelling session that convenes youth from different sectors to discuss their hurdles, glitches and hints of success in the entrepreneural journey.

"When people picture a farmer," Germaine continued, her voice growing passionate, "they often imagine a wretched woman or man, defeated and unsure of the future. Some see a woman with a baby tied on her back, toiling in the field with a hoe, struggling against the elements. This outdated image is why we, the youth, must transform the face of agriculture with innovation and technology."

She paused, letting her words sink in. The room was silent, every eye fixed on her.

"We have the power to rewrite this narrative," Germaine declared. "By embracing smart agriculture, we can paint a new picture - one of empowered farmers employing sustainable practices that work with nature, not against it."

Germaine’s words echoed many sentiments in the room and beyond, because when agriculture succeeds, more mouths are fed, more families are lifted out of poverty, and the entire nation prospers. 

The young people are the backbone of the economy and Africa’s greatest resource. But through their inventions and innovations, they hit roadblocks that include capital challenges, a limited marketspace, and the lack of peer groups to discuss these challenges. 

The Youth café is a space that was born to solve these challenges. It brings together young entrepreneurs to 

empower each other through the power of storytelling. The lessons shared from these stories allow the youth to walk with each other in the otherwise lonely journey to entrepreneurship.

At the inaugural “Smart Agriculture” themed event, 30 young agriculture enthusiasts convened to discuss and learn, challenge each other on how to adopt smart agriculture and new practices to drive success.

Benjamin Bizima, the Founder of Kivu Choice, recalled the enthusiasm he had when he started out his very first business and how it all came tumbling down in failure. 

“I was so excited about the wrong things, because the wrong step that I took, was to be excited about the success or outcomes of others, rather than reflecting on the hustles and hurdles that they went through,” he reflected. “When done right, the opportunity in agriculture is big. Even if we all ventured into agriculture, we would all create impact.”

Bizima and Akeza were joined by three other storytellers who included Nshutiyimana Jean Bosco, an accomplished entrepreneur and animal production specialist, Iradukunda Jean Damascene, an emerging entrepreneur and innovator who is making waves in Rwanda's agriculture business landscape, and Prosper Muganza,  a University of Rwanda Student and Hortculturist.

Held at the UniPod, an innovation space at the University of Rwanda, the monthly event intends to unlock the potential of young Rwandans from all sectors and fields through the power of storytelling. This Youth Café initiative is implemented by the Ministry of Youth and Arts, the United Nations Dcevelopment Program (UNDP), the Tony Elemelu Foundation, while being funded by the European Union.

(Visit link to watch the recap of the inaugural Youth Café)