In East Africa, agriculture is often perceived as a livelihood reserved for older adults, and while in countries such as Kenya the average age of farmers is 61, this reality is changing as youth across the region are picking up farming and engaging in agribusiness. With the coming launch of East Africa’s newest reality TV show, Don’t Lose the Plot, viewers will have a front row seat to learn how youth can be at the front of East Africa’s agribusiness movement.
This exciting moment for youth and agribusiness will be featured when Feed the Future and USAID officially launch the TV show in Nairobi next week, alongside the show’s partners. The launch event to be held on Tuesday May 2nd, 2017 at Nairobi’s youth and art center PAWA254, will include presentations from the show’s producer Mediae Company, Africa Lead and USAID, and Mercy Corps’ Agrifin Accelerate program. The event will feature a press briefing and youth agribusiness panel focused on youth and agribusiness titled ‘The Future of Food Security in East Africa’.
Aspiring youth entrepreneurs are invited to register and attend the launch event.
About the Show
Set in a rural area just outside Nairobi, Kenya, Don’t Lose the Plot features four young farmers given one acre of land each and nine months to turn them into successful farms. The farmers receive guidance and practical insights from agriculture experts on financial planning, planting strategies, agricultural inputs and marketing. In the end, the farmer with the most profitable and sustainable farm will win an agricultural investment worth $10,000.
Don’t Lose the Plot is produced by Mediae, the creators of the popular TV series Shamba Shape Up and Makutano Junction and will be broadcast in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The show will air on Citizen Television in Kenya in two major languages: Sundays 1:30 pm (Swahili) and Thursday 1:30 pm (English). In Tanzania episodes in Swahili will be airing in Tanzania on ITV on Fridays at 6:30 pm starting on 5th May 2017. The show will be broadcast on Urban TV in Uganda on a future date.
Don’t Lose the Plot is supported by Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, and USAID’s Kenya and East Africa Mission through Feed the Future’s continent-wide capacity building program, Africa Lead. Support to Mediae from Feed the Future and USAID is focused on increasing media content on the agriculture sector and opportunities for youth employment and development.