By Rose Masidza, young activist from Shinyalu, a rural area in Kakamega County, Kenya
This testimonial is part of the campaign on climate justice launched by the CSIPM Youth Working Group. More information is available at this link: https://www.csm4cfs.org/youth-voices-for-climate-justice-and-the-right-to-food/
I am Rose Masidza a 28-year-old youth activist from Shinyalu, a rural area in Kakamega County, Kenya, where many families survive by farming and small-scale mining. Our land is rich in minerals, but that wealth has come at a heavy cost. The expansion of mining activities has degraded our environment, contaminated water sources, and stripped the land of its fertility. For the women and youth in our community, these changes have threatened our ability to feed ourselves, let alone farm sustainably.
Growing up, I watched my grandmother tend to a vibrant garden filled with Indigenous vegetables, maize, and beans. Today, those same plots yield almost nothing. The soil is acidic from years of mining runoff. Water sources that used to nourish our crops are either dry or polluted. As a result, we now depend on expensive food from the market, which many families can barely afford. Food insecurity has become our daily reality.
Climate change has made things worse. The rain no longer comes when expected, and when it does, it often floods the degraded lands, washing away seeds and topsoil. For the youth and women who depend on subsistence farming, the unpredictability of the climate and land degradation has not only stolen our food but also our hope.
Despite these challenges, we are not sitting back. As young people, we are trying to adapt. A group of us formed a local youth collective called Mazingira Yetu, where we promote agroecological farming methods like composting, planting indigenous crops, and creating small kitchen gardens. These practices help, but the land is still damaged, and without proper support, our efforts are limited.
We need policies that prioritize the voices of those on the frontlines—especially women and youth. Many young people want to farm and protect the land, but access to land, credit, and training remains out of reach. Policies often favor large-scale land deals or extractive industries, leaving us powerless. Worse still, when we raise our voices, we’re ignored.
Our call to world leaders and policymakers is simple: recognize our right to food as a basic human right. Invest in local youth-led solutions. Fund programs that regenerate the land and protect biodiversity. Create space for us in decision-making forums. The current model of development—extracting without restoring—is failing our generation.
We believe in a different future. One where food is grown sustainably, where the youth are empowered to farm and lead, and where the health of the environment comes before profit. We are not just victims of climate change and land degradation—we are agents of change. But we can’t do it alone. The world must stand with us.