Nairobi, July 6 -- Kenya produces some of the finest coffee in the world, but beneath the reputation is a sector under pressure. While climate change, competition and price volatility are significant threats, the absence of a skilled generation to drive the sector's future demands immediate attention.

A 2020 report found that most coffee farmers in Kenya are men aged 60 and above. This means the transfer of critical production skills accumulated over decades is slowing.

Younger Kenyans, faced with limited structured entry points into the coffee value chain and few visible career pathways, are looking elsewhere. The result is an expertise gap that, if unaddressed, will erode the foundations of a sector that earned Kenya Sh43.36 billion b...