Drivers of youth engagement in agriculture: Insights from Guatemala, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda

Drivers of youth engagement in agriculture: Insights from Guatemala, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda PDF Author: Babu, Suresh Chandra
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 29

Get Book

Book Description
Engaging burgeoning youth populations in developing country agriculture is seen as an important strategy toward effective, efficient, and sustainable food system transformation. Yet the policy, institutional, technological, and capability barriers and ways to overcome them for successful participation of youth in agriculture are not fully understood. We use a conceptual framework that identifies key pathways to prosperity for youth and classifies contextual and driving factors that contribute to the success of youth engagement in agriculture. The framework comprises four broad categories of strategic interventions: policy and socioeconomic environment; institutional; technological/business infrastructure; and individual skills and capacities. In the context of this framework, we then present insights from cases of youth participation in agriculture in five countries: Guatemala, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda. The countries and cases were purposively selected as part of ongoing research on youth engagement in agriculture. Policies and strategies play an important role in creating an enabling environment for youth engagement in agriculture, including by fostering transparency and accountability in the policy system and promoting youth engagement in the private sector through agricultural extension and other services. Institutions and intermediaries provide financial support, training, and access to market for youth entrepreneurs. Support in these areas should be strengthened. Systems approaches, such as multi-stakeholder platforms, provide holistic support to young agripreneurs (entrepreneurs in agriculture), but require effective coordination. Similarly, information and communication technologies can play a facilitating role by providing platforms to network and receive updated market information but need to be significantly scaled up. Individual capacities can drive youth engagement in agriculture and agripreneurship but must continue to be built up through expanded education and training on technical and functional skills. As policymakers and program managers search for interventions that can promote youth involvement in agriculture in their own countries, the insights from the five countries examined that are presented in this paper may be useful for identifying context-specific challenges and pathways to successful youth engagement in agriculture in their own countries. The framework presented here can be applied to study youth engagement issues in any country or in sub-national, decentralized contexts to generate evidence to guide the design of youth-in-agriculture development programs. There is a need to support, strengthen, and implement the driving factors identified in this paper for expanding youth engagement in agriculture.

Drivers of youth engagement in agriculture: Insights from Guatemala, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda

Drivers of youth engagement in agriculture: Insights from Guatemala, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda PDF Author: Babu, Suresh Chandra
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 29

Get Book

Book Description
Engaging burgeoning youth populations in developing country agriculture is seen as an important strategy toward effective, efficient, and sustainable food system transformation. Yet the policy, institutional, technological, and capability barriers and ways to overcome them for successful participation of youth in agriculture are not fully understood. We use a conceptual framework that identifies key pathways to prosperity for youth and classifies contextual and driving factors that contribute to the success of youth engagement in agriculture. The framework comprises four broad categories of strategic interventions: policy and socioeconomic environment; institutional; technological/business infrastructure; and individual skills and capacities. In the context of this framework, we then present insights from cases of youth participation in agriculture in five countries: Guatemala, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda. The countries and cases were purposively selected as part of ongoing research on youth engagement in agriculture. Policies and strategies play an important role in creating an enabling environment for youth engagement in agriculture, including by fostering transparency and accountability in the policy system and promoting youth engagement in the private sector through agricultural extension and other services. Institutions and intermediaries provide financial support, training, and access to market for youth entrepreneurs. Support in these areas should be strengthened. Systems approaches, such as multi-stakeholder platforms, provide holistic support to young agripreneurs (entrepreneurs in agriculture), but require effective coordination. Similarly, information and communication technologies can play a facilitating role by providing platforms to network and receive updated market information but need to be significantly scaled up. Individual capacities can drive youth engagement in agriculture and agripreneurship but must continue to be built up through expanded education and training on technical and functional skills. As policymakers and program managers search for interventions that can promote youth involvement in agriculture in their own countries, the insights from the five countries examined that are presented in this paper may be useful for identifying context-specific challenges and pathways to successful youth engagement in agriculture in their own countries. The framework presented here can be applied to study youth engagement issues in any country or in sub-national, decentralized contexts to generate evidence to guide the design of youth-in-agriculture development programs. There is a need to support, strengthen, and implement the driving factors identified in this paper for expanding youth engagement in agriculture.

Drivers of Youth Engagement in Agriculture

Drivers of Youth Engagement in Agriculture PDF Author: Suresh Chandra Babu
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book

Book Description


Agricultural policy processes and the youth in Malawi

Agricultural policy processes and the youth in Malawi PDF Author: Mariam A. T. J. Mapila
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 32

Get Book

Book Description
Evidence exists which shows growing disillusionment with and disinterest in agricultural-based livelihoods among the youth in Africa south of the Sahara. This disillusionment raises concerns for the future of agriculture for the developing world as it can lead to higher rural urban migration, unemployment and lowered agricultural productivity. The engagement of youth in agricultural policy formulation processes is seen as one avenue for motivating youth engagement in agriculture. This research seeks to develop a contextual understanding of the level of engagement of youth in agriculture thus providing evidence which can be used to stimulate youth involvement in the sector. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study analyzes the determinants of the engagement by southern African youth in agricultural policy processes using Malawi as a case study.

Who Works in Agriculture?

Who Works in Agriculture? PDF Author: Kashi Kafle
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789290728818
Category : Agricultural laborers
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book

Book Description
"This analysis examines the dynamics of youth employment in agriculture and the agri-food system in Tanzania and Malawi. The study finds that when extending the definition of a farmer beyond household heads, the average age of 'farmers' is 34 years in Tanzania and 31 years in Malawi. With 59 and 56 per cent of rural youth consistently engaging in farming, juxtaposed against high turnover into and out of the sector, it is likely that poor economic prospects outside farming are driving strong youth participation. To increase rural agricultural youth employment, it is recommended that countries promote opportunities in the agri-food system."--

Food systems transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the past and policy options for the future Loading... Files Full Book (7.78 MB, pdf) Chapters List (73 KB, pdf) Authors Breisinger, Clemens Keenan, Michael Mbuthia, Juneweenex Njuki, Jemimah Date Issued 2023-12-20 Language en Type Book Review Status Peer Review Access Rights Open Access Open Access Usage Rights CC-BY-4.0 Metadata Sha

Food systems transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the past and policy options for the future Loading... Files Full Book (7.78 MB, pdf) Chapters List (73 KB, pdf) Authors Breisinger, Clemens Keenan, Michael Mbuthia, Juneweenex Njuki, Jemimah Date Issued 2023-12-20 Language en Type Book Review Status Peer Review Access Rights Open Access Open Access Usage Rights CC-BY-4.0 Metadata Sha PDF Author: Breisinger, Clemens
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 536

Get Book

Book Description
The new Kenyan government faces a complex domestic and global environment, and it is widely expected to address key food and agricultural challenges with a new set of policies and programs. This policy brief presents key recommendations from a forthcoming book, Food Systems Transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the Past and Policy Options for the Future, which provides research-based “food for thought and action” to support the Kenyan government’s efforts to improve food security.

Challenges faced by youth engaging in agriculture. A study of peri-urban Kiambu in Kenya

Challenges faced by youth engaging in agriculture. A study of peri-urban Kiambu in Kenya PDF Author: Michael Sitawa
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3668338264
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 40

Get Book

Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2016 in the subject Sociology - Children and Youth, , course: Development Studies, language: English, abstract: The population of Kenya is a youthful one comprising about 78.31% aged below 34 years. Youth, however, has been declining to engage in agriculture. Notable is that agriculture is the main economic activity of Kenya. The sector has been recording a poor performance in the recent years and the continuous decline of youth engaging in agriculture may lead to a further setback. The effect will be a strain to the achievements of set government goals towards economic growth and development. Therefore, this study sought to assess challenges affecting youth engagement in agriculture in Kiambu County. Specifically, the study sought to find out; to what extent knowledge, land, attitude and credit affect youth’s engagement in agriculture. The study was conducted in Limuru Sub County because of the issue of high land fragmentation. The study adopted a survey research design that was cross sectional in nature. It targeted a population of 10,633 youth. The researcher used proportionate sampling to sample 300 youths from the peri-urban population of the constituency. A semi structured questionnaire was administered to both female and male research subjects. Thereafter, quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) computer software version 11.5. The data was presented in form of frequencies, means, pie chart bar graphs and standard deviation. Pearson’s r, correlation was used to determine the relationship between the variables whereas, qualitative data analysis was based on grounded theories and presented along emerging themes. The study concluded that lack of land and a poor attitude towards agriculture were the major causes of non-engagement in agriculture. The study further concluded that agricultural knowledge led to an interest in agriculture engagement. It also found out that in peri- urban areas, because of availability of casual jobs and business opportunities, capital for agriculture was raised through personal and group savings more than borrowing from financial institutions. The study recommended reviving farmer cooperatives, extensive training focusing on importance of youth engagement in agriculture for families and frequent farm visits to demonstrate new farming techniques for youth. Further it recommended formation of structured financial groups by youth.

Youth in agriculture in Fiji

Youth in agriculture in Fiji PDF Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN: 9251368481
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 88

Get Book

Book Description
This 'Youth in agriculture in Fiji' analysis report is based on an in-depth analysis of the data collected as part of the 2020 Fiji Agriculture Census (2020 FAC). The 2020 FAC has, for the first time, collected sex, age and geographic disaggregated data on young men and women in agriculture, forestry and fisheries. Drawing on this rich data source, this report provides analysis on trends in youth participation in agriculture.

Assessing the digital readiness and communication ecosystem of rural youth

Assessing the digital readiness and communication ecosystem of rural youth PDF Author: Pafumi, M.
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN: 9251385114
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 102

Get Book

Book Description
Digitalization is a potential game-changer to boost youth engagement and leadership in agrifood systems. Digital engagement can increase youth access to timely information, training, or marketing opportunities while providing more venues for peer learning, networking, and participation in policy dialogues. Yet, the transformative power of digital technologies also entails the risk of widening existing divides. As we seek to engage youth in the digital space, we must consider a series of interrelated factors that influence their online experiences ranging from digital access, use, and literacy, to overall information flows, offline communication resources, social interactions, and the norms shaping them. These methodological guidelines will be a useful resource for development professionals who wish to leverage communication and digital technologies in their work with and for youth. The document provides an analytical framework and practical orientation to conduct age-specific and gender-responsive research on digital readiness and the overall communication ecosystem of young people in order to inform inclusive engagement strategies and youth-centred digital services. Section 1 explains the rationale behind investing time and resources in appraising the existing communication ecosystem before designing any initiative aimed at engaging youth in agrifood systems and in rural areas. Section 2 outlines an analytical framework to unpack the digital readiness and the communication ecosystem of young rural women and men along major investigation areas: digital access, use and skills; information flows; offline communication resources; and social capital and social norms. Section 3 describes how to conduct hands-on research combining the use of both qualitative and quantitative methods. Section 4 summarizes final considerations and take-home messages. The Annexes provide two examples of data collection tools, namely a mobile survey questionnaire and a focus group discussion guide, while the Field Stories present real-life examples testifying to the multiple and varied applications of the methodology within the scope of FAO’s Integrated Country Approach (ICA) for Boosting Decent Jobs for Youth in the Agrifood System project.

Agricultural extension and rural advisory services: What have we learned? What’s next?

Agricultural extension and rural advisory services: What have we learned? What’s next? PDF Author: Davis, Kristin E.
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 14

Get Book

Book Description
Agricultural extension provides the critical connection from agricultural innovation and discovery to durable improvements at scale, as farmers and other actors in the rural economy learn, adapt, and innovate with new technologies and practices. However, lack of capacity and performance of agricultural extension in lower- and middle-income countries is an ongoing concern. Research on agricultural extension and advisory services (in short, extension) has been an integral part of the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM) since its inception. This brief synthesizes key findings from research funded by and linked to PIM from 2012 to 2021, presenting lessons learned and a vision for the future of extension. A list of all PIM-related extension and advisory services research is provided at the end. Designing and implementing effective provision of extension is complex, and efforts to strengthen extension services often fall into a trap of adopting “best practice” blueprint approaches that are not well-tailored to local conditions. An expansive literature examines the promises and pitfalls of common approaches, including training-and-visit extension systems, farmer field schools, and many others (Anderson and Feder 2004; Anderson et al. 2006; Waddington and White 2014; Scoones and Thompson 2009). To understand extension systems and build evidence for what works and where, the “best-fit” framework, a widely recognized approach developed by Birner and colleagues (2009) and adapted by Davis and Spielman (2017), offers a simple impact chain approach (Figure 1). The framework focuses on a defined set of extension service characteristics that affect performance: governance structures and funding; organizational and management capacities and cultures; methods; and community engagement — all of which are subject to external factors such as the policy environment, agroecological conditions, and farming-system heterogeneity. To enhance extension performance and, ultimately, a wide range of outcomes and impacts, new and innovative interventions can be applied and adapted within this set of extension characteristics.

Primary agricultural cooperatives in Malawi: Structure, conduct, and performance

Primary agricultural cooperatives in Malawi: Structure, conduct, and performance PDF Author: Davis, Kristin
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 78

Get Book

Book Description
Primary agricultural cooperatives in Malawi, in contrast to other farmer-level organizations, have legal status and can own assets, borrow money for their operations, and sign contracts, making it easier for them to do business for the profit of their members. Conceptually, such cooperatives enable their member-farmers to achieve economies of scale for their commercial activities. By joining together in a cooperative, members can obtain commercial inputs at lower prices closer to wholesale prices than if they purchased the inputs as individuals. In selling their output, by aggregating their crops and other products into larger lots that the cooperative then negotiates to sell on their behalf, buyers can achieve greater efficiency in buying from them and can be expected to offer a premium over the prices that they would offer farmers selling those products individually. Cooperatives can also serve farmers in providing an important channel for obtaining information and advice to increase their productivity and the profitability of their farming. Moreover, by joining together to achieve common objectives in primary agricultural cooperatives, member-farmers can exercise greater influence on local and national policy issues of concern to them, while also building social cohesion, solidarity, and trust within their communities.