[cid:image001.png@01D1A622.5389E560] [cid:image002.png@01D1A622.5389E560] DISCUSSION No. 127 • FSN Forum digest No. 1227 Youth – feeding the future. Addressing the challenges faced by rural youth aged 15 to 17 in preparing for and accessing decent work. until 15 May 2016 [cid:image003.png@01D1A622.5389E560]How to participate Send your contribution to [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>or post it on the FSN Forum website www.fao.org/fsnforum<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum> [cid:image004.png@01D1A622.5389E560] Dear Members, The ongoing consultation on: Youth – feeding the future. Addressing the challenges faced by rural youth aged 15 to 17 in preparing for and accessing decent work<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/discussions/rural-youth-employment-15to17> is attracting views and experiences from different regions and countries. Please find the latest contributions below, along with an initial feedback from Jacqueline Demeranville, who facilitates the consultation. During the next two weeks we welcome your comments on: · what the specific challenges for the 15 to 17 years old are, · how to address these challenges and in particular how to support youth in accessing financial services and participate in agricultural programmes, · how to design, implement and monitor policies and programmes targeted at this age group, · how to improve educational and vocational training to encourage youth to take up agriculture-related work. Please read the full introduction to this topic on the webpage<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/discussions/rural-youth-employment-15to17>, including information on the upcoming expert meeting in Rome. As usual, comments are welcome in English<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/discussions/rural-youth-employment-15to17>, French <http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/fr/forum/discussions/rural-youth-employment-15to17> and Spanish<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/es/forum/discussions/rural-youth-employment-15to17> and in this particular case, also in Arabic<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/sites/default/files/files/127_Rural_youth/TOPIC_AR_Rural_Youth.pdf>, Chinese<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/sites/default/files/files/127_Rural_youth/TOPIC_ZH_Rural_Youth.pdf> and Russian<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/eca/sites/eca/files/files/Youth/TOPIC-ECA_RU_Rural_Youth.pdf>. We also take the opportunity to thank the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) <http://www.ypard.net/> network for supporting this online discussion! Your FSN Forum team Jacqueline Demeranville, facilitator of the discussion Thank you to everyone who has provided comments and shared ideas and case studies so far! Many of you have pointed out the need to engage youth in agriculture and the importance of this life stage in terms of careers and development as well as the challenges they are facing. Some of these challenges relate to agriculture in general (risk management, professionalization of the sector, climate change and value chain organization etc.) and some specifically to youth (such as data, blocked participation in agricultural programme and producers’ organization and access to insurance, finance and resources to name a few). [cid:image005.png@01D1A622.5389E560] Many of you have pointed out the need to engage youth in agriculture and the importance of this . We have also received a number of suggestions to support youth in agriculture, related to microfinance, producers’ organizations, deployment of green technologies, participatory approaches, dissemination of information on government programmes, among other ideas). Thank you for these and your other rich contributions! Thinking about some of these actions raises a number of questions for me on how to ensure that youth under 18 are engaged. For example, can youth under 18 access financial services, join producers’ organizations and participate in national youth and agricultural programmes? How can we ensure that youth under 18 benefit from such initiatives? Is it in the policy and programme design, or implementation? What approaches have worked to reach this age group with these services and resources or to support their access to decent work in agriculture? Several of you have also raised the issue of the importance of education and vocational training in rural areas, highlighting cases where theory is linked with hands-on activities and students are linked with the private sector for practical experience. Please keep these cases coming! It would also be interesting to know if there are any examples of ministries of agriculture joining up with ministries of education and youth to do so. Looking forward to our continued discussion! Best regards, Jacqueline CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED [cid:image003.png@01D1A622.5389E560]Diana Lee-Smith, Mazingira Institute, Kenya Diana shares some relevant resources on youth employment and in particular the paper Kenyan Urban Youth Getting Involved in Agriculture<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/sites/default/files/resources/Youth%20unemployment%20book%20chapter.docx>. This paper is part of the chapter "Agriculture as an Opportunity" of a broader publication on Youth unemployment in Keny<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/sites/default/files/resources/Youth%20unemployment%20book.pdf>a<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/sites/default/files/resources/Youth%20unemployment%20book.pdf>. The examples of Nairobi and Environs Food Security, Agriculture and Livestock Forum (NEFSALF) hosted at the Mazingira Institute and of the Anglican Development Services are included in the resources shared. Read the contribution <http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/contributions/re-youth-–-feeding-future-addressing-challenges-faced-rural-youth-aged-15-17--12> [cid:image003.png@01D1A622.5389E560]Emile Houngbo, Agricultural University of Ketou (UAK), Benin Emile highlights that the first obstacle hindering the entry of young people into agriculture is the high level of risks that they have to take. Therefore, to mobilize the young into agriculture, it is necessary that the risks inherent to the sector are reduced by important public investments. Read the contribution<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/contributions/re-jeunes-%E2%80%93-nourrir-l%E2%80%99avenir-r%C3%A9soudre-les-enjeux-auxquels-sont-confront%C3%A9s-les-je> [cid:image003.png@01D1A622.5389E560]Ranila Jayasinghe, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka Ranila has seen successful youth engagement in polytunnel vegetable production in Sri Lanka, around the town of Welimada. This kind of activity involves the use of high technology and direct supply to supermarkets, which can motivate youth to engage. Read the contribution <http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/contributions/re-youth-–-feeding-future-addressing-challenges-faced-rural-youth-aged-15-17--13> [cid:image003.png@01D1A622.5389E560]Alpha Sennon, WHYFARM, Trinidand and Tobago Alpha presents his startup, WHYFARM, which means We Help You-th Farm and aims at promoting agriculture among children by increasing their awareness on the world food problems. Read the contribution <http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/contributions/re-youth-–-feeding-future-addressing-challenges-faced-rural-youth-aged-15-17--15> [cid:image003.png@01D1A622.5389E560]Charlotte Goemans, International Labour Organisation, United Republic of Tanzania Based on her experience in working on youth employment in agriculture in Africa, Charlotte shares her views on some of the issues raised in the topic. First, the need to keep the targeting age group flexible as precise ages may be difficult to track down in some regions. Second, the distinction between child labour and youth labour seems artificial at the field level. Third, different definitions of age groups by different institutions make the age group 15 to 17 very difficult to monitor, which is why the ILO is engaging in data-collection to overcome this gap. Fourth, it is only by focusing on both agriculture and industrialization at the same time that we can support developing countries to transform and ‘graduate’ to middle-income countries. Agriculture needs to be modernised and integrated into value chains, and ICTs have a big role to play in this transition. Last, there are gaps and bias in the access to vocational training that need to be address to include a higher number of youth. Read the contribution <http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/contributions/re-youth-–-feeding-future-addressing-challenges-faced-rural-youth-aged-15-17--16> [cid:image003.png@01D1A622.5389E560]Stephen Adejoro, Zartech Limited, Nigeria Stephen stresses the role of Public-Private Partnerships in offering youth training and working opportunities in agriculture; in the case of Nigeria, private agricultural companies identified by the government could mentor youth to engage in sustainable agriculture activities and provide technical support. There are also opportunities in the cattle sector in several areas of the country. Read the contribution <http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/contributions/re-youth-%E2%80%93-feeding-future-addressing-challenges-faced-rural-youth-aged-15-17--18> [cid:image003.png@01D1A622.5389E560]John Weatherhogg, Italy John builds on Charlotte Goemans' contribution, in particular on the ways to create decent rural employment opportunities for youth: in addition to leasing of agricultural equipment, hire-purchase can also be an option to support youth in accessing contract work. Read the contribution <http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/contributions/re-youth-–-feeding-future-addressing-challenges-faced-rural-youth-aged-15-17--19> www.fao.org/fsnforum<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/> CONTACT US<mailto:[log in to unmask]> • DISCLAIMER<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/disclaimer-copyright> ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the FSNFORUM-L list, click the following link: https://listserv.fao.org/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=FSNFORUM-L&A=1