Background
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has a mandate for work in the areas of agriculture and rural development and as such, its youth programmes are mainly focused on girls and boys and young women and men in rural areas. In 1985, an Expert Consultation on Rural Youth and Young Farmers in Developing Countries was held as part of the United Nations International Youth Year. That Consultation brought together senior government officials, academics, NGO representatives and FAO staff in discussing problems and constraints faced by rural youth. Recommendations were made as to how governments and FAO could best assist in developing and strengthening programmes for rural youth and young farmers.
Over the past ten years, FAO has been actively involved in the support of rural youth programmes worldwide by sponsoring national workshops on the situation and needs of rural youth in selected countries; implementing national programme strengthening activities; and spreading rural youth population education worldwide through UNFPA-funded projects. The newsletter Youth Works has been published twice a year since 1987.
Since the 1985 Consultation, there has been an increased awareness of the need to develop specific policies for youth development in general and for young women in particular. Environmental and population issues have gained even greater importance over the past ten years. Many governments, faced by structural adjustment, down-sizing and severe budget cuts, are having difficulty providing sufficient funds to maintain a viable rural youth programme. In many countries, developmental priorities have shifted to concentrate on urban areas with a consequent increasing of the marginalization of agriculture and rural life. Because of the significantly changed situation since the first Consultation in 1985, it was decided to hold this second Consultation on rural youth and sustainable development to develop new recommendations and proposals for a draft FAO Action Programme for Rural Youth and as a commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the UN International Youth Year.
The Consultation was held at FAO Headquarters in Rome from 29 November to 1 December 1995. Twenty-three international participants attended from different geographical regions of the world. Some were invited because of specialized expertise in certain subject areas. Twenty-four FAO staff from Headquarters and the regional and sub-regional offices participated. Representatives from the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry; the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) of the Commonwealth Secretariat; the World Association of Girl Scouts and Girl Guides and the International Association of Agricultural Students were also a part of the Consultation. Participants were invited in their personal capacity because of their interest and experience in strengthening rural youth programmes in developing countries.
Objectives of the Consultation
· To review the weaknesses, strengths, opportunities and threats facing ministry of agriculture rural youth programmes in selected countries as a result of structural adjustment, reorganization of extension services, decentralization and reduced budgets.
· To discuss and recommend strategies for promoting the establishment of new government rural youth programmes as part of a comprehensive extension approach to sustainable rural development.
· To identify key elements and recommend strategies for strengthening and expanding existing ministry of agriculture/extension rural youth programmes with emphasis on the application of the youth development research-knowledge base, including strategic planning, educational design, programme management and leadership development.
· To advise FAO on a course of action to assist member governments in strengthening and expanding existing ministry of agriculture/extension rural youth programmes or in the creation of new ones.
