Rigoberto Pérez-Morales
Coordinator, International Programmes
National Foundation of 4-S Clubs,
San José, Costa Rica
It is important before getting into the topic of "Youth Policy and Resources Related to Rural Youth Programmes" to understand what is meant by "youth". When the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 1985 as the International Youth Year, they established the criterion for "youth" for statistical purposes as a young person between the ages of 15 and 24 (Comisión Nacional de Atención Integral al Adolescente, 1993). According to Krauskopf and Gutiérrez (1990), as also cited by the Comisión Nacional de Atención al Adolescente (1993), in Latin America the chronological age range of youth is between 10 and 24 years. During this period, transformations take place to complete basic conditions that introduce the youngsters into the adult society. For the purpose of this paper the author has decided to use the age range 10 to 24 years as the parameter when referring to "youth". It is important to state that in some developing countries this range goes up to 30 years of age.
No matter what the age range may be, the point is that anytime we talk and think about youth its implies a group of young people in a society who have a lot of energy, new ideas, new ways to see life and face problems; however as a group they may also be characterized by having a lack of knowledge and skills in certain areas that come with more experience, higher education and age. At the same time, these young people beg for more opportunities to develop their potential capacities to become grownup and feel they have an important role to play in developing their own societies. Often these ideals cannot be achieved because of certain barriers that interfere with reaching their goals. Generally speaking, regarding youth policy, there seems to be no specific guidelines that would enable one to visualize clear strategies of action of how to help rural youth face these struggles. Thus, the few resources available to fulfil the needs and solve the problems of rural youth are not efficiently used.
Population characteristics have a major impact on youth policy. Costa Rica will be used as a case in point to discuss the implications. The total population of Costa Rica in 1995 is estimated to be 3,374,026 inhabitants. Of those, 30 percent (see figure I) are between the ages of 10 and 24 years. (Comisión Nacional de Atención Integral al Adolescente, 1993).
Figure 1. Estimations and projections of youth (boys and girls) in Costa Rica according to age
|
Range of age |
Year 1995 |
Year 2000 |
Year 2005 |
|
0 to 9 |
795,207 |
803,989 |
812,093 |
|
10 to 24 |
985,223 |
1,091,900 |
1,158,241 |
Of the 1995 estimated total population, 23.6 percent are boys and girls whose ages range from 0 to 9 years. In other words, 53.6 percent of the total population in Costa Rica in 1995 is under 24 years of age. This situation indicates that Costa Rica is a young country in terms of its inhabitants.
In 1992, the total population of Costa Rica was 2,938,377 and out of that 1,303,763 lived in urban zones while 1,634,614 were living in rural areas. Forty-three percent of those living in urban areas ranged between 10 and 24 years of age, while 57 percent lived in the countryside.
In other words, the majority of Costa Rica's youth still lives in the rural areas. Perhaps, one reason for it might be that the rate of birth is higher in the rural areas than in the cities. For instance, in 1990 the birthrate in the rural area was 60.9 percent and in the urban zone was 39.2 percent; that is 21.7 percent higher for populations living outside of the cities.
Some important differences to be pointed out between rural and urban youths that have policy implications are:
· There is a trend for rural youth to start work responsibilities at an earlier age than urban youth. A significant percentage of rural youth become economically active at the relatively young age of 10 or 12.· Normally, young people in rural areas get married earlier than their peers in urban zones. It means that rural youth become involved in adult responsibilities before urban youth.
· Another difference between these two groups is the fact that rural youth have more restricted use of public services offered by the State than urban youth. A typical case is with formal education. Rural youth show levels of literacy and access to basic education lower than urban youth (IICA, 1990). This situation should be highlighted because of its relationship with two of the most important global issues today: the increasing youth population and the lack of educational and employment opportunities given to rural young men and women. Thus, the differences mentioned above widen the gap between urban and rural youth. The issue must be important enough to all governments, donor agencies, NGO's, and any other organizations directly or indirectly engaged with youth to take immediate action and coordinate programmes and gather more resources to be made available to tackle rural youth problems.
In considering policy needs, special problems facing rural youth should be taken into account. Some of these include:
· Drugs abuse
· Lack of communication and understanding with parents
· Lack of employment
· Need for more recreation facilities
· High cost of living
· Need for training programmes for group organizations and project development
· Need to satisfy basic needs of subsistence
· Lack of education
· Lack of self-esteem
· Lack of credit and other economic support for productive activities
· Lack of participation in community decision making
Global rural youth trends
We are standing not only at the edge of the twenty-first century, but also at the edge of a new millennium. There is a challenge to convert ideas into policy and then into action to put in practice programmes aimed at helping the future farmers of the world. By the year 2000 it is estimated that there will be over one billion youths between the ages of 15 and 24. Approximately 85 percent of these young people will be from low income countries, where unfortunately there are food deficiencies; massive rural to urban migration; inadequate housing and health care; pollution; and of course high unemployment rates (Lindley, Journal of Agricultural Education, 1993). This current situation leads us to believe that it will be difficult to attain sustainable development under such conditions.
At the same time, in Africa there will be almost 200 million young people waiting to be educated and prepared for employment. In Asia and the Pacific, the situation is not very different from that of Africa. The number of rural youth will increase by about 10 percent or 35 million by the year 2000. The persistence of rural unemployment and migration to urban areas will continue to be serious problems (Lindley, Journal of Agricultural Education, 1993).
In Central America, the total population is over 28 million inhabitants. More than 40 percent live in urban areas (Bonilla & Meza, 1994, cited by Comisión Nacional de Atención Integral al Adolescente). Most of these people live within the capitals of each country or in the outskirts. The situation worsens with the concentration of poor living in sub-standard housing which often become centres of criminal activity Unfortunately, among these people there are a high percentage of youth and consequently juvenile delinquency. For example, in San José, Costa Rica during the last two years the pedestrians are being threatened by a youth gang called "Chapulines" (grasshoppers). This group of youngsters from 12 to 23 years of age have frightened and even killed innocent citizens. There is no doubt that some of these boys and girls come from families who have migrated from rural areas.
The exodus of rural families to urban zones also causes a deterioration of the environment in terms of more contamination of garbage and human waste. The massive numbers of poor in urban areas decrease the ability to protect the environment and places tremendous pressure on existing resources available to cope with deteriorating conditions. Central American countries, due to their high external debt, cannot afford to invest many economic resources to protect their natural resources. An example is that about 8 million hectares per year are deforested in Latin America, and 350,000 to 400,000 in Central America (Bonilla & Meza, 1994). It is therefore imperative to improve the conditions and situations of people in rural areas, so they can cover their basic needs first and then work to preserve and protect natural resources.
Estimates from the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) show that over 70 percent of Latin America's population will be located in urban areas by the year 2000. Keeping rural youth interested in living and working in rural areas is becoming more difficult. At the same time, it can be said that rural youth are not prepared for gainful employment in the city. A big metropolis cannot continue chaotic and disorganized growth. If rural migration continues as projected, there will be no blueprint, no urban policies, no plans for housing, no viaducts, and no investments able to improve the inhuman conditions in which a great part of the urban population will be bound to live (FAO, Educación Agrícola Superior, 1993). The pace of government expenses cannot keep up with the existing resources to provide adequate standards of living. Reports on the slums of the developing countries of Asia, Central and South America show the life there is extremely miserable (Poostchi, 1987).
According to a study carried out by the ECLAC as reported in La República newspaper (December 31,1995), after decades of country to city migration and a constant growth of the cities, Latin America and the Caribbean is now "one of the most highly urbanized regions of the planet", where the major concentrations of poverty have moved from the country to the cities. Even though the rural areas have their share of social and economic problems, such extremes of poverty are predominantly urban.
In 1995, 73.4 percent of the population in Latin America, which corresponds to 351 million people, live in the urban areas compared to 57.2 percent in 1970. Such a high degree of urbanization places Latin America and the Caribbean "side by side to regions such as Europe and not too far from countries like the United States and Japan." It is estimated that by the year 2025 this proportion will increase up to 85 percent of the total population, which in spite of a declining yearly rate of its growth, will increase in the next 25 years in some 200 million people more than the current total amount of 478 million.
At the same time, the ECLAC document states that the "inexorable advance of the urbanization" has been heterogenic. So, countries like Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay reached a fast urban growth by the 1950's with a decrease rate in the last decades. In Central America, the urban growth has just recently accelerated and promises to increase at an even greater rate caused by the lack of necessary provisions preventing problems of inadequate services and other social economic adaptations. Other more populated countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru also recorded a reduction in their urban growth rate after 1970 due to a reduced country to city migration and a persistent low natural growth rate of the urban populations.
Another concern is that the current population of farmers in many countries is becoming smaller in numbers and growing older. They are not being replaced by younger generations of farmers as the same rate as in the past. Adequate solutions to the urban invasion problem is not only a concern for rural youth and young farmers of Latin America, but also for other regions of the world. Possible areas of policy may include incentives for agricultural production, training for productive work in the rural areas, land reform along with technical assistance and credit with low interest rates. Moreover, employment opportunities, leadership training, health care programmes, and a stronger non-formal education in which content is adapted to the unique needs of the clientele should be a part of any effort to bring about change (Arlen Etling, Journal of Agricultural Education, 1993). Unfortunately, what has been mentioned above may be seen as distant solutions for governments to achieve, especially now that the neo-liberal approach is being adapted where resources for rural development are very limited.
Rural people, especially rural poor in developing countries have a significant dependence on agriculture as a means of subsistence. Surveys of Asian and African countries show that 75 to 85 percent of the rural population are engaged in agriculture production. (Poostchi, 1987).
Youth policy at home (4-S, Costa Rica)
The National Foundation of 4-S Clubs (FUNAC 4-S) in Costa Rica is a non-profit youth organization that has been working since 1960, specifically with rural youth. Its focus has been to help rural youth develop their communities by providing individual and group training, advisory services and in some cases with financial assistance. The youngsters work in agriculture and community projects benefiting their families, their communities and the country itself. The 4-S members have become active leaders in their communities, aware of their responsibilities and contributions as good citizens.
In spite of the limited economic resources, FUNAC 4-S has also been supporting activities for rural women and children. FUNAC's efforts over the past five years have focused on training with entire rural families by supporting skills development and enhancing self-esteem. Members of the 4-S Programme are encouraged to develop home gardens, raise domestic animals, design and assemble clothes, and produce other goods to market. When rural communities organize 4-S exhibitions they attract many visitors, often the general public from outside the local community. There is still a long way to go, but the most important is that 4-S members have started to understand and practice sustainable development as a long-term strategy for human survival. As a general policy, FUNAC 4-S believes that youth human resource training is the best mechanism for sustainable economic and social improvement.
What FAO could do to improve rural youth
There is no doubt about the great support and help that FAO has been carrying out among and within the member countries during 50 years of hard work. Even though every country has its own particular characteristics related with youth and resources devoted to rural youth, some strategy changes at this point may improve the total outcome. It is important to note that perhaps some of the following recommendations have been already addressed by FAO. But the idea is to discuss each of them and see how realistic and effective they can be. Also, they are flexible enough to be modified as well as added to.
1. First of all, FAO should work as partners with governments to design short, medium, and long-term youth programmes aimed at solving needs in rural communities.
2. Design a methodology to help member countries carry out participatory needs assessments in collaboration with community youth leaders to identify the specific problems being faced in the rural area and opportunities for improvement. Priorities should then be established and taken into account for youth policy development.
3. FAO should keep a direct channel of communication open with national policy makers to encourage them to pay more attention to the role played by the rural youth and their importance within the national economy.
4. To encourage civil society to support and recognize rural youth as a productive and contributing part of the whole society.
5. To launch a national campaign along with youth organizations to raise self-esteem of rural youth and enhance the image of the profession of agriculture.
6. To encourage youth organizations within each country to join efforts and resources to reach common goals. In other words, to work together rather than in isolation.
7. FAO should strengthen communication and dissemination of the successful experiences obtained in the different regions around the world with youth programmes, so that the knowledge gathered in those areas can be shared not only with more government decision makers and other general public, but also with those organizations engaged with youth.
8. FAO should work together with ministries of agriculture and youth organizations to build staff competencies in the area of rural youth development.
9. To encourage new governments to study very carefully the possible negative impact of making major changes in rural youth programmes that have been successful.
10. Support universities as they engage in the preparation of rural youth development professionals.
11. FAO should provide support through training and publications to NGO rural youth programme and 4-H/4-S organizations as they make a greater effort to seek financial resources from the private sector and international donor agencies. Encourage the development and strengthening of private non-profit foundations to support rural youth work.
12. FAO should provide training and develop publications to enable rural youth organizations to carry out effective evaluation of their programme activities and effectively communicate successes.
13. A special project should be developed for young men and women to help them find meaningful employment in rural areas;
14. FAO should assist member countries in prioritizing needs, and developing monitoring and evaluating mechanisms that will support national rural youth policy development.
15. Conduct comparative and evaluative studies of rural youth policies.
16. FAO should support and organize every two years, a regional forum to allow rural youth leaders to speak out about needs and interests. In that way, FAO may receive feedback directly from the targeted clientele. Each country has its own particular problems and the solution to these problems can be seen from different points of view.
Conclusions
Sound rural youth policies can contribute to alleviating situations where rural youth and entire families feel a need to leave rural areas in large numbers. If sound policies that improve rural conditions and situations of rural youth in particular are established, the great exodus of rural youth and entire families to urban areas should slow down alleviating some of the most pressing economic, social and environmental problems many countries face.
Designing rural youth policy should be based on a grass-root approach and there should be some guarantee of continuity as governments change. In addition, a coordinating network should be established at the national level involving ministries of education and agriculture, FAO, NGO's, donor agencies, and other institutions/organizations engaged with rural youth work to assess a more efficient use of existing resources as well as the sharing of experiences and general information about rural youth programmes.
In closing, let us remember the Chinese philosopher Kuan Izu who wrote. " If you plan for one year, plant rice. If you plan for ten years, plant trees. If you plan for one hundred years, educate mankind."
References
Arlen Etling. "What is Non-Formal Education?" Journal of Agricultural Education. An American Association for Agricultural Education Publication, 1993.
Bonilla, Alexander and Tobias Meza. Problemas de Desarrollo Sostenible en América Central: El Caso de Costa Rica. San José: Editorial Alma Mater, 1994.
Comisión Nacional de Atención Integral al Adolescente. Juventud en Cifras Costa Rica, 1980-1992. San José, Costa Rica, 1993.
FAO. Educación Agrícola Superior: La Urgencia del Cambio. Serie Desarrollo Rural No. 10, Santiago, Chile, 1993.
IICA. "Programa III: Organización y Administración para el Desarrollo Rural" La Juventud Rural en América Latina el Caribe. Serie de Publicaciones Misceláneas. San José, Costa Rica, 1990.
La República. "El Avance de la Urbanización Amenaza el Istmo, Ciudades Concentran Pobreza" December 1995, p. 8A.
Lindley, William I. "The Role of Land Grant Universities in the Global Development of Youth." Journal of Agricultural Education. Vol. 34, No. 2, An American Association for Agricultural Education Publication, 1993.
Poostchi, Iraj. Rural Development and the Developing Countries. Oshawa, Canada: The Alger Press Limited, 1987.
