المنتدى العالمي المعني بالأمن الغذائي والتغذية

Dear Moderator

Thank you again for exploring this societal challenges after the recent discussion on farming system and nutrition, and now, to address this topic and the relevance of youth in the age bracket of 15-17. We need to have a global view of their situation analysis, in respect of availability of jobs, good education and their contribution to any national, regional or global productivity especially in their capacity in feeding the future.

The background study presented by the organizers adequately focused on the challenges facing this segment of youths in the world and most especially in the rural set up of the developing countries; we have seen from the report, that youths of ages 10 to 24 years constitute about 30% of the world population of 6 billion of which 47 millon in this age bracket  are engaged in hazardous jobs or child labour jobs.

It is worthwhile for us to note that the various challenges well identified in this document constitute the aetiology of the present scenario of most African youths of this age bracket (15-17) mostly pre-punderance in Africa rural set up, where most of Africa farming population and natural resources like crude oil, minerals, livestock and cash crop are mostly found, and this set of youths can be characterized as:

·       Restless, mostly vulnerable  to poverty and insurgency.

·       High level of joblessness and truancy for lack of financial support in their education.

·       Easily recruitable to cause insurgencies (like Boko Haram) and found involved in cattle theft or as armed robbers and nuisance in most local areas of Africa.

We need to also project the future population of these youths by the year 2050, when the world population will show a further increase of 3 billion with a heavy decline in the present farming population. By this year, additional youth of this age bracket may constitute almost 1 billion.

Who will produce global food of plant and animal origin for human consumption? and what will be the assessment of the Africa food security by the year 2050? if we do not immediately target this youth segment and decode them of their present perspective and orientation.

I believe that every African state must evolve a National youth policy to encourage youth in agriculture of both plants and animal for food profitability and gainful employment.

These Government policies must address reformation, re-orientation, training, mentorship, soft loan provision, land allocation and classification of youths to preferred agricultural sectors.

I believe Government Public-private partnership is required to make the new agenda a success.

What I mean here, is that it will be unproductive to train this youths and send them directly to the farming system of their choices without attaching them to mentors, and this is where my views about the public-private involvement in the programme calls for attention.

In Nigeria today, where we have some of the challenges of youth like restlessness and unemployment, and where the Government is initiating a return to land to curb Boko Haram and other insurgencies such as the cattle rearers and arable farmers imbroglio, we need the co-operation of many private agricultural initiatives that are still very sustainable in Nigeria and other African countries to mentor these youths selected by government to return to sustainable farming of plant and animal food.

While Government identifies such successful agricultural enterprises they must be co-opted to allocate  government land to these youths under the coverage of their organization as mentors.

The organization may be motivated by government to retain the allottees and provide technical support for their project to succeed.

Besides, the youths may grow crops that could be bought back by such organization to complement their annual stock requirement thereby providing regular income and market platform for their end products.

I also believe that the many Government parastatals currently holding idle lands can accommodate these youths and provide them with extension services and technical ideas, these youths can be engaged in horticulture, animal husbandry, poultry and many valuable agricultural ventures. For example, it is very obvious that cattle fattening as a farming enterprise is profitable and viable when raised on small plots of land intensively fed and restricted from roaming in many regions of Nigeria. A survey recently conducted by this author showed that a 20 herd of cattle weighing average market weight of 150kg can be achieved within 6-8months fattening of the heifer or poorly fed cattle bought from pastorialists.  The Northern region of most south western states and other states in th south of Nigeria can economically practice this ranching system as a style of life for many youths of this region. Our studies show that a return on investment of 35-40% is achievable in 8 months. This kind of farming system is highly recommended in Oke-Ogun region of the Oyo State, Yewa region of Ogun state, Ila region of Osun state, Ikole region of Ekiti state as well as the Akoko region of Ondo state all in south western Nigeria.

Similar venture can be recommended in all eastern and south south states of Nigeria. This can also be established in the river basins of the northern part of Nigeria with encouragement of grass plantation to restrict roaming tendency of patorialists.

The success of Youth feeding the future, will primarily depend on market accessibility and introduction of value chain to diversify product marketing and possibly generate foreign exchange to Developing countries with declining foreign reserve.

While I believe that this idea is laudable it must be widely debated with concrete strategic output as recommendation to the vulnerable developing countries of the world.

Dr. Stephen Adejoro is currently the Head of Marketing of Research and Marketing of Zartech Limited and a co-founder of AFRICA LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY SUSTAINABILITY

Contact [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

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). 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 

Dear Jacqueline,

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to share our views.  The points that I will share below are based on my experiences working for FAO and IFAD on youth employment in agriculture as well as working for ILO on child labour and youth employment in the African Great Lakes Region.

·         Targeting of development programmes/projects

Many people in rural areas of developing countries do not have birth certificates so often it is difficult to be sure of someone’s age.  When designing a project or programme we might indicate an age range of people to be targeted but in practice these criteria might be difficult to apply.  Hence it is advised to be flexible in applying these criteria to make sure that the right people are benefitting from the project. 

An IFAD project for the Promotion of Local Initiatives for Development in Aguié (Niger) created a unique targeting system which enables community members to participate in the planning of the project activities. The project created a system of establishing four different groups in the villages identifying problems among the young men, young girls, elderly women and elderly men. Each group point out the needs and problems and possible project supported activities as solution.  This approach could be adapted to specifically identifying problems in the category of youth aged 15-17 and then also following these youth over the years as they become adults.

·         Artificial divide between child labour and youth employment interventions

In a number of cases, development projects either focus on child labour or on youth employment.  Too often the linkages between both are not made.  However, dividing both is artificial and at field level we have to simply address both groups together.  In this forum, people aged 15-17 are called youth.  We can also call them children.  It leads us to the definition of what is a child in the context of rural Africa and what is considered child labour.  Too often, children are forced to grow up quickly and work.  Children between 15 and 17 are allowed to work if the conditions are not hazardous.  This is challenging in practice.  For example in Tanzania, children aged 15-17 work in tobacco plantations.  The companies who employ them, pay them a lump sum from which they are also supposed to cover their occupational safety and health (OSH) precautions (such as buying boots and gloves to protect them while picking tobacco leaves).  In practice, they will be reluctant to spend part of their salary on OSH.

·         Data gaps

Trying to get specific data on youth aged 15-17 can be difficult.  The UN defines children as those under the age of 18; adolescents are considered those between 10-19 years; and youth are those between 15 and 24.  So how can we track what is happening with youth aged 15-17 at both global, national and local levels? 

ILO is trying to overcome these data challenges through a number of data-collection processes at national level such as school-to-work transition surveys, and linking a child labour module to the integrated labour force surveys.  In this way, specific data on the 15-17 age group can be more easily captured.  At the same time, ILO is building the capacity of National Bureaus of Statistics and Ministries to collect and analyse these data. 

·         Rural vs Urban

Much has been said about trying to refrain rural youth from migrating to urban areas and abandoning agriculture.  Even more has been said about developing countries having to invest in agriculture since this is in many cases still the main contributor to the GDP.  If we really want developing countries to transform and ‘graduate’ to middle-income countries we cannot only focus on agriculture and we cannot only focus on industrialization.  We have to focus on both at the same time. 

In rural areas, agriculture is still the main driver of the economy and other rural-based activities will only thrive if agriculture as such is thriving.  Agriculture has to be modernized or as a colleague adequately put it ‘moving the hand hoe from the field to the museum’.  Youth (including those 15-17) will not be interested in backbreaking agricultural work that is only for subsistence.  They want to work with modern equipment such as tractors and achieve economies of scale which can be achieved through joining cooperatives and sharing inputs.  Leasing equipment is also an option, i.e. hello tractor.   An interesting example on this from a young producers organization in Togo been shared in an FAO/IFAD/CTA publication on Youth and Agriculture. 

We should further explore rural-urban linkages and add value to agriculture produce.  It is mind blowing that in most supermarkets in East African countries you can only buy juice imported from South Africa while fruits are locally grown in abundance.  Youth can be mobilized to engage in various links of the value chain such as transportation, processing, packaging etc. 

With increasing globalization, rural areas are becoming more connected and ICTs are really transforming the (rural) economy in Eastern Africa.  They modernize the image of agriculture, link operators in various links of the value chain, have revolutionized rural banking through ‘mobile money’ and so much more.  This AGRA publication gives many examples.   Development actors can no longer ignore the way ICTs are revolutionizing the agriculture sector and should invest more in incorporating them in their programmes and projects.  CTA’s ARDYIS project is a good example on how this can be done.  The ‘Digitalizing for Development (#D4D)’ initiative from the Belgian Government is another example of how the digital revolution can help us achieve the SDGs.   Youth have an important role to play in using ICTs for development.

·         Vocational training

In Tanzania, students can only access State Vocational Training if they have a Form Four Certificate.  This means usually attending school up to the age of 17.  This Vocational Training provided by the State is delivered in English.  Needless to say that many youth are excluded from this opportunity and specifically those between 14-17 years. 

ILO has been trying to address the skills mismatch through different initiatives which include ‘recognition of prior learning’.  In many cases youth that are informally trained never received a certificate of recognition for this training.  This initiative formally recognizes the skills and knowledge that a person already possesses against competencies in the National Training and Vocational Qualifications Framework.  Hence this increases the employability of youth.

CONTRIBUTION POSTED ON THE FSN FORUM IN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA

RUSSIAN VERSION BELOW

Please allow me to introduce a dynamic Youth Organization that is interested in partnering and giving consultation on Youth – feeding the future.

My name is Alpha Sennon, I am a 29 year old"Farmerpreneur" from Trinidad and Tobago. I am currently pursuing an MPHIL degree at the University of the West Indies in Agricultural Extension. I recently launched an organization in the island of Tobago at last years' Tobago World Food Day Celebrations. Start-up entitled WHYFARM.

 We are interested in any opportunities that may be available for us to work or partner with FAO.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon as to possible prospects how WHYFARM can work with FAO.

Please find attached some information about WHYFARM.

Best Regards 

Alpha Sennon

Founder and Executive Director

WHYFARM

We Help You-th Farm

Trinidad and Tobago.

Most of rural youth are refusing to enter in agri-business due to poor income. Most of the intermidiates are earning a lot without any contribution given to the performance of the industry. So, creating a market for the production is the must to capture the youth for agriculture. A very interesting success story that I have seen in Sri Lanka is poly-tunnel vegetable production in Welimada, Sri Lanka. Most of yourth engage in polytunel business and they directly send their products to super markets and earning lot and that is a kind of profitable business. They are very interested to do this due to high tech involvement, decent, good recognition and most of motivational factors have their. So, we have to identify motivational factors for the youth and answer to those.

Original in French, English translation below

La problématique de la mobilisation des jeunes pour le développement agricole est cruciale. Car, la jeunesse est la couche qui regorge de plus d'énergie et qui constitue de ce fait l'avenir de tous les pays, les pays africains notamment. Dans le même temps, la jeunesse manque souvent de moyens. Elle est la tranche d'âge qui n'a pas encore réussi à accumuler suffisamment de ressources de production. Du coup, le premier obstacle qui freine l'installation des jeunes en agriculture est le niveau élevé de risques qu'ils doivent encourir. Mobiliser les jeunes en agriculture suppose (ou impose) alors que les risques soient amoindris dans le secteur pour eux. D'où la nécessité de procéder à des investissements publics importants, notamment en matière d'aménagements fonciers et de sécurisation foncière pour la maîtrise de l'eau, l'organisation opérationnelle pour la valorisation optimale de ces aménagements (question de coopératives) et la mise en place de plateformes d'innovations inclusives pour se pencher spécifiquement et constamment sur les réalités agricoles tant aux niveaux nationaux qu'aux niveaux transfrontaliers. Ceci suppose l'organisation efficiente de certaines filières d'importance régionale dans lesquelles les jeunes devront s'investir: riz, banane plantain, datte, manioc, igname, pomme de terre, mangue, tomate, oignon.

The issue of mobilization of young people for agricultural development is crucial. Because youth is the stratum that is overflowing with energy and is for this reason the future of all countries, specially the African countries. At the same time, the youth often does not have sufficient means. It is the age group that has not as yet managed to accumulate enough production resources. As a result, the first obstacle hindering the entry of young people into agriculture is the high level of risks that they have to take. To mobilize the young into agriculture assumes (or makes it necessary) that the risks in the sector are lessened for them.  From which stems the need to instigate important public investments, in particular in terms of land management and security for the water control, the operational organization for the optimal development of these land improvements (a matter of cooperatives) and the implementation of platforms of inclusive innovations in order to address the realities of agriculture specifically and constantly, both at national and cross-border level. This supposes the efficient organization of certain sectors of regional importance in which the young should invest: rice, plantain, dates, cassava, yam, potatoes, mangos, tomatoes, onions.

Although my information offered to this discussion is based on urban youth employment in agriculture I think it is relevant to the topic. A recent (2016) book Youth Unemployment in Kenya, a Ticking Time Bomb, edited by Helmut Danner et al addresses key questions also relevant to rural youth unemployment in the sense of preparedness and conditions in developing economies. I and Mwima George Echessa contributed chapters on agriculture. I attach my chapter on urban agriculture as aWORD file. I also attach the book as a PDF. It is also available in Kenya through Lonhorn.

Food and nutrition insecurity are prevalent in Kenya's urban slums as in many rural areas. Hunger and need for incomes drives poor youth to food production but they meet many obstacles. The education system does not promote agriculture as an income-earning opportunity, which it is, especially in urban and peri-urban areas. Youth cannot access land even that belonging to their parents due to their status as youths. Parents and familes have to change their attitudes and the schools have to stop using farmwork as a punishment.   One or two cases of overcoming such barriers are given.

This is a contribution from the perspective of Latin America, based upon a recently published electronic book: Juventud rural y empleo decente en América Latina.  http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5570s.pdf

As the FSN Forum team states from the very beginning, there are relatively few studies and data on the 15 to 17 age group.  In Latin America, it is estimated that in 2015, there were 6,3 million young rural people in this age group.  In addition, 16% of the male workers in the primary agricultural sector of this age group are urban residents and 11% of the female workers.  They have been included in graph 2, as many policies also (should) apply to them.

Please download the attachment to read the full contribution.

Dear Ms. Demeranville,

From the medical field, I’m afraid that there is little can be done to this important and perhaps neglected action of ‘Youth- feeding the future’. Nevertheless let me express that:

The selection of ages 15 to 17 years is appropriate because corresponds to middle and late adolescence (17 to 18 yr.) This latter period is characterized, apart from biologic maturation, by a psychosocial development in which peer values go down in favor of individual thinking. This point is crucial because it encompasses  the steps of breaking away (family model separation), career decision and realistic planning for economic independence. All this, in the frame of changes in affection and idealism is, let me say, the most favorable scenario  for the proposed action.

The six precise challenges (paragraph 3 of the topic note) are most appropriate, but from my own adolescence point of view, the first (Education) and the third (Finance) deserve special dedication because they would attach youths to the agriculture way of living.

Due to possible gender discrimination, I would suggest to stress a special consideration for females.

Yours Sincerely

Manuel Moya

Catedrático E/ E Professor & Head

Editor in Chief of the Newsletter. International Pediatric Asociation (IPA)

Chair of the IPA Technical Advisory Group on Nutrition

Board of Directors of IPA Foundation

Academician of the Real Academia de Medicina

Pediatric Dept. University Miguel Hernández

Ctra Valencia s/n, 03550 S.Juan. Alicante. Spain