Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

In my opinion, I think we should set a teaching course to promote this concept because students at the university are also young people who will enter the professional world after graduation.

And in Thailand, the population has a core occupation as the farmers. Because of the advantage of weather, land and water, which is suitable for rice cultivation and food crops planting.

The current problem of interconnected transportation from restrictions follows the measures to stop the spreading of the COVID 19 virus, which impacted the food system directly. People have to consume the local food to survive the communities.

The new generation or youth is the most important factor of labor work of the agricultural for food system. They will be replacing the labor that engages in agricultural work in the food system such as in production, transportation, distribution to deliver the safe food to the consumer in local or communities in outbreak crises and in the future.

It would be great if they have their mindset to aim into the participation in agricultural work in food systems. Therefore, we should encourage those young people to realize the benefit and cognitive; the strengthen knowledge of the employment in agricultural engagement or return rural to run their own farming to develop the fields of their parents, deliver this concept to their mind by studying.

We should find ways to motivate and encourage to deliver this cognitive concept into their mindset to create long-term memories through their education. It might be set as the special curriculum of this concept for students in universities, which can be applied into the online learning to avoid the global food shortage crisis from the epidemic crisis of Covid19 pandemic right now and in the future to achieve zero hunger in SDG2030.

What can make i) farming/fisheries/livestock rearing and other forms of food provision and ii) other roles in the food system a more attractive option for youth employment?

The egg and the chicken, which came first? so as in planting and the market.

FAMSMAT Limited is a youth driven start up which has been able to sell just about half acres of their two acres ginger farm. FAMSMAT Limited is green label certified, partner for Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture, member of Ghana agro industries commodities and Ghana vegetarian association partner but cannot cut it to sustainable business yet.

The problem:

Youth don't see agriculture as a sustainable profitable business because there is no structured organisation the agric value chain Ghana.

The few organised companies should include start ups and all business should be legal binding as recommendation.

Merci pour cette opportinuté pour parler de l'agriculture et la jeunesse;

Je site deux(2) facteurs qui contribuent à la migration, la geurre , le banditisme, ou l'exode rurale, qui sont:

1- L'emploi jeunes

2- La famine.

selon mes analyses, l'agriculture est le garant de tous ces maux car:

L'agriculture est le moteur de l’économie africaine et le premier employeur.

Selon la Banque africaine de développement, elle est la principale source de revenu pour la plupart des ménages africains.

Comme l’a dit Norman Borlaug, le père de la révolution verte :

 « La nourriture est le droit moral de tous ceux qui viennent au monde. »

Vu toutes ces importances et les consequenses liées, moi en tant que jeune Africain, je suggère:

1- De demontrer, expliquer vulgariser toutes les opportinutés au long de la chaine de valeur agricole

car Tout produit a une chaîne de valeur unique, et dans le secteur agricole africain, il y a des opportunités d’apporter des améliorations et d’ajouter de la valeur, dans l’intérêt de toutes les parties prenantes.

Pour determiner une chaine de valeur, voici quelques questions qu'on se pose:

1-  Qui sont les principaux acteurs le long de la chaîne de valeur ?

2-  Quelles sont leurs forces et leurs faiblesses dans la chaîne de valeur ?

3- Quel maillon de la chaîne de valeur génère le plus d’argent ?

4- Qui sont les bénéficiaires ?

La réponse à ces questions peut vous aider à définir le cadre qui vous permettra de repérer l’occasion idéale d’améliorer la chaîne de valeur

Donc:

´Il y a de nombreux points le long de la chaîne de valeur agricole où les jeunes professionnels peuvent avoir un impact durable et transformer leurs communautés.

 Pour trouver ces opportunités entrepreneuriales, il faut être passionné et déterminé à traiter ses partenaires et ses clients de manière éthique, connaître son secteur d’activité et être disposé à innover et à remettre en question le statu quo.

Je m'engage a oeuvrer auprès du HLPE dans ce cadre pour aider mes collègues, amis jeunes de l'Afrique et du monde pour qu'on puissent se tourner vers la terre( l'agriculture) car c'est  la seule qui peut nous employer et elle ne nous trahie jamais.

V0- Promoting youth engagement and employment in Agriculture and Food Systems: Suggestions or Proposals

Dr. S. Jeevananda Reddy

“A food system includes all processes and infrastructure involved in feeding a population: growing, processing, packaging, transporting, marketing, consumption, and disposal of food and food-related items. It also includes the input needed and output generated at each of these steps.”

Theoretical exercises lead nowhere in answering issues affecting youth engagement and employment in Agriculture and Food Systems (AFS). This needs to take in to account practical issues such as:

Existing and changing AFS scenarios of states and central governments;

Issues pertaining to interactions of multinational companies/local business houses with governments with reference to AFS;

Issues related to interactions of black-marketers in AFS with governments;

Issues pertaining to governments policies of imports and exports;

Issues of local food processing sector versus role of governments;

Issues on storage & transport facilities; etc. versus role of governments & private bodies;

Local/regional/national weather and climate scenarios in terms AFS;

I am here with present in brief relating to these issues with practical examples.

General

Under traditional system of Agriculture Animal Husbandry was part in which youth was a part of agriculture and food systems as the entire family used to participate. With the population growth-urban growth slowly this system of youth participation in family based agriculture activities were affected. This was severely affected with chemical input technology – the so-called green revolution technology [though in reality it is not green but it is blue]. This is primarily a mono crop system and thus slowly animal husbandry was weakened under agriculture. They varied from country to country, region to region within the country based on the availability of natural resources and weather & climate soil conditions.

Agriculture Systems

For example in India, states and central governments followed their own approaches as part of vote bank politics wherein incentives/populistic schemes played major role. Centre played major role in providing input subsidies and food subsidies. With all these 30-40% of food produced is going as waste. Multinational companies and local black-marketers have been thriving. Multinational companies are dumping illegally seeds that are affecting the local seeds.

Now, there is a severe fight between central government and farmers on the three Agic Bills. As the present central government is favouring privatize-corporatize everything that are functioning well. In agri sector with around 65-70 % of rural population were engaged in agriculture [directly & indirectly – more youth engaged in this sector]. When Agri Bills say “anywhere you can sell to anybody”, which means bills not only dumped minimum support price (MSP) but also automatically indirectly follows that no government role in procurement. When Agri Bills say “contract farming”, means agri bills have not only dumped MSP but also automatically no procurement by government. These not only affect farmers but also all citizens of India.

Also the present central government is encouraging multinational seed corporates to grow Genetically Modified (GM) Food Crops hitherto this was not permitted in India. Once this formalizes, automatically Indian markets will be flooded with GM food imports.

All these factors in an interactive way rural employment in agri sector will be drastically come down. Here youth are the main victims. They have to move to urban areas. The present day governments are encouraging real estate in urban areas by killing environment – creating environmental degradation with severe urban flooding.

processing industry at village/mandal levels based on the local production systems help creation of employment opportunities to youth instead of migrating to urban areas. Under corporate/contract farming this is a big question but under cooperative farming that links agriculture with animal husbandry similar to traditional agriculture; under organic inputs provide better employment opportunities. However multinational companies black-marketers pressurising governments not to encourage such system.

Weather & Climate

Weather and climate play major role in Agriculture. They vary with country to country, region/state to region/state with in a country; location to location within the region/state. Before making any attempt to come up with policies, it must be mandated to make this clear. In fact I made such studies for Mozambique and Ethiopia. Some of these reports are now available online – some western organizations have created them on line.

Tropics where majority of developing countries are located temperature is not an important factor in agriculture. UN agencies have been dumping the concept of global warming and harming the agriculture sector in those countries. The concept of global warming is misleading climate change and is helping to pocket money by some institutions, organizations, individuals. In tropical warm countries crops/varieties have been selective for the season. In middle latitudes the onset and withdrawal of winter plays the important role.

However, rainfall plays the major role in agriculture. Rainfall presents natural variability a major component of climate change wherein organizations, institutes including UN agencies misleading the farming by saying extremes are associated with a fictitious global warming. In India all India Rainfall presents a 60-year cycle wherein river water flows following this pattern. However, in the south rainfall is received not only in southwest monsoon but also northeast monsoon and as well from cyclonic activities. The height number of severe cyclones have been occurring in May [Summer – pre-monsoon] and November [winter – post-monsoon]. Some of these are discussed in the following three recent books and an article.

Reddy, S.J., (2019a): Agroclimatic/Agrometeorological Techniques: As applicable to Dry-land Agriculture in Developing Countries [2nd Edition]. Brillion Publishing, New Delhi, 372p.

Reddy, S.J., (2019b): Workable “Green” Green Revolution: A Framework [Agriculture in the perspective of Climate Change]. Brillion Publishing, New Delhi, 221p.

Reddy, S.J., (2019c): Water Resources Availability over India. Brillion Publishing, New Delhi, 224p.

Reddy, S.J., (2020a): AGROMETEOROLOGY: An Answer to Climate Crisis, Brillion Publishing, New Delhi, 242p.

Reddy, S.J., (2020b): Hypocrisy they Name: “Colorado River flow Shrinks from Climate Crisis, Risking Severe water Shortages” -- A Note, Journal of Agriculture and Aquaculture, 2(2): 14pages

Dr. S. Jeevananda Reddy

Formerly Chief Technical Advisor – WMO/UN & Expert – FAO/UN

Fellow, Telangana Academy of Sciences

Convenor, Forum for a Sustainable Environment

O grande problema enfrentado no Brasil em relação ao engajamento do jovem na Agricultura é a falta de continuidade das atividades rurais desenvolvidas pelos pais.

Persiste a ideia de que a agricultura de pequeno porte, agricultura familiar, não traz ao pequeno produtor rural e para os jovens boas condições de sobrevivência a sua família. Asim os jovens agricultores das pequenas propriedades, migram para cidade em busca de trabalho, e estudo.

Depois que conseguem estudar, não retornam mais ao campo para repassar os conhecimentos adquiridos com sua formação, os pais envelhecem e sem condições de continuar, as pequenas propriedades são vendidas para especuladores.

A grande saída proposta em governos anteriores, foi a capacitação dos jovens no campo em parceria com instituições não governamentais e governamentais, como forma de motivar a sua permanência no campo e o seu pleno desenvolvimento no meio rural.

O documento DAP jovem, possibilita que o filho do produtor familiar possa a partir de um contrato com seu pai proprietário da propriedade, acessar aso recursos disponíveis para o desenvolvimento do Programas de Aquisição de Alimento – PAA no Brasil. Este programa tem fomentado os jovens brasileiros ao desenvolvimento da atividade na agricultura familiar.

O projeto PAA, tem a possibilidade de adquirir alimentos dos produtores familiares, entre eles os jovens agricultores e mulheres agricultoras e simultaneamente proceder a doação para as entidades sociais e famílias em situação de insegurança alimentar.

Dear All,

Thank you for opening such a dialogue and for the opportunity to contribute to the report.

Please find attached the general comments from the Decent Rural Employment Team (DRET) at FAO.

Kind regards,

Francesca Dalla Valle

Programme Officer (Rural Youth Employment)

The report is much needed and timely, as the food systems are changing rapidly due to technological advancement, changing farm sizes, youth aspirations etc. In many developing countries including Pakistan disguised unemployment in the farming sector is reported. Similarly, mobility between places, sectors and income sources is not reported appropriately. There is always undue time lags in transfer of resources to youth from elderly. Sometimes, they get access to resources after the demise of their parents. As in eastern culture, parents hesitate to transfer production resources due to the joint family system. Youth can play a major role in the food utilization aspect through active participation in practicing food hygiene and sanitation. This aspect of their potential role in the era of technological innovation and better access to knowledge needs to be emphasized in the report. Labour in farming in general and youth in specific are vulnerable to health risks due to injudicious use of agro-chemicals in farming and processing industries.

One aspect which requires to be emphasized in the report is educational programs to encourage youth to opt for farming. In school educational programs, including nursery raising and hands on training in school gardens should be proposed for rural and peri-urban areas. Similarly, at middle and high school levels, basic livestock husbandry, crop and seed production should be included in the curriculum.  In urban areas, vegetable and fruit production for kitchen/ rooftop gardening along with preliminary education in processing and packaging of agricultural produce should be taught. This would help in capacity building of youth and incline them to adopt farming as livelihood.   

Best Regards

Abid Hussain (PhD)

(Principal Scientific Officer)

PARC-National Agricultural Research Center, 

Park Road, Islamabad, Pakistan.

In regard to development the V0 Draft asks about suitability of the framework addressing youth engagement and employment. There is a lot of information in V0 but it's not really organized in a framework that is likely to be easily used by stakeholders including those responsible for youth employment and engagement. I suggest some value could be created by:

1. Creating a set of principles that are likely to enhance youth engagement and employment. For example, one principle could be to 'improve the likelihood of achieving the program objectives'. Another could be to improve capacity and skills of youth. Another could be to encourage local adaptation to the user circumstances.

2. Generate a schematic/graph to show the relationship between framework components to enable users to follow through the steps to achieve what's intended including the objectives and engagement.

3. Identify some best practices for users to follow to achieve youth engagement and employment. For example, creation of workshops to engage the target youth audiences.

That's all

How do the experiences of young women differ from those of young men in knowledge generation, acquisition and transfer?

To me, this question has significance as young women usually are not considered having knowledge beyond household works. Fishers, like farmers, are not just men. Millions of women around the world work, paid or unpaid, in the fisheries sector. Women are mainly involved in the tasks that come before and after the fish are hauled out of the water, they may also be there for the catch or the harvest. Their preparatory work includes making and mending nets, baskets and pots, baiting hooks and providing services to the fishing boats. They practice their own fishing both for commercial and subsistence purposes, often from canoes and in areas close to their community.

In coastal areas of India, men go out in the seas for fishing-once it is brought home, women take over to process it and market. Here the young women need to improve their capacities further to enhance their income using good practices leading to improved visibility of their contribution. Also, in North eastern part of India, women appear to be more enterprising-running shops, managing sales of agriproduce-fruits, vegetables in particular.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB1Vsw3bIwA

In developing although agriculture is the backbone of many countries. And youth number is also high. Unfortunately the youth is not too much interested in agriculture sector. The youth love to join medical and MBBS and other specializations. Especially the rich youth dont like to join agriculture. Creating good job opportinuties in agriculture could attract youth. There are three major sections on agriculture (universit, research and extension). Most of the talented youth want to join the univesity and the are not intersted to join the research and extension systems. Better to start agriculture subjects at matric and F.Sc level. The youth are unaware the importance and scope of agriculture, thanks