Dear Jacqueline,
It is my pleasure to submit my input for this important topic. I have worked with youth throughout East Africa over the course of my career. I have been working in international development for nearly thirty years now. I have seen some fantastic and dramatic changes specifically in East Africa. Although many positive changes have occurred, there are a number of areas for improvement to equip today’s youth with the skills and knowledge necessary to be competitive in today’s market in agriculture. Three key areas that are entrance pathways to improving rural youth employment are public-private sector engagement, curriculum development, and mentorship.
Example of Public-Private Sector Engagement
I am currently the Innovation Portfolio Manager for the Innovative Agricultural Research Initiative (iAGRI). My role is to ensure that technologies and tools developed as a result of student research reaches end users through the testing of prototypes for postharvest technologies and irrigation systems, eventually linking these technologies with SMEs. Through the process, students gain entrepreneurial skills and learn how to make the link between ideas and innovative solutions to challenges faced by rural communities. Many of the youth in East Africa are not employable. They have been trained in the theory and basic knowledge of agriculture, but not in areas that fit today’s market. This type of initiative is an example of how youth in East Africa are not employable can be prepared with practical skills that fit today’s market.
As part of these activities, iAGRI has recently launched a public-private partnership initiative called the Tractor Training and Research Program. The program is a partnership between Sokoine University of Agriculture, John Deere, LonAgro, and USAID to provide practical training opportunities for rural youth and farmers. The program centers on the use of tractor implements for conservation agriculture and ploughing, but also include modules on budgeting, finance, project planning, and tractor maintenance. These skills are invaluable for youth as greater mechanization of the agriculture sector is increased. The partnership has also included finance options for advanced trainees to develop their own contracting business and to purchase tractors and tractor implements.
The program was launched in April 2016 and has had 120 participants from the Morogoro Region engaged in the training sessions. In the future, the program will also be implemented in rural areas with farmers targeting women and youth to develop skills to increase agricultural production and efficiency through the use of tractor and their associated implements. These types of programs are able to link rural youth with services, access to finance, and skills that will enable them to harness improved technologies and understand the business of agriculture in a way that traditional education schemes often do not incorporate.
Attached is a project update concerning the Tractor Training and Research Program from the first cohort of students for the Boot Camp with quotes about their experience.
Suggestions for Curriculum Development
The development of curricula needs to be improved with greater linkages made between Ministries of Education and Ministries of Agriculture. This linkage would improve the focus of curricula to incorporate demand-driven, industry-facing skills that many graduates of agricultural programs do not incorporate. In a recent publication on Education, Research, and Innovation in Africa by the Belfer Center’s Calestous Juma, provides examples of the incorporation of innovation and entrepreneurial skills in curriculum development such as courses in business administration and marketing. The discussion paper uses the EARTH University example of the Entrepreneurial Projects Program as a way forward for incorporating practical skills into agricultural education and training (AET). A recent article from Muhammad Yunus (founder of Grameen Bank) echoes the same sentiments on equipping people with the right skills to tackle unemployment and create wealth.
The composition of school boards should also be split between public and private sector actors. Currently, the decision-making is made by administrators of education with little knowledge or experience of bridging the gap between school and work in the agriculture sector. Internship programs should provide a natural linkage between public sector partners and the private sector, enabling students to develop skills that meet industry needs.
Highlight on Mentoring
In addition to curriculum development, mentoring also opens doors for students to develop entrepreneurial skills and mindsets needed to overcome challenges faced by rural youth. As an example of this, iAGRI has incorporated mentoring for high school students, particularly young female students into its customized indicators for tracking community development and sustainability. Students are paired with mentors that have invaluable experience and understanding of changing systems. While school-based learning is also essential, this pairing and mentoring of young students is a tool of learning, professional development, and empowerment that is often underutilized and undervalued in the development of project activities. In addition, there are a number of opportunities for projects aimed at strengthening higher education systems to also encourage interaction with youth 15-17 years old. This type of interaction is encouraging for the youth and also validating for the individuals in tertiary education of the value of the skills and knowledge they have built thus far.
Dr. Maria Mullei