Forum global sur la sécurité alimentaire et la nutrition (Forum FSN)

Dear Ms. Jacqueline,

Thank you for your mail, the FSN Forum "Youth – feeding the future" was very good . 

I am sending my paper.

Regards,

Dr.N.Parasuraman

Essential oil production for involving rural youth for enterpreneurship and livelihoods in India

More than 60 % of population lives in rural areas in India and nearly 600 million people are youth under the age of 25 in India. Gainful employment and livelihood options combined with skills and enterpreneuship development will help improve the living standards in rural areas. Also, the increasing migration of rural youth to urban areas for employment which are already overpopulated exacerbate the problems of rural economy and gender equity.

We have started working on the models of incoporating commercially important aromatic plants for essential oil production as diversification crops in rural India (Prakasa Rao, 2009). Recently we have produced a proof of concept of vetiver oil production in south India where technological interventions with sustainable agricultural pracices as a viable rural employment opportunity for small farmers (Prakasa Rao et al., 2015). It has to be noted that in the small farmer families, children are often involved in the agricultural operations. It is at this stage of life (below 18 years of age) that new opportunities for skills and enterpreneurship opportunities are made available to the youth of this age and also young girls could be made a part of such efforts (figures attached).

Thus our consultations focussing such issues as presented in my note could help evolve diversified strategies to involve rural youth of both genders for gainful employment and improved livelihoods in rural India.

Ref.

E.V.S.Prakasa Rao.  2009.  Medicinal and aromatic plants for crop diversification and       their agronomic implications.  Indian J. Agron. 54(2), 215-220.

E.V.S.Prakasa Rao,  Gopinath, C.T., Ravindra, N.S., Akshata Srinivas., Nagendra Prasad and Aparna Hebbar (2015). Vetiver  production for small farmers in India. In Sustainable Agriculture Reviews.Ed. E. Lichtfouse, Springer International Publishing Switzerland. Vol. 17: 337-355.DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-16742-8_10

One suggestion from India is expanding acquaculture with incentives to youth. Fine. But reference to shrimp makes me very uneasy, because of the widespread ecological degradation alerts from various countries. Enabling human 'prosperity' by destroying natural resources should not be accepted as public policy.

Dear Jacqueline

I have submitted the file with a synopsis of the model that was mentioned in my earlier post.

In my view, the youth in India are either formally educated in a system that aims at university degrees which  trains you for office or corporate jobs. The ones who do not take formal college education especially after class 10th i.e. at 15 years of age, usually drop out of the education system completely. They usually take up some sort of vocational training from ITIs. However only few of them find employment in their respective fields and migrate to cities.

In a separate study done on employability of shrimp farming industry in India, we have some interesting findings. The labour employed in this industry all over the country,  comes from only a particular region of India. The skills necessary for shrimp farming are passed down from generation to generation in this region. As there is a lack of skilled labour in other parts, the youth from this particular regio are employed. The ones who stay back in villages, and opt for agriculture or allied, usually learn from their experience in field. They are unable to update themselves with new technologies.

Thus we fins a dire need for vocational training in aquaculture. Aquaculture being a relatively new practcie in India when compared to agriculture. Unlike the farming techniques which have been passed down form one generation to another, one needs to learn the husbandary methods for aquaculture. I feel a strong need of vocational training facilities (for 15 to 17 age group) on district level so that the vast resources of tanks and reservoirs are exploited for income gerneration which will also take care of the malnutrition (especially lack of protein) in rural India. The aquaculture does not stop at the production level as there is a scope for preservation and value addition too. Thus there can be a cascading effect leading to more employment generation opportunities. 

Rural Livelihood generation through Aquaculture

Situation

• Agrarian crisis is deepening in India. The grain output is not increasing and the employment rate in agriculture sector has not grown as much as the employment rate overall.
• The last 10 years have recorded never before rates of urban migration.
• Of the 60 million new employment opportunities, 52 million have been in the unorganized sector.

It is also true that livelihoods in the rural sector are evolving and hold a lot of promise, if gaps are identified properly.

Our aim is to work towards delivering innovative solutions to provide sustainable livelihood for the rural youth through aquaculture.

This project was undertaken in a small village pond in Palghar district of Maharashtra, India.

The Project

Utilization of village pond for aquaculture for livelihood generation and food security

The Problem

In this region they have small village ponds (around 3 to 4 acres) which are seasonal in nature. It was difficult to utilize these ponds for fish culture of the most popular species as they require perennial water bodies.

We selected a team of fresh fisheries graduates to study the site and come up with a solution as a part of their internship.

The Solution

They proposed the following solution after studying the various technical parameters

Raise fingerlings of GIFT tilapia in the cages installed in the same pond

Then stock the pond with the fingerlings

One of the fresh fisheries graduates who could commute to this particular location was chosen and given the task of monitoring the entire crop cycle in partnership with the youth in the villages.

Task of the fresh graduate: To check the water parameters, decide the feed dosage, checking the samples for sign of diseases

The task of the village workers (3-4) was to take care of feeding, security helping with water analysis and harvesting.

Role of the NGO during the project

Our NGO co-ordinated the efforts and also sourced the good quality seed and low cost feed for them

The Outcome: In 6 months 3 .5 tons of Tilapia were harvested from the pond which has not yielded even 500 Kgs till date. The farmed fish were harvested and sold at the site to the villagers and local market. Thus a good quality fresh fish was available to the villagers at a reasonable cost as all the marketing intermediaries were cut off.

The youth from nearby villages visited the site and showed interest in taking up this fish culture in their village ponds.

The Challenges

• Insufficient data on physical properties of the waterbody
• Difficulty in convincing the youth of the new species and scientific ways of fish farming
• Getting the fisheries graduate who could commute to the site.

Rural India is in dire need of innovation in the livelihood sector. Our present intern has done a commendable job in this regard. You can add on further through setting up market linkages, community mobilisation for adoption of better farming practices, introduction of appropriate technologies, better management of groups and organisations and other aspects based on the situation and as the skill set supports.

Hello Jacqueline,

In order to get rural adolescent girls to participate in vocational training and preparing for decent work in agriculture, it is necessary to involve their parents and guardians, especially gaining the consent and support of their mothers and female heads in the home. Not to be overlooked also are the fathers. Many rural communities in Nigeria are patriarchal hence the need for fathers or household male heads to be involved too. A potentially useful approach could be agricultural cooperatives formed by rural folks and that includes adult men and women with participation of male and female adolescents as volunteers.

This way, young ones are mentored by their parents/guardians who would also look out for their interests, and likely warding off child labour.

In my earlier comment, I mentioned ‘impact camps’ sited in rural communities. The camps would provide such cooperatives access to its facilities, vocational training and professional courses, etc.

Involving parents/guardians in projects geared at making agriculture attractive to young people would also serve as psychological boost to the adolescents; for the girls, their mothers’ participation would be motivating; for the boys, their fathers’ involvement.

One challenge faced by rural boys of the age group 15 – 17 years, is peer influence (both direct and indirect). In my experience, I notice that many want to be able to have a ‘good life’ like their peers who move to the city. To persuade them successfully to take up agriculture in the village requires that they are able to see a good future for themselves by pursuing that course. I elaborated more on how to make agriculture attractive for young boys and girls, in my earlier comment.

Best regards,

Jessy Hims.

CONTRIBUTION POSTED ON THE FSN FORUM IN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA

RUSSIAN VERSION BELOW

Cities are the economic, educational and cultural centers of our country, and this attracts young people who are not very interested in agriculture. This can be observed in education. So, in 2015, there were 63.1 thousand students, 44% of these students were funded by the government. In terms of specialties, 35% chose economics and law, 24% chose technical and construction,  9% chose education, 9% chose agriculture, 7% chose social sciences, and 7% chose humanities.

The age of 15-17 years is when young people receive education (secondary, vocational (secondary), vocational, higher education). This group of the population mostly works part-time. Therefore, the current regulations of the Republic of Belarus, of the Ministry of Labour on 16.07.1998 U / № 65, determined the situation of part-time work of the unemployed youth – “Youth internships (work practice)".

"Youth internships" are carried out so that unemployed youth acquire professional knowledge, develop the skills of practical work in production (industry), and improve their competitiveness in the labour market, to increase their employment opportunities.

"Youth internships" are carried out under a contract with all types of enterprises, including those also partly publicly owned, except in enterprises that are fully owned by the government.

Employers can provide further employment, to unemployed young people, as permanent jobs.

Численность населения Республики Беларусь на 1 апреля 2016 г. составила 9498,7 тыс. чел. и по сравнению с началом 2016 года увеличилось на 343 человека. При этом численность молодежи в возрасте 15-17 лет составила 274722 чел., в том числе непосредственно проживающих в сельской местности – 55720 чел. В разрезе половозрастной структуры ситуация выглядит следующим образом: 53,2 % – мужское население и 46,8 % – женское.

Города являются экономическими, образовательными и культурными центрами нашей страны, чем и притягивают молодежь, которая слабо интересуется сельским хозяйством. Это можно наблюдать по получению образования. Так, в 2015 году студентами стали 63,1 тыс. чел., из них 44 % получат образование за счет бюджетных средств. В разрезе специальностей ситуация сложилась следующим образом: экономического и юридического профиля выбрали 35 % первокурсников, технического и строительного – 24 %, педагогического – 9 %, сельскохозяйственного – 9 %, социальной направленности – 7 %, гуманитарного профиля – 7 %.

Возраст 15-17 лет, когда молодежь получает образование (среднее, среднее профессиональное, среднее специальное, высшее). Для этой категории населения характерна в основном лишь частичная занятость. В этой связи действует постановление Министерства труда Республики Беларусь от 16.07.1998 U/ № 65, определяющее Положение об организации временной занятости безработной молодежи «Молодежная практика».

«Молодежная практика» осуществляется в целях приобретения безработной молодежью профессиональных знаний, умений и навыков практической работы на производстве, повышения ее конкурентоспособности на рынке труда, расширения возможностей трудоустройства.

«Молодежная практика» организуется на ученических рабочих местах, создаваемых нанимателями, или на имеющихся у нанимателей соответствующих вакантных рабочих местах.

«Молодежная практика» организуется на договорной основе с органами государственной службы занятости населения нанимателями независимо от форм собственности, за исключением организаций, деятельность которых финансируется за счет бюджетных средств.

Преимущество имеют наниматели, обеспечивающие возможность дальнейшего трудоустройства безработной молодежи на постоянные рабочие места.

Hello all, I am very pleased to be part of this important discussion. In regards to the challenges that rural youth preparing for and accessing decent work face, we cannot ignore the issue of hazardous exposures that may negatively affect the long term health and development of our future rural workers. 

When we discuss issues of decent work for youth in rural settings, we often speak about the right to security, the right to education; yet the fundamental human right to health is often left out of the equation. This is where we need to speak up, and I hope that we can use this medium for reminding us all of its importance. The threat of occupational illness and disease in this young cohort must be a matter of international concern.

The Challenge: The age of young workers in question in this forum, aged 15 to 17, coincides with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) definition of adolescence, as the period in human growth and development that occurs after childhood and before adulthood. This critical life transition is characterized by rapid biological changes, development of metabolic and hormonal pathways, and the onset of puberty. While adolescence is a time of tremendous growth, it is also a time of considerable health risk due to the vulnerabilities of developing systemic pathways. As an important phase for brain development, in which young people acquire increased capacity for abstract reasoning, compared to adults, already much smaller exposures to neurotoxic agents may incur long-term damage.  As such, the health consequences of specific occupational exposures may be dramatically different for developing youth due to unique phases of rapid growth and development, immature metabolic and biological pathways, and lack of experience and training at the workplace.

Whereas a hazard can be anything with the potential to cause harm, such as a chemical (e.g., pesticide), an environment (e.g., heat), or an object (e.g., sharp knife), risk is the probability that a hazard will result in harm. Risk can be further specified by the degree of harm that can be imposed (i.e., severity) and the assessment of the chance that the harm may occur (i.e., probability).

Risk = severity of harm x probability of harm occurring

Common occupational hazards in rural sectors and agriculture, such as sharp knives, pesticides and heat, may be present for both adult and adolescent workers. However, the actual risk imposed on the adult worker versus the adolescent worker may be dramatically different. For example, the severity of harm will be greater for developing adolescents who are in a critical phase of rapid biological development and maturation. Biological functions such as detoxification pathways and neurological mechanisms are still developing well into late adolescence. In the case of pesticide exposure, the severity of harm increases for an adolescent because various pesticides act as neurotoxins that can directly impact the developing brain, resulting in long-term neurobehavioral effects. Probability of harm will also be greater for adolescence due to their inability to judge occupational risks and to pressure from employers.

Addressing the Challenge: The problems for hazardous exposures for youth in the rural economy have been well documented in the past. Now, comes time for developing effective solutions that can reach the most vulnerable communities worldwide. Potential solutions to address such needs will require coordinated efforts by technical experts to develop good practices and will demand effective social dialogue between social partners at multiple levels.

1. Developing occupational safety and health (OSH) networks: To help protect the health of young workers in rural areas, sustainable OSH infrastructures must be developed and key stakeholders must be trained to address the unique OSH needs of young workers.  National systems for OSH reporting are often weak due to limited data, difficulties in diagnosing occupational health conditions and chronic under-reporting on behalf of workers and employers. A large number of low income countries lack the infrastructure to monitor, record and assess OSH indicators. Moreover, when such infrastructure is available, it often falls short of tracking incidence in the informal economy, in rural areas and in small-scale farming. Therefore, the first priority must be in the design and implementation of OSH networks with the capabilities of extending to hard to reach rural areas.

2. Sensitizing local actors: Potential actions should consider sensitising and mobilising local farmers and other rural economy actors in target communities to apply appropriate OSH procedures. Such actions will contribute to improving the understanding of rural families of the benefits of OSH measures for improved workplace safety in general and, as relevant, for adolescents. It would be helpful to support the establishment of local mechanisms – involving farmers, farmers’ groups and farm workers’ organizations, as well as labour inspection and agricultural extension services, including OSH technicians - to monitor OSH issues, particularly for adolescents .

3. Effective Social Dialogue: Sustainable promotion of decent and safe work in regards to eliminating hazardous exposures for youth requires the commitment and action of the sectoral actors n the rural economy – enterprises at all levels and employers’, workers’ and small producers’ organisations, including rural cooperatives. To exercise the greatest tangible impact on decent work in the sector, enterprises, together and individually pursuing complementary efforts, require open and positive relations with their social partners and validated good practices on how to work with national governments and other public authorities.

4. Collaboration with Workers’ Organisations: Workers’ Organisations have long recognised the need to contribute to the elimination of hazardous exposures for youth, particularly in rural areas. Collective bargaining, as part of social dialogue, is one of the central strategies of workers’ organisations to combat hazardous work for youth.  As campaigning organisations, workers' organisations are in a position to disseminate knowledge and take direct action to influence labour law and OSH practices. Due to their uniquely integrated structure, they provide a valuable link between the global, national and local level and young workers’ safety and health.

I hope that these first ideas can start a positive discussion, resulting in sustainable solutions for protecting the health of young workers in the rural economy. As young workers represent the future workforce, protecting their right to a healthy development remains our priority. 

Dear contributors,

The issue of gender and how it impacts rural girls’ and boys’ access to decent work has been raised in the discussion. A number of issues concerning girls in the 15-17 age group have been highlighted (including child marriages and pregnancies, time burden of domestic and reproductive tasks, and additional challenges in access to training, natural resources, markets and representation in organizations).

I would like to invite the members of this forum to expand on how your approaches and models address the gender dimension in their design or implementation.

It would be particularly interesting to know any specific actions taken to address the challenges faced by rural adolescent girls in participating in vocational training and preparing for and accessing decent work in agriculture and related activities.

I also invite you to share your insights or experiences on any particular challenges or risks faced by rural boys in this age group of 15-17 and their preparation for or access to decent work in agricultural-related activities.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Jacqueline

Dear Colleagues,

This is a very important discussion especially since young persons in this age group are in an overlapping category - a grey zone so to say - by which depending on the context they can be considered children or youth. They meet the minimum age of employment (i.e. considered as youth employment), but still need to be protected from hazardous forms of work (considered as child labour).

Given its importance, I would like to use this oportunity to emphasise the gender dimension in this very interesting discourse. Gender-bias in terms of employment occurs within all age groups, starting from early childhood. Hence, there is a need to also address this specific age group in a fully gender-sensitive manner and with a focused awareness of gendered differences and their different causalities which do have a significant impact on not only the lives and the livelihoods of boys or girls aged 15-17 in the present time but also wider, on the national economy, including in the future. 

Given that rural women and girls often face greater discrimination in terms of acess to decent work than men, also due to previaling gender-biased social, cultural or religious norms and practices, I would foremostly like to highlight here some critical elements that are pertinent for girls and young women in the 15-17 age group. 

Girls within this age range face constraints symptomatic for both child and youth age groups. However, in addition, they are: 

• - of high risk of early or child pregnancies which hinders considerably the mothers-to-be in their schooling. This has, among others, long-term adverse impacts on their subsequent productivity (income generation and access to decent work and employment opportunities) as well as their and their children’s later wealth status. Child pregnancies affect nearly 20 percent of adolescent girls in developing countries or about 7 million girls below 18 years per annum;
• - of high risk of child marriage: one in three girls in developing countries is likely to be married before she reaches 18 years (predominantly in this age range);

Both mentioned issues are applicable to girls of this age group, particularly so in rural areas of developing economies and deserves serious attention. Here are a few reasons why:

- Child marriage is often a threat to girls’ lives and health, and it limits their future prospects. Girls pressed into child marriage often become pregnant while still adolescents, increasing the risk of complications in pregnancy or at childbirth. 

- Impoverished, poorly educated and rural girls are more likely to become pregnant earlier than their wealthier, urban, educated counterparts.

-   Child pregnancies hinder the mother-to-be in their schooling which has, among others, adverse impacts on their subsequent productivity (income generation and access to decent employment opportunities) as well as wealth status;

-  Child pregnancies are often economically but also developmentally (esp. health) detrimental for both the mother and her child/children;

​Speaking more broadly, child pregnancies harm the economic development in a long run, given that they may, among others, perpetuate poverty of the mother and their children due to the above reasons.   

According to the recent UNFPA report (2013), about 7 million girls below 18 years in developing countries which is about 20,000 girls below age 18 giving birth per day in developing countries. [State of World Population 2013: Motherhood in Childhood: Facing the challenge of adolescent pregnancy, See also: http://www.unfpa.org/child-marriage]:

• ‘’It is not just mothers and babies that suffer consequences. Children having children also severely impacts communities and nations’ economies. For example, if the more than 200,000 adolescent mothers in Kenya were employed instead of having become pregnant, $3.4 billion could have been added to the economy. This is equivalent to the value of Kenya’s entire construction sector. If adolescent girls in Brazil and India had been able to wait until their early 20s, the countries would have greater economic productivity equal to over $3.5 billion and $7.7 billion, respectively.’’

Other issues to be taken into account are: girls subordinate position vis-à-vis acquisition/accumulation of particularly human, physical and natural resources capital which are needed for the acquisition of decent employment and work.

Girls’ time burden or time poverty (they are more engaged than boys of the same age in reproductive and domestic activities which often prevents them in continuing their education or engage in productive and financially viable work that may empower them; invisibility of much of girls work, etc. They may also have few market opportunities, lack of broader institutional support and limited access to representative organizations and are more likely to accept employment in the informal economy.

I hope that these few thoughts can contribute to this very important debate and I would be particularly interested in hearing about any country-level and/or sectorial examples.

Best regards,

Monika