Mme Pamela White
FAO SO4 Evaluation, Danida Nepal evaluation, Project management of two long term projects in Nepal on water resources management, WASH and agriculture, and various other smaller assignments
FAO SO4 Evaluation, Danida Nepal evaluation, Project management of two long term projects in Nepal on water resources management, WASH and agriculture, and various other smaller assignments
The engagment of youth in sustainable agriculture and food systems in Cambodia
I would like to offer some brief comments concerning the opportunities for, and constraining factors affecting youth engagement and employment in agriculture and food systems, particulalrly regarding youth access to training, education and mentorship programmes and to policy making processes in Cambodia. These comments are based on experience with agricultural education and policy matters in Cambodia and other countries. I am currently employed in Cambodia as an EU-FAO Policy Officer for the FIRST Programme supporting transformation to support sustainable food systems.
Cambodia has a youthful population, with tremendous enthusiasm to secure rewarding employment, pursue opportunities for enterprise and to innovate. Cambodia has the potental to secure a once only demographic dividend in coming decades. This potential arises as the youthful population surges forward; dependency ratios for the workforce are falling; health is improving; and knowledge, skills and technology are all fueling economic and social development. The dividend is by no means guaranteed. The right investments and policies are required to capitalise on the opportunity. Handled skillfully, this is the opportunity for Cambodia to score on its sustaibnable development goals and to move rapidly onwards from Lower Middle Income Status.
For the agricultural sector, the returns to labour and capital are lower than for other sectors. Agricultural growth lags behind other sectors and agriculture is less and less attractive to youth as a source of employment or a course of study.
My key observations regarding the constraints and opportunities for youth in terms of access to training, education and mentorship are:
In terms of access to policy processes, youth have had little chance for access to those processes or voice in the policy dialogue. This situation is changing rapidly. Respect for elders and for tradition is embedded in Cambodian society. Whilst that respect is preserved, there is also recognition that youth are increasingly steering the way forward. Opportunities for increasing youth engagement and voice in Cambodia relate to:
Overall, the key elements to support transformation for Cambodia lie in creating and sharing a vision, providing the leadership for strategic processes to support the vision and public resources to set the wave in motion. The momentum will be sustained by youthful enthusiasm rewarded by profits.
In the consultations and drafting of the National Strategy for Food Security and Nutrtion 20192-2023 in Cambodia, we have recognised the importance of gender and youth as cross-cutting issues and set each working group supporting the strategy with the task of implementing specific actions to address gender concerns and youth.
Mme Pamela White
Thanks for the opportunity to make comments on the V0 draft of this very interesting document. The proposal to add extra dimensions to Food Security and Nutrtion is well founded. However, I also argue that nutrition should not be left simply as a part of the dimension relating to use and utilisation. Nutrtion requires much more attention and should be elevated to the forefront of our thinking for the future. Only in this way will be have a complete basis for dealing with malnutrtion, including overwieight and obesity and micro-nitrtient deficiences.
Please see some additional comments attached.
Iean Russell, FAO Cambodia