August 12 marks International Youth Day, this year’s theme is “Intergenerational solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages” where the international community will celebrate youth involvement and amplify the message that action from all generations is needed to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs), and ensure no one is left behind.

As a firm believer in Syrian youth as the future of the country’s agriculture sector, FAO has been promoting youth involvement in agriculture through its specialized entrepreneurship programme, Nabta (Arabic for seedling). The programme promotes entrepreneurship, innovation and digitalization of agriculture, and also supports ambitious youth to establish successful agribusinesses with the ultimate goal of restoring youth interest in agriculture.

Once youth are enrolled in the Nabta programme, they go through three main phases: suitable applicants first attend ideation workshops to learn about design thinking, and how to develop an idea for a new business. The top performing trainees progress to business development workshops to work on their business proposals. The best proposals – judged by a technical review committee - receive grants and mentorship support to launch their small-scale businesses.

Generations exchange dialogue to promote new practices

By engaging youth, FAO has sparked forms of dialogue between youth and senior generations experienced in agriculture. Ruaá Hamid, an agricultural engineer and beneficiary from rural Al-Hasakah, took the initiative to engage her village’s farmers in capacity-building workshops. The 27-year-old is one of more than 22 other trainees who have benefitted from a Nabta grant in Al-Hasakah, receiving support for a compost business proposal, she was able to double the size of her dry compost production and expand into making liquid compost ‘tea’.

The older generations in Ruaa’s village were not initially enthusiastic about her unfamiliar products, so she decided to go beyond ordinary product promotion and organize free weekly workshops to explain the benefits of using compost for plant growth. The workshops soon proved a success, with up to 25 farmers attending each session, and workshops conducted in five villages so far.

“I took the initiative to spread a beneficial farming practice that will help farmers improve their food production by using an eco-friendly compost,” Ruaa explains. She believes that young and motivated farmers can also learn from the seniors’ experience about plant diseases and pest control, and in exchange, they can introduce older farmers to using modern agricultural practices like using trays to grow seedlings and using compost as an organic fertilizer.

Digitalization of agriculture in Syria

With information technology bringing the world closer, FAO has capitalized on the potential benefits of using communication technology in agriculture by expanding Nabta into a dedicated training on ‘Digital Agriculture'. The training introduced an innovative concept to a youthful audience from a variety of disciplines. In its first round, FAO Digital Agriculture training awarded a prize to a team who designed a fully-automated sheep pen that monitors and nurtures sheep from birth to consumption. This automated system has attracted attention from international players in the agribusiness sector.

The team leader, Esraa Jaddaa, has pointed out that supporting innovation in agriculture will have a lasting positive impact on all generations: “Using smart solutions in agriculture will drive down production costs for farmers and livestock keepers in terms of time, effort, and money. This will motivate people to come up with innovative solutions in agriculture.”

Abundant possibilities

Nabta has seen some remarkable triumphs of hope and determination, with one notable example coming from rural Homs. Maher Dallah, a modest woodworker from Al-Rastan, was supported by the programme to start making beehives. His production grew larger over time, and one opportunity to trade beehives for bees helped him start his own beekeeping business next to his workshop.

Maher believes his Nabta experience was transformative. He remembers a time of frustration when he and his peers would complain about the lack of opportunities. Since benefiting from Nabta, Maher has realized that there is hope for young people to learn and realize their potential. “I was afraid I might fail, but the training helped me realize that I can succeed and keep going down my own path,” he says.

This programme has benefited more than 100 projects so far across Syria, and is only one example of the energy and vision that young people can bring to bear on old problems. By engaging all generations, we can maximize the full potential of every age group, and help shape the future of our planet today through inclusivity and intergenerational solidarity.