TRAINING OF YOUTH IN AGRIBUSINESS
Youths living in rural areas experience several barriers, one of which is lack of information on current agricultural technologies and agri-business. To overcome this barrier, training programs that link young people to climate-smart agricultural practices and profitable new agribusinesses are underway in several countries. The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture’s (IITA) Youth Agripreneurs (IYA) aims to change youth’s perception of agriculture to see it as an exciting and profitable agribusiness. IITA and the African Development Bank are also scaling-up the initiative through a program called ENABLE Youth Program. Through this initiative, 200 participants from 30 African countries have learned about agribusiness, new agricultural skills and technologies, climate change, mechanization and agricultural value chain approaches. Another example of a training program is in Mali, where youths attended the Mali Agribusiness Incubation Hub (MAIH), established by the World Vegetable Center. At MAIH, they receive training on vegetable production, composting techniques, management of nurseries, the use of integrated pest management methods and vegetable farming for business to generate income.
In Senegal, Directoire national des femmes en élevage (DINFEL), is comprised of women between 40-55 years-old, who are actively involved in passing on agricultural knowledge to younger generations. The group offers agricultural training programs that are attractive to the youth, especially under the current climatic conditions. One of the programs includes the rearing of drought tolerant livestock farming, growing of cashew nuts crop, poultry farming and mechanization of farming techniques that can reduce labor requirements.
Similar initiatives around the world include Guatemala's Community Learning Centers (CADER) which offer training programs for sustainable agricultural techniques and technical assistance to improve crop and livestock yields amongst the youth. In India, a development project by Technoserve, in partnership with Cargill Agricultural Fellow program, offers one-month classroom training on crop and livestock production. Upon completion of the training, graduates are offered loans to establish agri-business. Maaruthi, a youth from Bhanuvalli village, a fellowship recipient, currently owns a vermicomposting business that utilizes banana leaves and worms to produce low-cost compost for paddy rice.
INCLUDING YOUTH IN AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAINS
One critical question is whether youth engagement in agriculture can fulfill unmet needs within the larger agricultural market value chain. Solving this could reduce poverty and hunger. A report by Osti et al. (2015) highlights the importance of increasing youth involvement in agricultural value chains to improve food security and reduce youth unemployment. Youth can be involved in a number of agricultural activities, including production, post-harvest handling, distribution and marketing of agricultural products. Removing barriers to start-up capital will allow young people to innovate and expand current agri-businesses. An example of this is Tanzania’s Agri-Hub network which promotes entrepreneurship by linking young people to markets, agriculture input dealers, extension services and the media to promote existing and emerging agribusiness opportunities. Agri-Hub also launched the Tanzania Youth in Agribusiness Forum where young people can discuss agribusiness enterprises and provide technological assistance/training to undertake various projects. A recipient of this training and networking is Anna Malong. Malong started a leather processing business and uses Agri-Hub’s online platform as a trading, agribusiness information and agribusiness link platform.