Developing Holistic Youth and Agriculture Policies

FANRPAN HIGH LEVEL POLICY DIALOGUE 2011J. F. FONSECA

Developing Holistic Youth and Agriculture Policies

FANRPAN HIGH LEVEL POLICY DIALOGUE 2011J. F. FONSECA

Structure

Part I: Highlights Day 2 and Day 3

Part II: FANRPAN Project on “Developing Holistic Agriculture and Youth Policies”, supported by CTA

Context

Demographic growth

Declining and ageing agricultural population

Youth : bulk of the population

Rural – urban migration

Youth as part of the problem

Factors:

•Unemployment•Underemployment•Large periods of inactivity•Working poverty

Resulting in:

Political and social instability

Delinquency, crime…

Opportunities for development wasted

Youth as part of the solution

•Learning and physical aptitude

•Openness, creativity and innovation

•Energy and enthusiasm

Youth - Absolute advantages in:

•Technologies

•Information & knowledge brokerage

Demographic dividend

•Innovation & productive investments higher per capita income

•Working age population > dependent population

•Educated, healthy, motivated youth with jobs and decent salaries

Agricultural value chains Rural – urban continuum

Agriculture: more than food on the table

Productivity based agricultural transformation + value addition: opportunities for the youth

Challenges faced by the youth in AVC:

• Few assets (land, finance…)• Limited access to valuable info• Lack of investment opportunities• Minimal technical support• Undefined market options

Youth and image of agriculture

•Drudgery

•Low technology and social profile

•Low reward and limited opportunities

•High risks

Youth and image of agriculture

•Perceptions or realities?

•Only youth?

Agriculture and youth

Don’t treat youth as a homogeneous group: cater for different problems, needs and demands

Youth

•Rural – urban youth

•Different levels of education; illiteracy

•School and post-school youth

•Females: limited access to assets, teen pregnancy, early motherhood, lack of assets, various vulnerabilities…

•Males: alcohol and drug abuse, delinquency and crime…

•….

Attracting youth to agriculture, in particular the most talented ones

•Science and Technology

o Agricultural and processing technologies

o ICTs, including social media

•Capacities

•Opportunities

•Voice and youth organizations within and outside the agricultural/rural sector

Capacities

•Education, extension, access to information, health, collective wisdom…

•Training: technical knowledge, managerial skills, leadership, critical thinking, moral development

Opportunities

•Access to land, stable finance, equipment…•Entrepreneurship•Job and decent salaries•Services and institutions•Various, new professions along VC!

Voice

•Space for policy representation and engagement•Multi-stakeholders policy dialogue •Representation at managerial level •Support to youth organizations, clubs, networks, forums, …

•Specific youth policies in the areas of education, health, land, finance, employment, etc. taking in account agricultural needs

•Inter-sectoral coordination, harmonization and integration

Developing a holistic youth and agriculture policy framework

A FANRPAN Project supported by CTA

A case for holistic agriculture and youth policies

•Renewed interest in youth policies, but where is agriculture? Governments? CAADP? AU? Global debates?Urban bias which increases as problems in urban areas become more acuteWithin agricultural policies: youth not an specific issue

A need for:

•Sound technology-based agricultural transformation policies

•Explicit youth policies with specific policy instruments under agricultural policies•Policies and institutions to building on, and going beyond, success stories

Expected outcomes

The project will contribute to:

1. Youth and agriculture policies developed and treated in all its dimensions and components as a national priority

2. Coherent cross-sectoral policies for the development of capacities, opportunities and incentives for the engagement of youth in agricultural value chains designed

3. Meaningful and active engagement of young people in agriculture policy processes and decision-making through capable youth-based organizations

4. Political and public support as well as scientific, technical and financial resources for policy formulation and implementation

Expected results

1. Youth interests, views and proposals identified and taken into consideration

2. Opportunities for developing andstreamlining youth specific policies into agricultural policies identified

3. Advocacy strategies for developing opportunities, capacities and incentives for young people in agricultural value chains outlined

Methodology

Research and analysis

National levelRegional synthesis

Consultations

Formulation of policy proposals

Methodology

•Media work: conventional media, social media

•Advocacy and lobbying

•National, regional, continental engagement (NEPAD/CAADP…)

•Capacity development•Resource mobilization

Year 1 Activities

•Country case studies on current and emerging youth policies with a special focus on links with agriculture

• Start: October 2011 • Draft report: February 2012 • Final report, incl. synthesis:

March 2012

Year 1 Activities

•Country case studies on current and emerging youth policies with a special focus on links with agriculture

o Start: October 2011 o Draft report: February 2012 o Final report, incl. synthesis:

March 2012

Case studies: outputs

•Views and interests among young people, taking into account current changes in agriculture

•Coverage of rural youth and agriculture under current national youth policies and initiatives assessed

Case studies: outputs

Institutions, mechanisms and tools for engagement of youth in policy processes described

Opportunities for streamlining youth and agriculture into youth policies and agricultural policies

•National and regional evidence-based multi-stakeholder policy dialogue: Tanzania, October 2012

•Media outreach on agricultural and youth policies: ongoing, starting 2011 FANRAPN Policy Dialogue

• Advocacy campaign targeting national, regional and continental decision-makers and stakeholders

• Direct engagement with national, regional and continental policy processes (CAADP…) and decision-makers

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2012 – 2014 Programme

To be developed: first working session: Saturday, 25/09/11

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