Youth, ICTs and Agriculture
Can ICTs make the youth stay in agriculture? FAO and partners established that rural youth are the future of food security, yet the challenge is that few young people see a future for themselves in agriculture or rural areas.
A study published by FAO noted six principal challenges affecting youth in agriculture:
- insufficient access to knowledge, information and education
- limited access to land
- inadequate access to financial services
- difficulties in accessing green jobs
- limited access to markets
- limited involvement in policy dialogue
While these challenges are complex and interwoven, there a number of interventions are essential modern information and communications technologies offer great potential.
How can youth and technology in agriculture be a solution to eradicating poverty and making young people contribute to farming?
We found this video to be very relavant to this discussion. This video was produced by IICD illustrates a youths's ICT-enabled journey into profiatble farming, based on the publication, "ICT4D Effects: Youth, ICTs and Agriculture".
Video: Youth, ICTs and Agriculture
View this video by clicking the image above [©iccd]
Video Abstract
Through the use of ICT as a tool and driver for development and social change, IICD continues to accelerate development by building capacities of farmers, entrepreneurs, teachers, students and health professionals, with a special focus on women and the youth. Most of them live in remote rural areas and are now using ICTs to access information, communicate and do their jobs more effectively and efficiently.
The publication 'ICT4D Effects: Youth, ICTs and Agriculture' is informed by the findings from recent research focused on three projects under the Connect4Change (C4C) Economic Development programme located in western Kenya, which focus on enhancing agricultural productivity and access to markets. The research investigated the linkages between the introduction and the use of ICT in farming and the interest of youth in farming and value chain development
Read the News on "Developing Youth skills on ICTs"
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