Dear All,
Thank you for your many rich contributions and the models and approaches that you are sharing!
A number of you have mentioned the need for role models for youth in agriculture, improvements in rural infrastructure in general to attract youth to want to stay and work in rural areas, and especially the importance for them to see good income opportunities in agricultural activities. How can we support youth under 18 to make a good, secure income in agriculture, addressing the additional barriers they face due to their age? How can we ensure that agricultural interventions also benefit younger youth?
For those contributors who have mentioned they only work with youth over 18, can you tell us a little more about this decision, so that we can understand better the additional support this group might need or the challenges you are facing in reaching this age group?
Some of the contributions have also mentioned the importance of addressing child labour and youth employment together. How can we strengthen the linkages between child labour and youth employment programmes to treat these young people as a continuum and take more of a life-cycle approach? What is being done to promote safe work for youth under 18 in agriculture while avoiding child labour?
Lastly, A number of you have shared initatives related to providing vocational training to rural youth or work with schools improving agricultural and climate education. How can such initiatives be scaled-up to reach the vast numbers of rural children and youth?
I look forward to our continued discussion, and the approaches you can share on addressing the specific challenges faced by youth under 18 in engaging in agriculture-related activities.
Thank you!
Best regards,
Jacqueline
Jacqueline Demeranville