Dear FSN Forum,
Please find below my comment to this topic. I am also attaching two relevant documents:
- Paper on "The Role of Youth in Agriculture and Food System Transformation in Zimbabwe". This paper was accepted for publication. It will appear in Journal of Global Resources second edition (2016)
- An African Agrarian Philosophy and the Sustainable Development Goals: Nurturing Creativity in Science and Society.
Based on your experience, what are the specific challenges rural youth aged 15-17 face (different from those over 18) in making a (current or future) living in agriculture and related activities? How can you address them?
I am inclined to share my ideas on ‘creativity in science and society’ as we continuously search for innovative ways to view and enact rural development so as to impact positively on the age group of young people in question (aged 15 -17). If you look closely at this age group, we read so much of the exceptional ideas around science (and other things) and how it can be used in society especially in places outside Africa. The issue then is not to give the young people more science (though this is one strategy in food issues) but rather to broadly see what it is that this age group can creatively bring (and are bringing) to reality in their contexts. The World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report states that in 2020, complex problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity, will be among the top 10 skills needed in the job/employment market (i.e., in the world). And of course, when we take agriculture and related activities as a point of reference, as in every other place in the world, we have still a long way in addressing the skills gap of the rural youth versus their urban counterparts as well as a host of generic challenges (e.g., access to land, finance, education, knowledge and skills). We might have to be content in starting from unfamiliar territories (e.g. interdisciplinary disciplines) in seeking for solutions to the challenges faced by rural youth.
In a country such as Zimbabwe, one cannot ignore the far-reaching influence of the external environment (e.g., political, social, and economic uncertainties, accessibility to markets, supporting policy instruments, etc) on the creative potential and abilities of young people (aged 15 – 17). It is not just a matter of providing decent work to them but ensuring that they are able to fully make up their minds on taking on agriculture as not only a practical pursuit needed to provide food for generations but as an equally creative endeavor in one’s career and life. We have to see beyond the problems for some of them possibly dabble on the country’s historical background and the necessity of an ideology before anything else takes (no matter how noble) root. This is the world in which these young people find themselves in. They would need to sharpen their knowledge and skills primarily through education and other forms of self-learning. I am of the opinion that they are creative individuals and only the world stands to witness of the innovative ways that can bring dignity to rural development and how it has more than often, be taken to be.
Last but not least, together with other ‘quick-minds’ we shared at the 2015 Innovation Baraza, an idea on ‘Reengineering food and energy security among rural youth in Zimbabwe’. In this idea targeted at youth in Dora of Mutare, Manicaland Province of Zimbabwe, we attempted to link food and agriculture (poultry) and industrial development (biogas generation/methanol). The fundamental questions that guided this creative pursuit were: Can food security hold the key to energy access? Can energy security hold the key to food security? This is the challenge that confronts the creative endeavors targeted at young people in rural communities for it not always solutions/answers that present at our doors but calculated risks.
Raymond Erick Zvavanyange, Country Representative, Young Professionals for Agricultural Development, Zimbabwe
Raymond Erick Zvavanyange