Thanks to participants for their comments about innovations to increase the involvement of women and youth in agriculture.
In Japan a large majority of farmers practice family farming and many innovative practices are encouraging a small-scale approach. Japanese agriculture cooperatives own farmers markets where farmers can set their own prices, ensuring higher incomes for young and female farmers by allowing them to set their own prices. Youth participation in agriculture is also encouraged by JA-Youth, an agricultural cooperative of 60,000 young farmers who advocate for policy directives to support agriculture.
A commentator from South America shared several ideas about how to better engage and support youth and women in agriculture. Universities, for example, can incorporate more agricultural programs to encourage youth to participate in farming. And for those programs that exist, applying agricultural and business knowledge to family farming, instead of industrial agriculture, should to be emphasized and encouraged. Governments can also promote youth access to information technologies so they may better adapt them to farming pursuits.
According to the commentator, South American women can better achieve food security and sovereignty by incorporating traditional knowledge and domestic skills to create value added products to sell for a higher prices. Strengthening the role of women in ecological conservation, conserving biodiversity, and sharing intergenerational farming knowledge are also important.
Thanks again for your comments!
Г-жа Danielle Nierenberg