Encouraging youth agri-entrepreneurs in Rwanda (FAO and JR Farms)
In December 2020, FAO and JR Farms Limited signed a letter of intent to promote youth agri- entrepreneurship in Rwanda. JR Farms is a thriving youth-led agri-enterprise providing food processing, agricultural commodity trading and consultancy services in Rwanda, Nigeria and Zambia, working towards the realization of agricultural transformation in Africa.
Youth will have access to equity funds through JR Farms’ Green Agribusiness Fund for innovative agribusiness ideas across a variety of agrifood value chains. They will also benefit from training and capacity- development opportunities and be able to connect with wider networks and agri-entrepreneurs.
The collaboration with JR Farms arose from the Africa Regional Conference on Youth Employment held in Kigali, Rwanda in 2018, jointly organized by FAO, the African Union and the Government of Rwanda.
Beyond Rwanda, the aim is to scale up efforts to Kenya, Senegal, Uganda and as far afield as Guatemala, to support countries in adopting more youth-inclusive agrifood system development policies, strategies and programmes.
JR Farms is a youth-led agribusiness company, which provides business consultancy services and is active in Rwanda, Nigeria, Zambia and the Netherlands. Its mission is to establish a sustainable platform for commercial agriculture, capable of translating Africa’s vast agrarian potential into global marketable products, culminating in sustainable food production and increased livelihoods for farmers across Africa.