Soil Fertility and Nitrogen Management in Semi-arid region
Taking reference to Nepal and many other Asian countries, women should be trained (if they have not received yet) so that they can be independent in farming business or make easy access to have resources that can be helpful in better soil management and higher crop production. For example, vermicompost or jholmal (bio-fertilizer, for details: https://www.cogentoa.com/article/10.1080/23311932.2019.1631026. Educating women is also that you are improving the quality of food/diet products from the field and family members will be healthier.
To attract more youth, curriculum reform is crucial in many Asian countries. One of the ideas that I was delivering at Youth In Landscape 2015 is “Soil Science Academy in Nepal”-- a networking and capacity building process on attracting the youth to the agriculture landscape by following sustainable soil management practices, for details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRO95Z8tua0.
In summary, youth and women should consider the core shareholders of Sustainable Soil Management and Gender Equality.
AEAS as well as social development workers need to keep youth’s role at center of planning in gender equality and improved nutrition. We know that education is important, however, there are lots of things missing in education in terms of soft skills (like, interpersonal skills). If a young professional has lack of competency, we cannot think that s/he will be able to deliver right message to targeted audience or how others can be benefited?
Through YPARD Nepal, in 2014, we organized “YPARD Nepal Family Farming Photo Contest”- a national level competition with the goal of giving a stronger voice to family farmers as well as the recognition they deserve for their key role in the construction of a food secured future. More than 200 submissions were received from young farmers by depicting agricultural landscapes.
In 2015, about 40 young people were actively engaged in a workshop to provide a useful starting point to expand emerging practices through sustainable intensification and creative marketing. Later in 2016, we started “EduMala Mentoring Program” where we discussed about the importance of underutilized food crops, food processing methods, food and dairy entrepreneurship. We believe, those activities are continuously helping young people in access to resources and capacity building, exchange of information and networking, and promoting food and agriculture among them. Details https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314312114_Promoting_Food_and_Nutritional_Values_among_Nepalese_Young_Minds
M. Dinesh Panday
Question 3
The proposed concept note might have difficulties to link Role 1 (Building a Central Knowledge Hub) and Role 2 (Policy and Regulatory Framework for Digitalization) when it comes to ground level. Role 1 keeps an interaction of Farmer - Technology – Council, whereas Role 2 keeps nation(s) only and this leads more chances to formulate a top-down approach again. Is there any room that we can bring the nation into Role 1?