Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

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    • Dear Moderators,

      Thank you for initiating such an important discussion and this is to share my views some of the points. We hope to learn more from the contribution of other and the final synthesis.

      What are the biggest challenges youth in Africa face after going through youth-specific capacity development initiatives in agriculture?

      Africa is heterogeneous, hence the opportunities for African youth in farming is not uniform. One of the challenges is that access to farmland for those who would like to start business is not the same. In countries like Ethiopia, land has been the main stay of the economy and it has reached its climax carrying capacity. The land holding is too small (less than a hectare per household of average 5 members). The interest of youth to stay in agriculture is very low and youth are continually migrating to other sector (if available) or out migrating in search of better opportunities elsewhere. Any global intervention to support youth in agriculture should take into consideration different feasible paths for the land-constrained regions and those with possibilities for land expansion. The capacity building for youth from land constrained communities should focus on farming business that require less land and water resources. Most training so far are on dairy, irrigation, vegetable production, seed multiplication and the like but these assume land availability. Hence, post-training, youth face constrained situation in terms of land availability and poorly developed land markets to exercise their skills. We need to develop context specific capacity building programs for the rural youth in Africa. There are initiatives in Ethiopia, like in the Tigray region, where landless youth are allocated rehabilitated hillsides. In the Tigray region, 65% of the land is not suitable for conventional farming because of topographic constraints. However, youth group are allocated some of the rehabilitated community lands to develop suitable hillside farms. This may ease temporary problems but the long-term consequences depend on how the youth group will manage the land. Capacity building efforts in this line should take such condition and that youth are trained to overcome such challenges. Beyond land availability, youth should have access to finance and technology.

      What post-capacity development support do the youth need? What can the youth do to support each other in developing their skills and capacities?

      Sustaining the collective action among key stakeholders supporting youth is important. Most support service for the youth are seasonal and uncoordinated. The youth should be encouraged to work in groups and collaborate along the value chain to maximize their opportunities and address the challenges they face along the way. Most youth may engage in production individually but when it comes to post-production activities working in group (as marketing groups and unions) may enable them to create functional value chains in their favour.

      What enabling environment is needed to ensure sustainability of youth in agriculture capacity development initiatives?

      The policy support for the youth in terms of clear land tenure rights, access to finance, nonpartisan approach, and other enabling condition along the value chain is important. In some countries, the youth groups are based on political party affiliations and access to support services are conditional. Hence, all youth should have equal access to land, financing and the like without any political biasedness. Government should create for private investment in agro-processing sector to diversify the market options for commodities produced by the youth.

      Is there a role for modern technologies, including Information and Communication Technologies, in sustaining capacity development initiatives?

      A huge role. IT based platforms can create enabling conditions for transparency in implementation of youth support programs, providing continuous support in terms of information on production systems, marketing, business opportunities and life-long learning to youth post training. IT can be a good platform for mentoring and coaching of youth engaged in farming business and to facilitate access to expert advice on demand.

      With kind regards,

      Girmay Tesfay

      Mekelle University, Ethiopia