OPEN ACCESS REPOSITORY
Results
Tool
2024
Gender equality and social inclusion for youth organizations – Methodological guidelines
Youth networks and organizations of young farmers, producers and entrepreneurs play a central role as partners in development initiatives that target youth in rural and agrifood spaces. By understanding and applying gender‑transformative and socially inclusive approaches, youth organizations can become more equitable, accessible, impactful and pluralistic platforms that legitimately represent the heterogeneity of young people and amplify the voices of those most marginalized or those in situations of vulnerability. These guidelines are a practical tool for youth organizations to better understand gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) and their importance, offering a step-by-step methodology to self-assess main gaps and areas [...]
Case study
2023
Hear it from the countries - Rural youth action plan – good practices
Young people are key agents of change, with enormous innovation potential. FAO recognizes that youth are already at the frontline to build more sustainable agrifood systems and are best placed to rejuvenate the sector, acquire the knowledge and skills needed to innovate, uptake new technologies, and spearhead the digital transformation. The Organization provides support to countries to develop more youth-inclusive policies, strategies, investments and programmes, in order to enhance the overall well-being of young women and men. This compendium of good practices brings together snapshots of selected FAO’s youth-specific projects, activities and products in support of the Rural Youth Action [...]
Tool
2022
Assessing the state of youth financial inclusion in developing contexts
In developing and emerging contexts, youth of all ages and backgrounds face substantial and multidimensional challenges when seeking to access the financial services they need to take adequate care of several aspects of their personal and professional lives. These barriers to financial inclusion represent a core development constraint that limits the capability of the youth to unlock their true potential as entrepreneurs, business innovators, and – ultimately – as agents of growth and change in developing contexts.
From the perspective of a financial inclusion practitioner, the ability to assess these barriers with insight and precision – as well as being able [...]
Case study
2022
Promoting access to agricultural finance for youth in developing countries
The aim of this publication is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of agricultural financing for youth in developing and emerging countries, underlining the trends, core challenges, opportunities, innovative solutions and initiatives associated with this undertaking.
The study makes use of the latest and most relevant literature on youth finance, while also relying extensively on insights and case studies that have emerged during the development of a series of FAO country-level assessments on the state of agricultural finance for youth.
Building on the analysis of this data and experience, the study aims to provide a range of recommendations and [...]
Tool
2022
Scaling up investments in agrifood systems for youth in Africa. What policymakers need to know
This investment brief highlights the importance of youth as change agents and key stakeholders contributing to sustainable agrifood systems. It provides an overview of the Investment guidelines for youth in agrifood systems in Africa developed jointly by FAO and the African Union Commission through a multi-stakeholder and participatory process. The guidelines aim to accelerate investments in and by youth in agrifood systems by providing practical guidance, including tools and examples, to design, develop, implement, monitor and evaluate youth-focused and youth-sensitive investment programmes and to engage youth fully as partners throughout the entire process. The brief calls for wide dissemination of [...]
Tool
2022
Investment guidelines for youth in agrifood systems in Africa
The Investment guidelines for youth in agrifood systems in Africa, developed jointly by FAO and the African Union Commission (AUC) through a multi-stakeholder and participatory process, highlight the importance of youth as change agents and key stakeholders contributing to sustainable agrifood systems. The guidelines aim to accelerate investments in and by youth in agrifood systems by providing practical guidance - including tools and examples - to design, develop, implement, monitor and evaluate youth-focused and youth-sensitive investment programmes and to engage youth fully as partners in the entire process.The guidelines were prepared with the support of the AUC and FAO Technical [...]
Case study
2022
Agrifood systems transformation through a climate change lens. A case study on policy dialogue from Myanmar
This paper discusses how adapting food production systems to respond to consumer demand for healthier diets is a major opportunity to mitigate and adapt to climate change in agro-rural economies. It also addresses how existing technological solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation need to create more balance between the production and consumption tiers of agrifood systems.Policy dialogue includes managing trade-offs between different sector and stakeholder interests and exploring synergies rather than focusing on exclusivity and competition. This requires a new framework that goes beyond sector-specific policy development. Political economy issues compound the outcome of evidence-based policy dialogue results. For [...]
Briefs
2022
Policies and institutions shaping the business enabling environment of agrifood processors in Senegal. An analytical review of the literature for integrated policy making
Small and medium agrifood enterprises (SMAEs) such as processors, transporters and other service providers, play an important role in achieving sustainable development objectives. For instance, they connect farmers to urban markets; make significant investments in rural areas; provide employment to vulnerable populations such as women and youth; and propel the modernization of agrifood value chains. In sub-Saharan Africa, where agriculture comprises 53 percent of total employment and 15.5 percent of gross domestic product, supporting SMAEs can have great implications for pro-poor growth and rural transformation. To support SMAEs in fulfilling their potential, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United [...]
Issue paper
2022
Agricultural mechanization and child labour in developing countries. Background study
The FAO-IFPRI study, focuses on the use of tractors because they are among the most versatile farm mechanization tools and are universal power sources for all other driven implements and equipment in agriculture, with significant potential to replace animal draught power and human power, including children’s muscle power. Tractor use is typically also the first type of machine-powered equipment in use at lower levels of agricultural development, the context where most child labour is found.Mechanization is mostly assumed to reduce child labour, as it is expected to be labour saving in general. Yet, this is not always the case, as [...]
Issue paper
2022
Ready to go digital? Assessing the digital readiness of young agripreneurs in East Africa
Food and Agricultural Organization’s Integrated Country Approach for boosting decent jobs for youth in agrifood systems carried out a digital readiness assessment of youth in agribusiness in partnership with the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation and youth-led organizations in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.Over 360 young male and female entrepreneurs engaged through an online survey and virtual focus group discussions that generated insights on their interaction with digital technologies, either as entrepreneurs, service providers, or members of youth organizations.This summary note presents key findings on the following topics: agribusiness information flows, youth digital access and preferences, information technology use for business including [...]