Farming Business for Youth and Community Development

The State of Food and Agriculture 2015 makes the case that social protection measures will help break the cycle of rural poverty and vulnerability, when combined with broader agricultural and rural development measures. 

According to 2014 Youth and Agriculture Report by FAO and CTA, Rural Youth are the future of food security yet around the world, few Young people see a future for themselves in Agriculture or rural areas.

According to The Critical Role of Youths in Global Development Report of 2001, More than any other group, today’s Young women and men will impact how people in rich and poor countries live. Unfortunately, hundreds of millions of youths especially Young women lack education, skills and job training, employment opportunities, and health services effectively limiting their futures at very early age.

With a basis to the above attributes, one of my GCARD3’s key theme of interest is “Sustaining the Business of Farming”. Currently here in Rural Uganda, about 75% of households are small-scale subsistance farmers who mostly grow food crops for home consumption. All along, majority of these farmers have not been able to regard Farming as a business and this has contributed to their lower income despite the fact that they work so hard in the field. Based on this fact, a great number of the Youths today, look at Farming as a last option from which a person can earn a significant living. Sustaining the Business of Farming through coordinated support by key players at local, national, regional and international level can attract the Youths into Agriculture where one can be able to happily sustain his or her life.

In trying to fulfil GCARD3 theme 4, at my Organization we are training and sensetizing Youths on how to treat poultry keeping as a business. Actually, my participation in the  GCARD3 Global event will enable me to develop and acquire knowledge on all the 5 key priority themes but most especially theme 4 and 5.

The appropriate skills aquired will be incoporated into my Organizations’ activities work-plan to be implemented locally for the benefit of the communities we serve.

My Social Media experience is based on a number of Web2.0 short courses I have been able to successfully complete with: CTA of Netherlands, United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR) and Association for Progressive Communications Women’ Networking Program (APC WNSP) of South Africa. 

My competency in Social media has enabled me to: be one of the finalists of 2011 CTA YoBloCo ARDYIS Project blog competition; serve as an onsite and remote online social media reporter and volunteer at a number of both local and international events such as 2011 IFAD Share fair conference in Rome Italy, 2012 IAALD Chapter Conference in Johannesburg South Africa, 2011 and 2012 Uganda National Internet Governance Forum, GFAR; The FARA AASW etc. Also, I engage myself on a number of social media platforms such as: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, WordPress, Meetup, PBWorks, Google+, Pinterest, etc

I have decided to submit this expression of interest for this call because I posses the proposed qualities and I am a good reporter and With good working English.

Lastly, I am a Science Technologist in Biological Sciences by Profession with formal education in Conflict Analysis, Negotiation and Conflict Management. I am the Executive Director and Founder of a local NGO Kikandwa Rural Communities Development Organization – KIRUCODO; Co-Founder and Director of Youths In Technology and Development –Uganda; NetSquared-Uganda Tech Organizer. I am a Ugandan, living and working in Uganda.

This blog post is part of the GCARD3 Youth blogpost applications. The content, structure and grammar is at the discretion of the author only.