Fostering cooperation between YPARD Europe and IAAS in the ExCo meeting 2017

How would it be if two of the largest networks and associations of youth in agriculture, YPARD and IAAS, cooperate further on national levels? It is certainly a promising outcome for more proactive engagement of young professionals in agricultural development worldwide.

With this vision in mind, the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) Europe is heading to the Exchange Coordinator Meeting (ExCo) 2017 of the International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences (IAAS) taking place from 2^nd to 9^th April 2017 in Vienna, Austria.

The long- established collaboration

Holding a common passion in spreading youth’s love for agriculture, YPARD and IAAS have been partners for years and worked together in various activities and events. Last year at the Tropentag conference 2016 in Vienna, YPARD collaborated with IAAS in organizing the interactive session on “Mission 2026: Acting now to support youth in agriculture”. The workshop successfully attracted more than 35 attendants from different countries to share their visions and aspirations for agricultural development.

In order to foster this fruitful partnership, the YPARD Europe coordinator Libuška Valešová and Stacy Hammond the YPARD youth leader communications officer were invited by the Vice President of External Relations IAAS Austria - Kyrill Sattlberger to participate in the IAAS ExCo meeting 2017 in Vienna.  This is an important event to boost the cooperation between YPARD Europe and IAAS, which subsequently benefits both parties and effectively strengthens the connection of young professionals in agriculture development.

Connecting youth in agriculture

Founded since 1957, IAAS has now become one of the leading agricultural student associations; it aims at promoting the international exchange knowledge, information and ideas among students, and to improve the mutual understanding between countries and cultures.

The ExCo meeting is an annual event where IAAS national coordinators from various corners around the world gather to attend practical workshops and training to improve exchange programs for students in agriculture. This year ExCo meeting focuses on the theme "Connecting youth in agriculture - between tradition and innovation".

Aims and expected outcomes

The main purpose of YPARD Europe’s attendance to this event is to further strengthen the cooperation on national levels by initiating a matching list between YPARD national representatives and IAAS national/local committees. On 4^th April, YPARD Europe will also present YPARD’s network and activities to IAAS General Assembly whit the aim of showcasing YPARD, its objectives, activities and mission.

Creating a matching list on a national scale will strengthen the rapport of YPARD and IAAS’s team in each particular country, which will also lead to a better collaboration by eliminating networking obstacles from geography and language barriers. More seminars, working camps, international meetings and small-scale agricultural development projects co-organized by YPARD and IAAS will be implemented. This collaboration will eventually encourage a larger number of young people worldwide to involve in agriculture development.

Picture credit: Picture 1 & 2: YPARD. Picture 3: IAAS

For more details regarding the ExCo meeting 2017 visit the IAAS website.