There is no question the current global food system is under ever-growing pressure which means meeting the foundation SDGs - SDG 1 and 2 on poverty and hunger - are challenged. YPARD and GFRAS believe that combining efforts can yield better results. Pressure in the global food systems can be linked to a multitude of factors: the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, increasing... More

We are proud to announce to the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) community that Laureene Reeves Ndagire, a member of YPARD Uganda has been listed as one of the speakers for the IFOAM – Organics International and the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF)’s Digital Forum: Food without Farmers. Laureene is an eminent young professional in agriculture who has a deep understanding... More

When you buy popcorn in a movie theatre, maize cobs from a street vendor and a meal which comes from processing maize as feed, we should be thankful to the farmers.  They are men and women who battle against the unpredictable weather and invasive insects and bring food from the field to our fork. I have been hearing that agriculture is... More

The East African Farmers Federation (EAFF) together with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) held a two-day workshop on youth space in policy and financial inclusion. This formed part of the ongoing project of “Scaling-Up Rural Youth Access to inclusive Financial Services for Entrepreneurship and employment”. The project is being implemented in 3 East African... More

On the 24th of October YPARD was invited to participate in an engaging #twitterchat hosted by Thomson Reuters Foundation and Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition. The question of the day was: As climate change threatens food supplies – and growing appetites threaten the climate – we want to find out how diets might change and if we need to make... More

Determining when your light will shine is barely impossible. It’s just a matter of patience, commitment and continuous personal development over time- not forgetting your professional development. In the African context, the means for the youth to gain accurate competencies to build their expertise and professionalism in various sectors, generally depend on the system and environment they find themselves in. In... More

It’s time for a revolution in the food system—young and new farmers need government support to nourish future generations. Farmers, businesses, policy-makers, and educators need to promote agriculture as an intellectually stimulating and economically sustainable career—and make jobs in agriculture and the food system “cool” for young people all over the world.Food Tank, as the presenter of Pivot TV and TakePart’s... More

Ruteros on the Learning Route (11 – 18 Aug, 2014, Nairobi – Embu Kenya) Lack of unemployment, gender inequality and discrimination, high school dropout rates, high costs of living, drugs and increasing crime rates are among the major crosscutting concerns that affect young people across Africa. Defining young people’s significance however remains just but a definition with no intention to ‘act’ the... More