Last Month, I participated in the Agricultural Biotechnology and Biosafety Workshop, organized by the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB), Nigeria, Program for Biosafety System and other partners.  The event showcased series of presentations from scientists on the research around genetic engineered  crops; Presentations from the Media on why Negative stories around genetic engineered crops sells faster than positive... More

Since its inception, YPARD has grown rapidly, demonstrating the need and value that young professionals see in a youth focused network.  This is moreso reflected in the recently released YPARD 2015 annual report which takes into account all the activities YPARD community has been involved in for the last one year.Among these notable activities include; Communication both Online and Offline In... More

Many people in Bangladesh believe that ICT in Agriculture is like an infantile while others think differently. The world is becoming a global tech village and we need to think about its use in agriculture. Bangladesh agriculture is a very important contributor in the country's GDP  with the figures from the Ministry of Agriculture showing its total contribution in 2015 was... More

Agriculture is at crossroads.  There are many positive and negative changes taking place in the sector each day, all of which require that collective solutions be sought by the young and the old people. Higher education plays a critical role in training the next generation of scientists and agriculture professionals, as shown by the interview below, with a young professional in... More

The Young Professionals for Agricultural Development’s network (YPARD) is looking for three – 3 - interns – an English speaker, a Francophone and a Spanish speaker - to join the YPARD’s Global Communications team and expand its information services and communications.  WANTED! Do you have a background in agricultural related fields, natural resource management, ICT4D or similar fields?Are you passionate about and... More

This blogpost by Rustam Ibragimov originally appeared on the GFAR blog. I will tell you something that is not new to any of us. Today, nearly 1 billion people across the world face the problem of undernourishment. Agricultural development organizations do their best to tackle this ‘number one’ issue which is a problem of the whole generation nowadays and the generations... More

Information and communication technology has just upgraded our world of agri-infotainment to a whole  new level. Around many corners of the globe, where, there exists an ever-reigning constraint of access to information, Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) has been delivering considerable treatments to this problem every nanosecond. With the approach to "right to access for information", AgriYouthNepal in collaborative support of YPARD... More

2016’s 10year celebrations of the young professionals for agricultural development’s network (YPARD) are generating a series of festivities online and on the ground, all around the world and throughout the year. The third Global Conference for Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD3) offered the floor for the YPARD’s global face-to-face anniversary. A hundred of people – young and senior – from every... More

My story of how I got to attend the #enableyouth Program is quite interesting as my initial plan was to come to Abuja briefly, do an agribusiness branding presentation and head back to Birnin Kebbi( Very few people know Kebbi is a state in Nigeria). Soon after settling in Abuja I updated my Facebook status on my proposed presentation. One of... More

What drives young people to join networks? How does membership of a network strengthen one’s position in society?  As a member of several networks such as YPARD, Prolinnova (Promoting local innovation) and Youth Food movement, these are some of the questions I ask myself at times. Generally, when people talk about networks, they talk about creating a sense of belonging, building... More

Animal health is the biggest restriction to improving productivity of livestock in Ghana, where myriad of local diseases restrict animal productivity and cause high mortality rates. This is due to the reluctance by smallholders to administer vaccines, lack of knowledge about available medicines and the cost of and access to vaccinations and other medication. Over 50% of local farmers have not gone... More

Machteld Schoolenberg was the first YPARD Web4Knowledge intern in 2011. Since then, her involvement with YPARD activities has incredibly evolved. At the occasion of YPARD 10 years celebrations, Machteld's story is a powerful means to show why and how much YPARD's work is relevant to its community of young professionals in agricultural development. It’s ten years of YPARD, but for me,... More

Farmers in Kenya are unable to realize full potential from their businesses due to lack of training. For the youth to engage in productive farming and improve their livelihoods they need to get access to affordable agricultural training. Many private farms in Kenya have taken up the initiative to train farmers on various crops and animal management skills. These farms and... More

Livestock sector contributes enormously in the economies of the developed or the developing countries. Livestock and the personnel related to veterinary sciences be it veterinarians, livestock attendants, livestock assistants, livestock handlers or stockmen play an integral part in bringing forth the very improvements and developments in the livestock sector and hence in the country as a whole. The contributions made by... More

Rural youth are the future of food security and rural poverty reduction. They are also the present as there are more young people today than ever before – 1.8 billion between the ages of 10 and 24 – most of them living in less developed countries and in rural areas. However, youth in rural areas of developing countries face enormous challenges... More

Back in 2015 As an undergraduate, my practical involvement in agriculture has taught me that agricultural practice goes beyond the four walls of the classroom.  Combining both the practical experience and theoretical learning is essential to conceive practical ways to support agriculture. Let me introduce you to my initiative, called AgrindusNetwork, started in 2015. It is a paradigm shift from the... More

We are delighted to welcome our YPARD Europe Coordinator: Libuška Valešová Libuška is a member of the Department of Economics and Development at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences (CULS) which is just days short of becoming a hosting institution for the YPARD Europe. The  CULS’s Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences (FTA) partners closely with numerous key... More

The Mediae , a company that focuses on Media for Education and Development in Africa, has successfully broadcasted a tailor made farming show to the East African Countries.  The broadcast program Shamba Shape Up is an interactive forum for farmers where a farmer is featured and is able to get extension services needed to help him/her achieve the yields that they desire from their farms. This  access... More

Before reading this post, I want you to take a moment and digest one question. Ready? Let’s go. Who are farmers’ in your locality and how do those peoples possess that title? Take your moment… Am hoping you will come up with a general description of those people with why they belong to that group. Now let’s bounce to the deep... More

The #GCARD3 event was organized by the GFAR and it is part of a continuing, interactive reform process, and builds on what has gone before in, and around, the previous two GCARD conferences. #GCARD3 was an inclusive, participatory process and an opportunity to shape the future. It had encouraged conversations for setting a new agenda for agricultural research for development and new pathways for uptake. The overall... More