After 3 days of lengthy meetings and positive interactions, I honestly do think a change is coming. At the very least I can see it. Last month, a suprise came in our email. Tech4Agri was elected as the local Youth Representative for the GFAR Steering Committee. We had just signed up to become members of the forum, having seen an open call, which... Continue reading

It is not on an everyday basis that you meet a game changer who puts all s/he has into the work s/he does. And to the YPARD network, Marina the former communications manager is one of these gamechangers. When the moment to say, adios, goodbye, see you soon, talk to you later and all those words you say when someone is... Continue reading

According to the recent estimates, the Kenyan youth population is estimated at 13.7 million accounting for about 35.4% of the total population. This presents a rich labor force which translates to 60% of the total labor force in Kenya.  But, youth unemployment in Kenya is still high, estimated at about 64% of the total unemployed Kenyans, further creating an opportunity for... Continue reading

How many youth-related conferences have you been to where youth issues are being articulated by an older generation? For me, there have been so many I have lost count. That’s why being at the Young Africa Works Summit 2017 was a breath of fresh young air.  This Summit was a departure from the norm in four key ways: The  Youth Delegates... Continue reading

During the 51st Annual Youth’s Day in Cameroon, held on 11th February 2017, the youth participated in several diverse activities. The theme for this year’s celebration was “Youth and challenges of building an exemplary, indivisible, strong and emerging nation”. As practitioners and advocates of general sustainable development and of agriculture YPARD-Cameroon could not go without wanting to impart good knowledge to... Continue reading

As young people, we normally pursue our careers with high and diverse expectations which usually arise right after we complete our studies. Unfortunately, in many cases what we perceive as a career is rarely what we get as there is a rush to get gratifying jobs as fast as possible instead of appreciating the journey of planning and building our careers... Continue reading

The daily threat posed by climate change and the growing population has strengthened the need for expert to develop research and findings to help attain food security and feed 9 Billion people by 2050. On the 7th of February 2017, The Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) held a GMO workshop with focus on attaining food security. The event took place at the... Continue reading

The agricultural sector holds wide opportunities for young people to tap into given the existing trends in agricultural transformation. The global platform called YPARD has its framework built on youth and youth alone for agricultural development. As the year 2017 unfolded, YPARD Nigeria held strategic meetings with Local Representatives on the best way to get members engaged and thus drafted out... Continue reading

In a world where division of labor and specialization is given much importance, we tend to forget that there is beauty in cross-pollination; convergence of different fields. Last year, 2016, YPARD Philippines had its mid-year planning. In the course of the meeting, one of the directives of the group was to find a way to use the arts in advancing our... Continue reading

The future of agriculture depends on attracting young, talented people who are prepared to balance risk and reward in order to deliver the healthy food we need in a way that gives them sufficient return for their labor and capital.  Agriculture, however, is not seen as a profitable career: it’s expensive to finance, the necessary land capital is difficult to access,... Continue reading

My name is Shishir Dahal and I am a third year agriculture student at Madan Bhandari Agro Technical College, Ghorahi, Dang, Nepal where we specialize in methods of production and packaging of cereals, legumes, oil seeds and industrial crops. It was from this institution where I learned from Mr. Himalaya Subedi, the course instructor, about the spring rice cultivation and innovative... Continue reading

We are delighted to welcome our very first YPARD Germany Country representative: Johannes Dreer Johannes is a Master’s graduate in economics and business administration from the Fernuniversität in Hagen. He was raised, and still lives on his family farm, where he learnt the basics of farming and rural life. From 1998 until 2001, together with his father, he managed the family... Continue reading

For the tourist hoping to experience authentic local cuisine on one of our famous golden beaches, they may be disappointed to know that only a small fraction of food in our hotels is provided by local farmers and fishermen, with the majority being imported from areas outside the Caribbean basin. Unfortunately, inconsistencies in quality and quantity of produce, natural disasters and... Continue reading

I just remembered a great quote by William Shakespeare: “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” By the time you are reading this blogpost, we (as YPARD Nepal) have successfully completed one of the biggest events in 2016: Storytelling Contest for Young Agri-entrepreneurs. In fact, it was a long... Continue reading

In the next two weeks, all youth in agriculture paths will convene in Kigali, Rwanda. Why so? The MasterCard Foundation will be hosting its second Young Africa Works Summit in Kigali Rwanda from February 16-17. This meeting will bring together 300 high-level influencers from NGOs, government, peer funders, the private sector and youth themselves to discuss not only how youth can... Continue reading

Agriculture is a goldmine. It comprises many enterprises along the value chain, from producers to consumers, which yield returns. According to Mr. Ayodele Olorunfemi, a keynote speaker at #PoddeumValueChain, an initiative against post-harvest loss with the theme “Tapping Greennovation” – Many people have failed to understand the concept of agriculture and the stages of production as it relates to agriculture. Hence, there... Continue reading

El Foro de las Américas para la Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico Agropecuario (FORAGRO) es el mecanismo hemisférico para el debate y movilización de acuerdos sobre temas de investigación e innovación que impactan el sector agroalimentario de las Américas. YPARD LAC hace parte de este Foro, cuyo Comité Ejecutivo es su órgano orientador, encargado de impulsar sus acciones de acuerdo al contexto... Continue reading

“Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen and a push in the right direction” - John C Crosby Everyone in life needs someone to show them how to do what they know best. Having being born in a farming family and having spent my whole childhood rearing rabbits and doing other farm chores, I developed a very deep connection... Continue reading

I am sure you are wondering, how can one build a company through mentorship? Well my one year mentoring period with YPARD  was not only a fantastic experience for me but it also helped me initiate the process . My mentor, Dr. Franklin Peter Simtowe, and I had a cordial relationship and most if not all of our targets were attained. ... Continue reading

If you are young and happen to be interested in agriculture, more often than not you will hear the phrase, young people are not interested in agriculture because it is not an attractive venture. Or because they have no capital. Or because … (insert the youth lack of interest in agriculture phrase you have heard of late)  Being a leading youth... Continue reading