The professionals of 2050 We all have heard the big numbers: Estimations are that by 2050, 9+ billion people will walk this earth and they will all need to eat (CGIAR). Therefore, in combination with increasing wealth, FAO estimates that food production by that time needs to increase drastically, even up to a 100% in developing regions. So far the standard... Continue reading

“To be or not to be – that is the question”, wrote Shakespeare in Hamlet. But let me ask a more relevant question, “To Agri or not to Agri – that IS the question”. Countless scientists say that global population will reach 9 billion by 2050. If that is so, then the most practical question would be, “How do we feed... Continue reading

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... Continue reading

As the topic of this year of the Third Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development puts it: No One Left Behind: Agri-food Innovation and Research for a Sustainable World, I want to be sure to involve all the people in any way possible to achieve a more sustainable world. No One Left Behind means that all the people no matter... Continue reading

An increasing proportion of the African children are completing primary school as compared to Fifty years ago (70% in 2011), and as they transition into young adulthood, most still face the challenges of unemployment and underemployment aggravated by their lack of relevant skills, education and limited access to land and capital to start their own enterprises. As a young man who... Continue reading

I live in Malawi, where 80% of the population lives in rural areas and depend on agriculture for survival. So agriculture is our back bone. Fortunately, I also graduated from the best agricultural college the country has to offer… Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources. It has produced the best research and technology in agriculture but our farmers are still... Continue reading

When it comes to agriculture, farm and farmer are more concerned and residential area of village is forgotten, while when it comes to living place of farmers, arable land, gardens, livestock breeding ground, and other agricultural products are forgotten. It was always a question for me that why agricultural and rural issues should not be considered and solved together and why... Continue reading

Agriculture remains the gold in the hand of millions of people who appreciate and utilize this resource. For millions of farmers, getting their hands in dirt is never a problem irrespective of the incentives accruing to them in the process of feeding the world. Research has shown that a larger proportion of farmers feeding the growing population of the world are... Continue reading

Ten years ago this organization was born and it has spread to fast all over the globe which is called youth professionals for agricultural development (ypard). I had known it in the year 2012 and became member since then I knew many youths being engaged in the agriculture and agriculture development and the role of the youths. According to National Youth... Continue reading

I remember how my heart skipped a beat when I listened to Salina Abraham speak out on behalf of the youth last December in the closing keynotes of the Global Landscape Forum in Paris. She fervently defended the right of youth to be heard, to be inherently included in any agricultural and landscape research and, in short, to be part and... Continue reading

Young people constitute an important share of the population in developing countries, especially, in Africa where the estimated median age is under 19. Africa’s young population is not only growing rapidly, it is also getting better educated. Based on current trends, it is projected that over 137 million of the youth will have a minimum of secondary school education by 2030.... Continue reading

“Young people, whether they live in Italy, the United States, Thailand, Guatemala, or Togo, do not grow up wanting to be farmers” Eating Planet 2012, BCFN Barilla Center, WorldWatch Institute The oldest profession, and arguably, the most necessary to support the human population, appears to be slowly dying out. The average age of farmers has been increasing across the world, reaching close... Continue reading

“The Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD) has been created to promote effective, targeted investment and build partnership, capacities and mutual accountabilities at all levels of the agricultural system so as to ensure that today’s agricultural research will meet the needs of the resource-poor end user.” As history, GCARD1 was held in March 2010 (France) which focused on Enhancing... Continue reading

Greetings from Nigeria where agriculture is beginning to get attention in high quarters; thanks to the fall in oil prices and discovery and exploration of crude oil in other nations. I am hopeful that the agricultural era will rise again but this time it must have to be by the youths and with little or no insecticide. We should learn from... Continue reading

Agriculture is our business and nobody should be left. This peers with this year GCARD’s theme. Farmers, consumers, politicians, scientists, young persons, we are all concerned by agriculture. The Madiba’s country, the rainbow nation invites us next April for the 3rd GCARD Conference in the capital city of Johannesburg under the theme: “No One Left Behind: Agri-food Innovation and Research for a Sustainable World”.... Continue reading

Seems like in south Africa, the one and only rainbow nation in Africa, hosting events has turned to be a routine for this great intra-cultural diversified country. We heard about the Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture (GFIA Africa)[1] hosted in Dec 2015 and shall here about the SA Agri Summit in Sept 2016[2] . But now and in the hearts... Continue reading

Hear ye! Hear ye! The youth in agriculture train is moving and we shall not be left behind! Youth are becoming more and more aware of the need for dialogue on agriculture and global development and we are excited to join in these conversations. The Third Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD3) is being held from 05-08 April 2016... Continue reading

Agriculture is Uganda’s biggest employing sector, with over 70% of Ugandans engaged in the sector. The sector contributes over 25% to the total gross domestic product (GDP). However, the biggest percentage of those engaged in the sector are elderly men and women, whose production capacity and energy cannot sustain the sector. The energetic and Uganda’s largest population composition, the Youth have... Continue reading

Africa is said to be having a unique population profile, with 44% of its population under the age 15 in 2006; making sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) the youngest region of the world. Today, two out of three inhabitants of SSA are under 25 years of age. SSA is home to over 200 million young people, who are employed primarily in agriculture, where... Continue reading

I have found social media tools especially helpful for promoting any type of organisation. They enable me to schedule my posts. Let's all start using #YPARD to put up posts both on Twitter and Facebook. When there is no internet service available, then schedule it for posting at times when we would not be available. It saves our time and money.... Continue reading