Currently, there are 7.3 billion people in the world (United Nations, 2015) who depend on agriculture for their basic needs- food, clothing and shelter. 7.3 billion people! What a huge opportunity! Everyone needs to eat! And farmers remain indispensable and vitally important to meet those needs. Despite all that, today’s young people, who will determine how bright the future will be,... Continue reading

“A lot of times, data are released (or made open) when they are no longer really useful”. That was the view of Summer Allen, a research coordinator in the Markets, Trade and Institutions Division of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI); and one of the panellists at the Open data for agricultural innovations sessions organised recently by the Global Open... Continue reading

For the last couple of weeks, over 400 young people from over 35 countries completed the MyFood30 survey and shared their views on the future of our agri-food systems. MyFood30 was designed to find out what support young people need to make a contribution to the agri-food system related Sustainable Development Goals (SDG2, 12 and 15).From 10 August until 29 September MyFood30 partner organizations... Continue reading

This Blogpost by Ratih Nawangwulan one of the #GCARD3 Social Reporter originaly appeared on the GFAR blog. It’s been proven that of all interventions designed to reduce poverty, improving agricultural productivity is the best – Bill Gates This quote opened Dr Peter Warr’s presentation, “Agricultural research raises productivity and reduces poverty: Evidence from Indonesia and Thailand”. Dr Warr shared evidence of... Continue reading

We are delighted to welcome our very first YPARD Country representative for Lebanon: Malak Tleis Malak hails from  a rural area in Lebanon. Her passion for agriculture started way before she can remember and its the same passion that drove her to go towards agriculture studies. She holds an Agricultural Engineering degree from Lebanese University with a specialization in Plant Production... Continue reading

This Blogpost and photo by Joseph Carl “Dax” Olfindo, one of the #GCARD3 Social Reporter originally appeared on the GFAR blog. Attending the recent High Level Policy Dialogue on Investment in Agricultural Research for Sustainable Development in Bangkok was a life-changing experience for YPARD member Joseph Carl “Dax” Olfindo from the Philippines.  He shares his experiences. As a member of the... Continue reading

Corey Watts Originally published by Corey Watts on the Landscapes.org Website What do a Ugandan lawyer, a Mexican engineer, a Nepalese agriculture student, a Canadian policy advisor, and an Italian forest scientist have in common? They are all young, they are all innovators in their field, and they are all passionate about people and their environments.They are also all part of... Continue reading

Climate and agriculture seem to have a love-hate relationship, but if sustainable actions are adopted, then there may be a chance for the two to co-exist happily enough. This relationship was the subject of much discussion by experts at the High Level Policy Dialogue on Investment in Agricultural Research for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific this week. Development has... Continue reading

At the High Level Policy Dialogue in Bangkok this week, I put this question to the speakers:  “How will you (policy makers, scientists, members of the academia) encourage youth to get involved in agriculture?” Unfortunately, I didn’t hear the response –  my heart was beating so loudly and rapidly after asking that question that my mind just went into another dimension.... Continue reading

Can you imagine a time when farmers will be able to solve almost any problem with a mouse click, accessing information on their soils without even stepping outside, or consulting with agricultural scientists from all over the world without leaving home? New technologies have enormous potential to change the way we farm:  to spur economic growth, increase productivity, reduce hunger and... Continue reading

“Enough of the jargon, enough of the hierarchies, enough of the competition amongst us. Let us collaborate and serve those who we claim to be serving ,” said Mark Holderness, Executive Secretary of Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) as the High Level Policy Dialogue came to a close. Is this a call for a constructive disruption in global agriculture’s status... Continue reading

I’m thinking, is the discussion over? No, not yet, and I am not getting what I was expecting. I flew to Bangkok from my home country, Nepal,  to attend the GCARD3 Social Media Training and High Level Policy Dialogue on Investment in Agricultural Research for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific, organized by APAARI in collaboration with ACIAR, FAO-RAP, GFAR... Continue reading

Last night, this room was empty. Today, this hall is hosting the biggest names in agricultural research and sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region.The High Level Policy Dialogue on Investment in Agricultural Research for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific, organized by various international agriculture research and policy organizations, is a two-day event. The meeting is being held to... Continue reading

We are what we eat. We eat fruits and vegetables every day, but do we know what exactly do we eat? How were they grown and with which substances were they treated?Agrivi (www.agrivi.com), a global agtech company that helps thousands of farmers in over 150 countries to improve their production, is bringing food traceability from farmers directly to the hands of... Continue reading

On November 16th this year, YPARD Philippines (YPARD Ph) Country Representative, Jim Cano, joined the Coalition of Agricultural Modernization in the Philippines, Inc., (CAMP) Board Meeting as a new member. The coalition, fondly referred to as the CAMP, brings together volunteers, men and women, from agriculture, agribusiness, industry, academic, government, professional groups and international organizations in a bid to champion agriculture... Continue reading

For the last few months, the world focused on food wastage with Milan being the epicenter of the greatest food gathering in history; EXPO Milano 2015. This in turn has put Milan on a pedestal as the centre for movement against food waste and in favor of a correct development of agriculture. And for agriculture to be sustainable, young people participation... Continue reading

Climate change is one of the serious global threatening issues at recent times. Despite the controversy surrounding the various climate models generally suggesting that the human borne green house gases emissions is the major reason behind the global warming, one cannot deny the fact that the climate is changing unexpectedly. The effects of climate change is more alarming in the developing... Continue reading

The Forum for the Americas on Agricultural Research and Technology Development (FORAGRO) is a regional forum that provides space for discussions on issues facing agriculture in the LAC countries. They do this through the representation by various players in the public, private, academic, NGOs, international research in the region, small farmers' organizations and, more recently, young researchers, and women farmers. For... Continue reading

My face to face mentorship took off from the lowest part of Kenya Diani -33km from Mombasa - to the highest peak at Mt. Kenya on the leeward side Nanyuki . A distance of 689km  google maps  by road, this was an exciting trip as my mentor  Patricia wangui and I have been having our progress updates session remotely via skype... Continue reading

Update18 November 2015: The webinar on using social media to mobilize a team is now closed. Watch the recorded webinar , view the Powerpoint presentation and learn more about the guest contributors below. First tip, for those older than twelve and not familiar with the SMS-street-lingo-dash-abbreviations: Do look up what “ROFL” stands for :-)Allow me to get onto my soapbox – can... Continue reading