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Addressing the needs of rural youth is gathering attention with international development agencies, donors and private companies supporting new initiatives by governmental and non-governmental organizations in many parts of the world and in Africa in particular. Issues surrounding rural youths such as limited access to educational services, dependency on mainly unpaid labour in family farms and working in the informal sector as well as the considerable impact of migration on their livelihoods - especially affecting young women- have been widely recognized as significant. There is overall agreement that if youth issues are not addressed high rates of youth unemployment and under-employment will persist and overall development in African countries could be negatively affected. In this context and in line with its 2011 – 2015 Strategic Framework, The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in partnership with PROCASUR Africa, organized an eight day learning route on Innovative ideas and approaches to integrate Rural Youth in Agriculture. The progress in Kenya between the 11th to the 18th of August 2014. The aim of this Learning Route was to contribute to lesson-sharing and learning at country and regional level in order to build technical capacities within IFAD´s operations and partners in the ESA region on innovative strategies and approaches to engage rural youth in agriculture, increase employment and reduce poverty.
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Lessons from the work with “Rural Youth” in Latin America and the
Caribbean Procasur Coporation
August, 2014
Procasur: “South to South Cooperation” in Knowledge Management.
Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean: History of colonization/Cultural linkages/Similar economic and social contexts/Situated and relevant experiences as source of knowledge
Improve development processes from “South to South Cooperation” as a strategy to share experiences/lessons/best practices…
“South to South Cooperation”…
PROCASUR 2012-2015: “Rural Youth Entrepreneurship Program” (IFAD).
Objective: To facilitate the integration of Rural Youth as relevant actor in their communities and territories.
Components: 1) Knowledge Management; 2) Policy dialogue; 3) Entrepreneurship through ‘Learning Fund’.
Topics of interest: business development, access to financial services, access to assets, access to land, partnership and networks.
Lessons in Knowledge Management
Importance to generate adequate knowledge about the Rural Youth regarding their context: Who are the Rural Youth in L.A and C?
Sociodemographic Studies (7 cases studies: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Peru and the Dominican Republic).
Research about the Youth and their Strategies of Life: needs, interest, trajectories, enabling and disabling factors and life’s expectations.
Identification and documentation of good practices/successful experiences
Thematic groups and Learning Routes: Entrepreneurship/Access to Financial Services/Access to Land…
Lessons in Entrepreneurship/Financial Access through the “Learning
Fund" Funds allocation must be complemented with capacity
building in administration/accountability/leadership/communicational skills/self confidence/life’s expectative…
Seed capital: as a pilot experience to manage resources and identify the costs/benefits of business
Risk sharing model: co-funding as counterpart (material and non-material resources)
Business Plan can be improve with the support of other rural young champions.
Support other type of non rural business: value chain/product’s transformations
Specific M&E system: including the rural youth participation
Lessons in Associativity issues
Rural business with low rentability and high number of associated: analyse the adequate type of association regarding the business characteristics (enterprises/cooperatives/NPO…)
Adapt the model of associativity to the local structures for sustainability: family businesses (5 persons)
Flexibility regarding the “formalization” of associations
Include rural youth women in associations
Lessons in Access to Land…
Create incentives for the parents to give a plot of land to their sons and daughters to starts a business of their own (Learning Fund: early inheritance)
Call for research to analyse local experiences of access to land for rural youth identifying formal and informal mechanism: learn how communities and families are dealing with land access to younger generations
Land programs with different strategies for subsidizing land to rural youth (customary practices/market/state) should:
be included in a broader strategy of rural development, focus on sub-stages of life cycle (25-35 years/couples) consider complementary financial services according to the youth needs, adapt to forms of association in the territory, involve the community, have a flexible and participatory approach.
Let’s continue this dance!
