YPARD - Young Professionals' Platform for Agricultural Research for Development

Mohammadreza Davari, from Iran, tells us his story and reflects on his experience of Young Professional in Agriculture in Iran. Abstract: It was a suitable opportunity for me to apply in Iran my experiences and knowledge obtained from Indian scientists. However, I had to adapt my knowledge to be applicable in my country’s context, because of different climates, equipments and culture.

It’s 5.15 in the morning in Ufhusen (LU), a small village of Switzerland. It’s dark and silent, most of the animals and humans are still asleep. It's at this early time of the day that Heidi Bättig (a Swiss young woman, 33 year old) starts her work. She slips into her boots and goes to the barn. First thing she does is to feed the cows and prepare the milking cluster.

I am one of the founding members of YPARD. I am also a promoter of the creation of YPARD European Unit hosted by the Bern University of Applied Sciences, School of Agricultural, Forestry and Food Sciences (HAFL), and its representation in EFARD, the European Forum in ARD (of which I am vice-chair). I join Oliver when he says he is very proud of the successes YPARD has achieved by now.

I am happy to being attached with this network as it is lifting up me to connect with international agricultural research organizations, scientists and networks. YPARD is a promising body of young professionals and has the potential to guide career development.

"This was my first time to participate in such a high profile meeting however I felt very much a part of the workshop. I must admit though that my interest in foresight was higher compared to the knowledge that I had about foresight which made me a little bit nervous. What I liked most was that my contributions were always solicited and welcomed."

"Agriculture in Nigeria and Africa has been neglected in the past years and I advocate that it is time for change. It is time for Youth to invest passionately in agriculture. If each Youth is a producer of an agricultural product be it food crops, animals, poultry, rabbits, grass cutter etc. it would go a long way to contribute to the food basket of our continent."

Michael Kwabena Osei is a young scientist from Ghana. His work has been recognized through the Ist Ghana Science Congress Awards in August 2011 where he won a Bronze award (Cash prize, lap top and Citation) as the National Best Young Scientist, initiated by the government of Ghana through the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST).

I first entered the YPARD website in early 2011 through a link from CTA’s Knowledge for Development web portal which I explore often. I always see the YPARD logo/icon on the site but continued to ignore it since I did not know what doors it could open for me. After finishing what I was doing on that fateful day, a thought flashed my mind to click on the logo/icon and see what it meant.

"During the conference I tried visiting the YPARD booth and see what was going on. There I met and spoke with people, young and old who came around. From my discussion with people, I discovered that the fears that motivated and justified the incorporation of YPARD are real and have a global reach."

"My long term benefits as YPARD members? First and for most I have created a link with other agricultural extension experts through YPARD e-discussions. This will help me continue interacting with them even after the e-discussions."

"I am adventurous and like participating in activities that make a difference in society. In two months of joining YPARD, I got to achieve some of my aspirations. This was in capacity as one of the 12 YPARD representatives at the CGIAR Science Forum in Beijing."

'As a youth in agriculture, YPARD has given me the opportunity to share my ideas on issues related to youth and agriculture on their platform through articles and discussion forums. I have been able to connect with other youths from different countries and backgrounds who have same objective as me, and together, we have been able to voice our opinions on subjects that matter to us to Policy makers at International Conferences.'

Así responde Édgar Torres cuando se le pregunta por el camino que ha recorrido desde su llegada al CIAT, hace poco más de 10 años, inicialmente para trabajar como enlace entre el Fondo Latinoamericano para Arroz de Riego (FLAR) y la Fundación Nacional del Arroz (Fundarroz), entidad nacional arrocera de Venezuela; hasta su actual responsabilidad como fitomejorador en el programa de Arroz del CIAT.

Una vez vinculado al Centro ha tenido oportunidad de trabajar en genética de yuca, genómica de fríjol, arroz y en forrajes tropicales. Temas que le han permitido conocer investigadores de mucha experiencia como Martin Fregene, Manabu Ishitani e Idupulapati Rao, de quienes ha aprendido la importancia de características profesionales como la humildad, dedicación y compromiso.