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From May 12th to 14th, 2025, the Africa-Wide Agriculture Extension Week (AAEW) convened stakeholders at the Cross Roads Hotel in Lilongwe, Malawi. This high-level continental event gathered agricultural extension professionals, researchers, policymakers, development partners, and youth leaders from across Africa. Among the notable participants was Ajuna Tadeo, YPARD Uganda Country Representative, YPARD Steering Committee Member, and youth fellow under the Global Program for Sustainable Agrifood Systems and Enhanced Partnerships (GP-SAEP) project.
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Tadeo actively participated in two key panel events: the “Accelerating Agroecological Transformation through Rural Advisory Services (ÆRAS) and Youth/YPARD Café” and the RAENS Project panel. These engagements served as platforms to underscore YPARD’s role in promoting youth engagement in agroecological transitions and extension services.
During the Youth/YPARD Café, held on May 12th, representatives from GP-SAEP implementing partners, including YPARD, Access Agriculture, and the Uganda Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (UFAAS), discussed the role of Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services (AEAS) in driving agroecological transformation. Tadeo spoke on YPARD’s contribution to the project, particularly in areas of capacity building, mentorship, digital innovation, and policy advocacy.
Tadeo shared his personal journey as a GP-SAEP fellow, highlighting how mentorship, participation in knowledge-sharing cafés, and leadership opportunities enhanced his professional growth. The Café also showcased tools and practices supporting agroecological transitions, emphasizing participatory learning and the value of youth-led initiatives in rural advisory services.
In the RAENS Project panel, co-implemented by YPARD and the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA), Tadeo emphasized YPARD’s leadership in youth engagement. The panel focused on Regional Multi-Actor Research Networks (RMRNs), which promote transdisciplinary research and farmer-led innovation across the SADC region.
Tadeo articulated the importance of intergenerational knowledge transfer and explained how YPARD facilitates this through structured mentorship and youth cafés. He noted innovative elements of the RAENS project, including participatory research models, thematic communities of practice, integration of agroecology into university curricula, and the use of creative platforms like youth radio and digital hubs to spread knowledge.
The AAEW also offered a valuable opportunity for networking. Tadeo engaged with YPARD representatives from Ghana and Malawi, exploring ways to strengthen national chapters. He facilitated connections between the Malawi YPARD chapter and student leaders from Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), aiming to deepen youth involvement in agricultural development.
In a conversation with Richard Ngandawerere, an extension expert from Malawi, Tadeo discussed the need for greater accountability within extension systems—an area where YPARD’s youth-led monitoring models align well.
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Tadeo’s participation reinforced the message that youth are not merely beneficiaries but essential agents of change in agriculture. The event highlighted the potential of youth-inclusive extension systems and the value of collaborative, cross-country projects like GP-SAEP and RAENS. A key insight was the need to institutionalize youth-led participatory feedback mechanisms to enhance accountability and responsiveness in agricultural advisory services.
Tadeo’s involvement in AAEW significantly raised YPARD’s visibility and underscored the organization’s role in driving youth leadership and innovation in agricultural extension systems. Upon returning to Uganda, he expressed a commitment to applying these insights through continued engagement with district ambassadors and collaboration with global partners to co-create resilient, inclusive extension frameworks.
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