YPARD champions youth inclusion at the GEF-8 Food Systems IP Livestock Transformation event in Kenya

The Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) actively participated in the GEF-8 Food Systems Integrated Program (IP) event titled “Strengthening Collaboration for Sustainable Livestock Transformation in Africa”, held from June 13–14, 2025, at Trademark Suites in Nairobi, Kenya. The event was held on the sidelines of the Regional Forum on the International Year of Camelids and Sustainable Livestock Transformation in Africa held in the same week. Representing YPARD at the forum and the event was Ajuna Tadeo, a member of the YPARD Steering Committee and YPARD Uganda's co-Country Representative.

In the Regional Forum, Tadeo attended the main session on June 12, joining over 80 participants from across the continent. Discussions centered on critical policy and structural challenges affecting the camelid and livestock sectors. One key session addressed barriers to youth participation in the livestock sector. Tadeo observed that none of the three panelists were youth, yet they spoke on youth-related challenges. He expressed concern over the exclusion of young voices and emphasized the importance of meaningful youth representation, especially when designing policies that affect them.

Tadeo raised four central points in his intervention:

1. Exclusion in Decision-Making: Youth are often sidelined in governance processes, and their perspectives frequently ignored.
2. Lack of Co-Creation: Many youth-targeted programs are designed without youth input, leading to low impact and engagement.
3. Need for Mentorship and Support Systems: Although some young people access resources, many lack the guidance and skills to utilize them effectively.
4. Youth-Friendly Policies and Incentives: Tadeo called for policy frameworks that offer tax incentives and legal support for youth-led agribusinesses.
   ‍

YPARD's Role in the FSIP Community of Practice

On June 13 and 14, the Food Systems IP Livestock Community of Practice convened as a side event, bringing together technical experts, project teams, and partners to discuss integrated strategies for livestock transformation. The first day featured presentations from FAO’s Hernan Gonzalez and IFAD’s Massimo Giovanola, providing a global overview of the FSIP. Marialía Lucio Restrepo from FAO highlighted the Global Plan of Action for Sustainable Livestock Transformation.

The second day included country project updates, a session on policy optimization led by FAO’s Marco Sánchez, and insights into private and public financing from SAFIN’s Michael von During. The day culminated in a deep-dive session on gender and youth engagement, which was moderated by Tadeo, representing YPARD.

Discussing Gender and Youth

The gender and youth engagement session aimed to showcase current youth and gender involvement across participating country projects, highlight the work of the Global Youth Network for Sustainable Livestock Development, and explore opportunities for meaningful youth engagement.

It also served to gauge country teams’ interest in the Global Coordination Program (GCP)'s youth engagement services and tools.

The session opened with a reflection on the importance of involving youth in sustainable livestock transformation. Tadeo introduced YPARD and it's role within the Global Coordinating Program (GCP) of the FSIP, which includes developing a youth survey and a comprehensive youth strategy with measurable indicators, supporting country projects through agroecology training, facilitating the development of youth action plans, integrating youth into gender and social inclusion strategies, and promoting youth leadership in policy and governance engagement. Tadeo shared various opportunities for YPARD-supported youth engagement at the country level, encouraging countries to leverage YPARD chapters to empower young people. Examples from three YPARD country chapters were exapnded upon:

• Uganda: Focuses on educational and capacity-building initiatives such as agroecology training to address soil depletion, chemical overuse, and pest management. YPARD Uganda also organizes Farm Day Out exposure visits to foster learning, networking, and peer-to-peer exchange. The chapter is active in policy advocacy, contributing to the development of a national food safety law and the redesign of Uganda’s Aflatoxin Strategy. It also supports community seed banks that promote local seed-saving efforts.
• Kenya: Supports female agripreneurship through YPARD Cafés and congresses that tackle agroecology, chemical use, and sustainable agricultural practices. School gardens serve as educational tools that spark youth interest in agrifood systems while improving school nutrition. The chapter has influenced county food security plans and fosters local mentorship to develop agrifood careers among youth.
• Tanzania: Promotes circular economy practices through training on biofertilizer production and agroecological crop management. The chapter emphasizes digital tools and peer-based learning, and is active in national policy advocacy, including participation in the 2025–2026 Tanzania Agriculture Budget Dialogue, where it pushed for youth- and women-friendly fiscal measures. YPARD Tanzania also supports the Agroecology Hub, integrating youth into research and innovation.

At the global level, Tadeo highlighted YPARD initiatives such as online cafés and agroecology training focused on knowledge exchange, soft skills, and youth leadership. Community Solutions Projects—including the Green Harvest Organic Fertilizer initiative in Tanzania, the School Garden Project in Kenya, and the Rural Grown Farms initiative in Eswatini—were showcased as practical, youth-led innovations addressing local agrifood system challenges. YPARD's agripreneurship incubators such as the AgriYouth Africa Incubator and the Menu for Change Challenge, which provide mentorship, seed funding, and international recognition to young innovators were also touched upon.

Tadeo underscored YPARD’s involvement in policy consultation processes aimed at enhancing youth civic engagement. These include contributions to Uganda’s National Strategy for Youth Employment in Agriculture and participation in Tanzania’s agricultural budget dialogue. YPARD’s youth engagement strategies aim to amplify youth voices, connect country projects, and support the development of action plans aligned with young people’s aspirations and realities in agriculture.

The session also included a presentation from the Global Youth Network for Sustainable Livestock Development, and a gender analysis of the FSIP country projects by Ms. Soma Chakrabarti from FAO.

Collaborative Momentum

Hernan Gonzalez, GEF Technical Officer / GCP FSIP Coordinator at FAO delivered the concluding remarks for the two-day event. He commended YPARD's intervention and work, and urged stakeholders to work more closely with youth organizations, noting that youth engagement is not only a donor priority but also a foundational pillar for sustainable development. Gonzalez reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to partnering with YPARD and called on country projects to take youth participation seriously and proactively. The event concluded with an open discussion during which participants expressed strong interest in collaborating with YPARD. There was broad agreement on the need to develop youth action plans, ensure meaningful youth participation in Food Systems IP projects, and foster collaboration in agroecology and related sectors. Several participants voiced their support for YPARD to serve as a youth sounding board and accountability mechanism within the FSIP framework.

Key Takeaways

YPARD’s involvement in the event offered valuable lessons:

• Networking and opprotunity mapping: Connections with livestock professionals, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners across Africa were strengthened through in-person exchanges and discussions, opening doors for potential future collaborations with YPARD. Key areas including youth capacity building, mentorship programs, and co-creation of livestock-related projects with development partners were identified.

• Strategic Positioning of Youth: The event highlighted that though there is a growing need for youth integration in livestock transformation agendas, deliberate strategies and frameworks are still lacking.
  ‍
• Knowledge Exchange: Provided insights into camelid value chains and regional development strategies that can compliment and inform youth programs under YPARD.
  ‍
• Advocacy Gaps: The event revealed critical gaps in youth representation, reinforcing the importance of stronger advocacy for youth inclusion at both policy and program design levels.
  ‍

Through its engagement at the FSIP event, YPARD reaffirmed its commitment to empowering young professionals and ensuring their voices shape the future of agriculture and livestock development in Africa.

‍