In the spring of 2018, select YPARDians came together at the Czech University of Life Sciences to deliberate on the strategic direction YPARD should take. Part of those discussions centred on the governance structure of YPARD and the dire need for a review as highlighted in the YPARD 2017 external review. The Charter was last revised in 2014 and we have seen a... More

At YPARD, we believe in structures that renew themselves and leadership that evolves in accordance with the network governance. In April 2019, the Steering Committee (SC) members met to choose the next SC team members. The only eligible members for renewal were Rahul Antao and Sithembile Mwamakamba. The outgoing SC unanimously voted them into the position of the chair and the... More

At YPARD, we are proud to look back at the successes and exciting initiatives of the network. 2018 was a strategic year at YPARD that saw a lot of changes to the network’s strategic orientation with particular reference to the strategic planning meeting. These top achievements include; We welcomed 14 new team members to the YPARD team including twelve new country... More

On the sidelines of the annual FAO Conference,41st session a youth event dubbed Real Action on Youth – Driving the Future of Agriculture was organized.   The event, sponsored by the Government of the Netherlands, aimed at giving the attendees a clear understanding of what policy actions are needed on Youth, as well as ideas of ways in which a Youth Council could be... More

One of the key areas of focus for YPARD is to allow the diverse representation of young professionals in key leadership positions. In following the same model, YPARD Global Coordination Unit nominated Jim Cano, represent YPARD in the newly formed Youth Council among the Rome Based Agencies. The idea of the Rome Based Agencies youth council was announced by Ambassador Hans... More

In a bid to ensure diverse representation of young people in various executive meetings and committees, the Global Coordination Unit has nominated Flor as the YPARD representative in the Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP) the Capacity Development expert group. But I guess you are thinking, what is TAP CD Expert group? TAP Capacity Development Group Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP) is a coalition... More

Are you fluent in Chinese, French or Spanish? Would you like to volunteer your time and services to help translate YPARD content for a greater reach to the Chinese, Hispanophone and Francophone community?  If your answer is Yes, then YPARD is seeking volunteers to help translate the information materials to one of the official YPARD languages:  French, Spanish or Chinese. The main information materials... More

Dear YPARDians! It is that time of the year when we invite you to participate in the YPARD global members survey to help share insights on how we can serve you better in 2019.  This survey is gathering information on the services offered by YPARD and their value to YPARD members in 2018.  We hope to assess what services are considered most valuable and improve upon... More

You are invited to participate in the interactive session with youth during the first International Symposium on agricultural innovation for family farmers. The event, organized in collaboration with Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD), is bringing together youth representatives and innovators around the world – both online and in-person – to interact with experts, present the key drivers behind their innovations,... More

On the occasion of the International Symposium on Agricultural Innovation for Family Farmers: Unlocking the potential of agricultural innovation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, an interactive session with youth will be organized by FAO in collaboration with Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD). It will allow youth to identify and convey key messages on the role of innovation in agriculture in shaping... More

Youth are the future of food security. Yet around the world, few young people see a future for themselves in agriculture or rural areas. The average age of farmers is on the rise and there is little prospect for younger generations to replace ageing farmers, resulting in what is referred to as the "generation gap". Challenges are multidimensional and require interventions... More

YPARD is delighted to welcome the incoming YPARD director Yemi Adeyeye . Yemi is a PhD Candidate at the University of British Columbia, Canada. He holds a double MSc degree (Erasmus Mundus MSc program): MSc in Agricultural Development (forests and livelihoods) from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and MSc Environmental Forestry from Bangor University, Wales. Prior to his graduate degrees, he obtained... More

The world is changing. So are the food systems. And now more than ever, the world needs young people proactively contributing to innovative, environmentally and economically sustainable food systems. It seeks fresh ideas, renewed knowledge and partnerships across disciplines, geographies and generations. The YPARD community is best placed in grooming and nurturing the next generation of farmers, researchers, entrepreneurs, scientists, industrialists... More

Are you a young woman or man below 35 years of age or do you know someone who is implementing innovations in Asian maize-based agri-food systems, including research-for-development, seed systems, agribusiness, and sustainable intensification? Nominate them for the 2018 Maize-Asia Youth Innovators Awards. The awards, initiated by the CGIAR Research Program on Maize (MAIZE)  aim to identify young innovators who can serve... More

The Youth in Landscapes Initiative (YIL) is a partnership for young landscape leaders currently coordinated by the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD), the International Forestry Students Association (IFSA) and the Global AgroEcology Alliance (GAEA). YIL exists to unite and empower youth (aged 18–35 years) from diverse backgrounds around the world to have a voice, learn and effect positive change in... More

YPARD is proud to share its YPARD 2017 annual report.  2017 was vibrant with continued activities geared towards achieving  the network objectives. This year saw the network strengthen its operational processes with some exciting results as thus; The YPARD External Review  With the YPARD business plan 2014-2018 coming to a close, in the spring of 2017, Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) commissioned the Royal Tropical Institute... More

Rumi, the great poet is quoted saying “Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation.” This aptly describes what the YPARD community felt upon the departure of Courtney Paisley having attained the age limit to be involved in a leadership position at YPARD.... More

YPARD is delighted to welcome Myriam Perez as the incoming YPARD Director. Myriam is a graduate with a Master’s degree on Sustainable Development for Agriculture (Agris Mundus) and a Bachelor in Agricultural Engineering from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Spain. Previously, Myriam has been working as a scientific program officer at Agropolis Foundation where she instructed and initiated actions to strengthen Montpellier’s... More

Are you a young entrepreneur, investor or student interested in sustainable finance? Or are you passionate about reaching millions online through creative storytelling? Whatever your skill - speaking, investing, writing, digital media, and more - Youth in Landscapes Initiatives and the GLF is inviting you to be one of the 200 participants tackling the topic of sustainable finance during the GLF... More

When YPARD, was established in 2006, young generations’ were increasingly lacking interest in agriculture; there was insufficient participation of young professionals in dialogues addressing critical development issues; and inadequate access to resources to meet these problems. The youth in agriculture landscape has immensely grown in these last couple of years and YPARD is happy to be associated with this progress.Within the... More