From farm to fork, the global health crisis triggered by Covid-19 is a serious threat to our food systems. Notwithstanding, new opportunities are emerging for young people to participate more actively in agricultural value chains. For the “youngest” continent, projected to have 50% of the population aged under 25 years by 2050, seizing this opportunity is key to ensuring that its young... More

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) are global index to measure national development in areas such as economic growth, environmental issues, human capital development, food security and health, and many more. The Goal Keepers initiative is one of the index established by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation established to track progress on SDGs and support implementation through policies and activities directed... More

It is no news that Africa has one of the largest growing populations and from this expansion, Sub-Saharan Africa’s labour force is also expanding at a rate of 3 percent per year with an additional 375 million young people expected to reach working age by 2035. From these emerging figures and trends, the fact remains that agriculture is key to Africa’s... More

The tale of Africa is a sweet one that captivates the mind. I vividly remember while growing up, my history teacher explicitly told us the stories of different African countries, leaders and Africa’s wealth of resources. In another class, my agricultural science teacher knew how to trigger discussion on the green African pasture and the African green revolutionary movement. The first... More

Agriculture is obviously Africa’s golden heritage but the continent is struggling to feed itself and far beyond the dream of feeding the World.  The primary concerns associated with Africa’s agriculture includes the depleting age of smallholder farmers, policy issues, absence and low technological use, improper use of machines, and ultimately, lack of youths in agriculture, coupled with low skills set for... More

Today’s agriculture is totally different from past years of farming.  Though the transition process is slow, gradually, young people are adopting Information Communication Technology (ICT) and innovations whilst, fading off traditional farming practices and techniques. In most African countries, the average age of farmers is 60 years old, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). These set of people... More

In the Stone Age, it is common to see farmers ride on bicycles while most trek several miles and distances to their farms with pride that they are off to do their daily business of tilling the land and raising the seed of hope to feed the world. In this new age and era where the message of agriculture is being... More

Generations have passed away but agriculture remains constant.  In the olden days, one can only identify and define a farmer on the appearance of an old man with bicycle, holding cutlasses and tying his or her hoe, a basket of yam and cassava and sometimes firewood at the back of the bicycle.  For some growing children, if asked to draw a... More

Decades ago, importance was not really given to the livestock industry as most farmers’ concentrated effort on planting crops for household consumption and little for sale. In the same vein, few households who domesticated micro livestock mainly did so, for consumption during festive periods while few households then, understood the market value of trading these animals. The new age and era has... More

Africa is a blessed continent with abundance of arable land, natural resources, cultures, business potentials, investment opportunities and young people who are creative thinkers and professionals across all sectors. Agriculture in Africa is a goldmine with potentials not fully activated owing to impending challenges such as land tenure, lack of accessibility to finances, lack of youth interest in agriculture which resulted... More

Sailing through the algorithm of creating a revolutionary change in the agricultural sector requires all hands on deck. The itinerary behind getting all hands-on deck to ensure a formidable transformation requires young professionals being the key target audience under the broad umbrella of Agriculture. The scenario is a difficult one but having in place, a well-crafted and functional structure with proper... More

From childhood, I have been hearing of policies across sectors of the economy but I found myself having  a special interest  in agriculture. Keeping abreast with the latest happenings in the agricultural sector is extremely difficult and often time not possible because of challenges with internet. I was born and raised on a farm: precisely, an agrarian community where almost everybody... More

The agricultural sector holds wide opportunities for young people to tap into given the existing trends in agricultural transformation. The global platform called YPARD has its framework built on youth and youth alone for agricultural development. As the year 2017 unfolded, YPARD Nigeria held strategic meetings with Local Representatives on the best way to get members engaged and thus drafted out... More

Agriculture is a goldmine. It comprises many enterprises along the value chain, from producers to consumers, which yield returns. According to Mr. Ayodele Olorunfemi, a keynote speaker at #PoddeumValueChain, an initiative against post-harvest loss with the theme “Tapping Greennovation” – Many people have failed to understand the concept of agriculture and the stages of production as it relates to agriculture. Hence, there... More

It is no longer in doubt that the theory of survival of the fittest exists not only in human existence but also in businesses, be it small or large.  Businesses need funding to survive but not everyone knows the necessary and the right procedures to follow in order to acquire the needed funding to start-up an enterprise. The word funding and... More

Empowering youth in agriculture comes with building a team of professionals who collectively think and advocate for the sustainable future of agriculture. 2016 marks  the 10years of impactful existence of Young Professional for Agricultural Development (YPARD) across the globe. Placing young people at the center of decision making and policy is key to achieving the sustainable development goals and YPARD objectives. Thematically, in... More

It is widely acceptable by people that information is crucial and as well as a powerful tool for decision making.  Properly quoted: “What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I understand” – Rural proverb. In order to meet up with YPARD vision, mission and objective, a representative from YPARD Nigeria team honored the request of... More

Back in 2015 As an undergraduate, my practical involvement in agriculture has taught me that agricultural practice goes beyond the four walls of the classroom.  Combining both the practical experience and theoretical learning is essential to conceive practical ways to support agriculture. Let me introduce you to my initiative, called AgrindusNetwork, started in 2015. It is a paradigm shift from the... More

Connecting for agricultural efficiency start with understanding the inter-relationship of youth, ICT and agriculture in the present world. Agriculture has a glaring picture in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the small scale farmers and youths constitute part of the stakeholders to achieve these goals. In Nigeria, smallholder farmers constitute the larger percentage of disadvantaged people in terms of productivity, literacy... More

Agriculture remains the gold in the hand of millions of people who appreciate and utilize this resource. For millions of farmers, getting their hands in dirt is never a problem irrespective of the incentives accruing to them in the process of feeding the world. Research has shown that a larger proportion of farmers feeding the growing population of the world are... More