Welcoming YPARD Sweden Country Representative: Karolin Andersson

We are delighted to welcome our very first YPARD Country representative for Sweden, Karolin Andersson.

Karolin recently graduated in agricultural development from the Institute of Food and Resource Economics at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. She comes from Malmö in southern Sweden but has also studied since 2008 at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala to get a Bachelor’s degree in food science and to become a food agronomist. In August this year, she finished her Master’s thesis on gender relations in agricultural value chains in Tanzania in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) . Currently, she is looking for internships and entry level opportunities within the field of agricultural development. She is determined to work with agricultural and rural development for improved food and nutrition security and increased gender equality in low-income countries, particularly Eastern and Southern Africa.

Since Karolin has a background in food science and also is a food agronomist, she has particular knowledge concerning food safety and human nutrition. Before studying agricultural development, she wanted to work with quality assurance and certification of foods, yet this changed during her studies. The food science background combines well with her work for increased food and nutrition security through agricultural development, as she has specific competences in food, nutrition and health.

Over the years, Karolin has gained an increased interest for communication in development, and she constantly seeks to increase her knowledge and working experience within social media communication as a tool for development and engagement of young people in agriculture. She gained communication experience  during an internship with the Swedish International Agriculture Network Initiative (SIANI) in 2014, and it spans from visual communication from volunteer work as a graphic designer for the magazine of the student union at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. In addition to the work with SIANI, Karolin is also actively involved in the Swedish Development Forum (FUF), which is an organization for and by youth working with development issues. Within FUF, Karolin organizes seminars with various Swedish experts who are working with development in one way or another.

It is with excitement and great energy that Karolin takes on the task as the first national representative for YPARD in Sweden. She hopes that during her time as a representative, YPARD membership in Sweden will grow and the coordination and sharing of information and experiences among young professionals in agricultural development in Sweden will improve.

“When I was studying, I always missed a coordinating unit or a platform such as YPARD where I could meet other people with the same interest and desire as myself, and where I could get inspiration and support in my field. I found it difficult to know where to apply for funding, jobs and internships when everything was spread out over different universities and institutions. Having this experience, I am now eager to change that situation by creating a platform for young professionals, students as well as graduates, so that we can get organized, creating a voice and strength among each other and increase the capacity of the Swedish resource base in agricultural development.”

As a first step in the Swedish YPARD chapter, Karolin has established a Facebook group where the members who are active in Sweden can communicate and share ideas and thoughts, as well as a Twitter account where opportunities concerning jobs, internships, funding and various events will be communicated. Moreover, Karolin will aim to create strategic partnerships with existing youth and/or agriculture organizations in Sweden in order to raise awareness of YPARD and to arrange various joint projects to increase the engagement of youth in agricultural development.

We are looking forward to hearing more from the Youth-in-Agriculture in the Sweden and we trust that YPARD Sweden will be successful in mobilizing the youth through Karolin's leadership.

Welcome on board, Karolin!

If you are from or based in the Sweden, and want to get involved in YPARD Sweden activities, please contact Karolin at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..