YPARD Thank you to its founding members

Official Launch of YPARD, in 2006, in New Delhi

As we start 2012, YPARD will say thank you and goodbye to the last of the founding YPARD members who comes to the end of her term as YPARD steering committee member in January 2012. 

YPARD began with a small, committed group of individuals who fought very hard to bring youth issues into the international Agricultural Research for Development (ARD) sector, to ensure that youth were included and given a seat at the table to express their views and ideas.

The idea for YPARD was born in April 2005, during the European Forum for Agricultural Research for Development (EFARD) Conference in Zurich.  This is where the YPARD pioneers met for the first time, united by the conviction that there were too many ‘grey hairs’ attending these conferences and very few young people. 

This group worked together to strategize on bringing a greater youth voice into the international ARD arena.  Balasubramanian Ramani, the first YPARD Coordinator, further worked to gather other interested Young Professionals who felt the same way, building a strong team. A working group for YPARD was created during the first YPARD workshop, in December 2005, during the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Annual General Meeting in Marrakesh, and the first approach for funding was made to the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), who still provides support to YPARD today. The group also went on to write the first YPARD communiqué.

In the spring of 2006, in Wageningen, the Netherlands, was organized the first large YPARD workshop, where many young professionals contributed to the development of  the mission, goals and objectives of YPARD.  This meeting formed the basis of the YPARD structure with an interim Steering Committee, which included most of the founding members.

The official launch of YPARD occurred in November 2006 at the Global Forum for Agricultural Research (GFAR) conference in New Delhi, where the first SC members were officially confirmed: Andres Tschannen, Balasubramanian Ramani (Coordinator), Enrico Baccioni, Martine Ngobo, Kristine Roing, Oliver Oliveros, Alessandra Giuliani, Markus Buerli, Mariana Wongtchowski and Ariga Grigoryan.

The guidance that YPARD has received over the years from several committed Steering Committee members has enabled it to grow into a well respected and valuable platform, providing opportunities for young professionals in ARD, and keeping youth on the agenda.  The individuals involved put in a great deal of effort and time from their personal schedules to ensure that YPARD became a reality.  They lobbied for support amongst other organizations in ARD, spread the word to new members and gave it a solid foundation from which it can stand today.

Between 2006 and 2011 there has been a gradual renewal of the SC members. As of January 2012, YPARD will miss the strategic guidance and experience of the ‘original’ SC members, but will move ahead with a new young committed team, thanks to the strong base setup by committed individuals.  We plan to build on their hard work for the benefit of our members and youth in ARD, further strengthening of the YPARD movement.

A big Thank you!

The YPARD Team