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

During my visit to Armenia, I met with Anna, YPARD representative for Armenia at her lovely venture, located some 40 km from Yerevan. Anna leads a socially responsible enterprise that produces dried fruits. She works closely with about 300 families in a region, from whom she buys raw material. Annas’ business has created 30 workplaces for villagers, especially women, while their husbands... More

This was the motto of the International Seminar for leaders of rural youth work in "Herrsching am ammersee" in Bavaria, Munich-Germany 2019. Almost 80 young professionals from almost 50 countries around the world attended this seminar, where they shared with each other their knowledge and experiences. At the same time, they worked together to gain Leadership knowledge and skills. They also... More

For the past few years, YPARD and its partner organizations have conducted a series of activities to support young people in agriculture. Our mission is to enable and empower young agricultural leaders shaping sustainable food systems. To achieve this we have our members at heart, who are encouraged to become active voices for the youth in their respective fields and organizations... More

We are delighted to welcome the incoming YPARD Azerbaijan communications focal point Ramil Azmammadov.  Ramil studied a BA in Agriculture Management and MA in Management of Production Systems at Azerbaijan State Agriculture University. While he studied MA in Management of Production Systems, he received a scholarship from the Hungarian Republic and FAO to study a second master's degree in Hungary. In... More

Social media has grown tremendously in the last few years and it has enabled the spreading of information to a wider public. Now a powerful tool connects communities regardless of the location. The Young Engagement in Agriculture Network (YEAN) and Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) have together accumulated experience in managing and coordinating different social media reporting projects for several... More

The Government of Bangladesh identifies nutrition as a cross-cutting issue and has committed to the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement.  Nutrition may have a significant impact on physical as well as cognitive development and productivity in humans. Good nutrition, which comprises adequate quality and quantity of food intake that reduces the frequency of illness is considered to be a basic human... More

Apres l’Afrique de l’est, les jeunes professionnels pour le développement agricole (YPARD) en collaboration avec l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture (FAO) ainsi que Rikolto (anciennement VECO West Africa) programment un autre  atelier de formation du 21 au 25 Octobre 2019 à Dakar/Sénégal. Cet atelier concerne les jeunes des pays d’Afrique de l’ouest, entre autres le Benin, le Sénégal,... More

The Ghana Association of Agricultural Economists (GAAE) held its third annual conference at the ISSER Conference Facility- University of Ghana, Legon from July 23-26, 2019. The conference theme was “Sustainable agriculture and national development: Finance, Markets and Job creation”. The three-day conference brought together academia, researchers, industry partners and young entrepreneurs interested in developing careers in agribusiness. Apart from plenary discussion... More

The International Youth Day 2019 was celebrated all the over the world with the theme “Transforming education”, highlighting efforts to make education more relevant, equitable and inclusive for all youth, including efforts by youth themselves. In similar vein the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Youth Agripreneurs in conjunction with ENABLE TAAT hosted a symposium on the 15th of August 2019... More

The cocoa industry is vital to the development of Ghana’s economy as it constitutes about 1.8% of the country’s GDP. It is a major contributor to agricultural growth, employment, rural household incomes and macroeconomic stability. Despite its critical role, Ghanaian youth have been reluctant to engage in business within the cocoa value chain in the face of ageing cocoa farmers. This... More

Agriculture is key to long-term economic growth and food security. Increasingly, rural economic growth plays a critical role in Nigeria’s successful job creation, economic diversity, improved security and sustainable economic growth. Thus focusing policy instruments and private sector investments will ensure that the commercialization of agriculture includes technologies, financial services, inputs supply chains, and market linkages that directly engage youth and... More

Information and communication technology (ICT) evolves at lightning speed. It became part of our everyday life, so it is the very time to set them even more in the service of agriculture to compete for food and nutrition security. Continuing the series, started in 1997 in Copenhagen, Denmark, the actual 12th EFITA conference was held in Rhodes Island, Greece, between 27-29... More

The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) is an umbrella organization that is aimed at leading, uniting and assisting the organic movement worldwide with its full diversity. Staying true to its core values IFOAM Organics International organizes an Organic Leadership Course (OLC) every year. Each year the organizers choose a new country connected to organic agriculture. In 2019, the OLC was... More

Out of my desire to acquire new knowledge and skills, and my quest to understand the nitty-gritty of integrated farming systems, I and my colleagues recently embarked on a week-long sojourn to Songhai Integrated Production and Training CentreThis is a farm nestled in a 22-hectare parcel of land in the Ouando neighbourhood of Porto Novo, the Republic of Benin. Established in... More

In a bid to ensure a diverse representation of young people in various executive meetings and committees YPARD has nominated Kristina Kuznetsova as the new YPARD Representative in the European Forum on Agricultural Research for Development (EFARD) management team. What is the European Forum on Agricultural Research for Development (EFARD)? EFARD is an umbrella network of European research and non- research... More

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

An opportunity presented itself for young people to contribute to the recently launched 2019 Rural Development Report on rural development by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).  The focus of the report was on creating opportunities for rural youth and was launched at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. It goes without saying that the importance of young people owning dialogues... More

YPARD is delighted to welcome Phidel Hazel Arunga as the Country Representative of YPARD Kenya. Phidel is a graduate with a master’s degree in Monitoring and Evaluation from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and a Bachelor in Environmental Planning and Management from the University of Eldoret. Phidel’s application stood out from the several applications submitted to the call for... More