I dreamt of becoming an entrepreneur when I got admitted to the undergraduate level at the University of Rajshahi.  Currently, I am undergoing my master’s studies in Horticulture at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University. My farm is located in Mirpur, Kushtia, in the South-Western zone of Bangladesh. The journey of my Entrepreneurship started in 2016. I wanted to become an entrepreneur since childhood.... More

Water is a resource of high demand used in agriculture and livestock, food washing, manufacturing and production industries, cleaning of structures, personal hygiene, etc.  Water is a crucial resource for all human activities. Even though the importance of water cannot be overemphasized, it has been constantly polluted and the quality of such a valuable resource has been gradually disintegrated. The industrial... More

Pius Hiwe, Youth-Leader Communications Champion, Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD), speaks about communication for effective youth inclusion at the SIANI Annual Meeting 2020 held in Sweden. You can now watch the video and read the presentation script in a chronological sequence. First slide What does the communications officer of a youth network with over 18,000 registered young professionals in 70 countries... More

The agricultural sector is facing a number of new issues that have come to life in the past decades.  Our climate is changing, soils are eroding, the available production area is shrinking. We have to produce increasingly more ‘beautiful’ produce to meet consumer’s expectations without using crop protection compounds, and we have to adapt to a changing food pattern. How do... More

Climate change is a reality that is happening now, and that we can see its impact across the world. Climate change is a very hot and trendy topic in the world now, but most people don’t even know the causes and effects on the environment. What do you think about when you hear climate change? Did anyone ever wonder why there... More

Le Laboratoire de Terrain (LT) est un espace et un évènement en même temps, ou? différentes parties prenantes (équipes techniques des projets, jeunes ruraux, champions locaux et partenaires) se rencontrent, pour finaliser la conception de leur propre pilote pour tester les outils qui pourraient leur permettre d’améliorer leur impact sur les jeunes ruraux. Organisé du 28 au 31 janvier 2020 à... More

YPARD is delighted to welcome Gcina Dlamini as the Country Representative of YPARD Eswatini. Gcina holds a BSc in Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Management from the University of Swaziland, a Certificate in Business and Entrepreneurship from UNISA, a certificate in Business and Entrepreneurship Development from Oklahoma State University and a Certificate in Leadership Change from Cambridge University. He is also a... More

YPARD Austria is seeking a young, innovative and fresh spirited professional to take on the role of a Country Representative (CR) and continue its work on youth in agriculture! Being a CR is a unique opportunity for you to be more active with fellow young professionals in agricultural and related fields in Austria as well as with the global YPARD network.... More

The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) 2020, was held from 16 - 18.01.2020. under the title and focuses on Food for all! Trade for secure, diverse and sustainable nutrition. “Agriculture is not just food but the world around us” I heard this phrase during my participation in GFFA 2020. This Forum was organized and hosted by the Federal Ministry... More

Fulbright has been operating as a successful program for many decades, it may sound familiar to many, worldwide. In this blog post, I share my personal experiences with the YPARD community, in the hope that some of you will be encouraged to apply.  January 15, 2019 became a memorable day for me, because I received the email, beginning with the following... More

The last two years were very substantial for YPARD Serbia! We put our feet on the ground, we spread the word on who we are and what we do and we made some friends and partners along the way. We are very proud of our position now and with the position of young farmers in Serbia. The number of young farmers... More

Reflecting on the year 2019, it is worth noting that the year came with great a pack of diverse experiences for members of the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) in Africa. As the curtain has been drawn on the year 2019, a walk down memory lane gives a clear picture of the goings-on in YPARD Africa upon which the prospects... More

It is the year 2020! Happy new year! For YPARD, all hands are already on deck. Many young professionals are already back to the grind. It is an opportunity to start strong with increased potentials for better returns, as the new year transitions from days of public merriments and vacations to periods of evaluation - “what progress have I made this... More

We are delighted to welcome a new steering committee member: Marina Cherbonnier. Marina is a graduate with a Master’s degree in Information and Communications Technologies for Development (ICT4D) from the University of Manchester, the UK, and a Master’s degree in Information and Documentation sciences from the UCO, Angers, France. She was also a Bachelor student in French and Classical (Greek and... More

Global Youth Leadership Program, an exclusive 2-day professional program that was held in Beijing on 9th and 10th November 2019. There were 65 youth participants, representing over 25 countries, gathered together to talk about various topics on character and leadership development, personal influence, speaking and communication skills, and social competence building.  The guest speakers were international thought leaders and youth mentors... More

When you buy popcorn in a movie theatre, maize cobs from a street vendor and a meal which comes from processing maize as feed, we should be thankful to the farmers.  They are men and women who battle against the unpredictable weather and invasive insects and bring food from the field to our fork. I have been hearing that agriculture is... More

To increase awareness on the importance of biodiversity mainstreaming across the agriculture and allied sectors three days “Regional Consultative Meeting on Biodiversity Mainstreaming across Agricultural sectors - Asia and the Pacific” was held from 17 to 19 July 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand.  The consultative meeting was co-organized by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat, in... More

We are delighted to welcome the incoming YPARD Belgium communications focal point: Ángela Patricia Guerrero Castillo.  Ángela is a graduate with a Master’s degree in Electronic Engineering from Escuela Colombiana de Ingeniería Julio Garavito and a Bachelor in Mechatronic Engineering from Universidad de San Buenaventura in Bogotá, Colombia. Currently, Ángela is a Ph.D. student in Precision Agriculture at Ghent University in Ghent,... More

The East African Farmers Federation (EAFF) together with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) held a two-day workshop on youth space in policy and financial inclusion. This formed part of the ongoing project of “Scaling-Up Rural Youth Access to inclusive Financial Services for Entrepreneurship and employment”. The project is being implemented in 3 East African... More

The school farm initiative is one of the new strategic plans of YPARD and FAO for the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, the project’s framework will make use of a curriculum concept, to promote training sessions based on an integrated production system.  It aims to combine scientific concepts and social capital to set up a socio-economic framework. Its dynamic will... More