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Highlights

Contrary to the belief that agriculture is for the uneducated, 24 year old Alpha is a graduate of economics from the University of Nairobi. He chose to use his education to grow his farming business and work on youth development and empowerment projects.

“Growing up I always wanted to practise agriculture better than my dad did. As a young kid I used to plant my own vegetables. Whenever my dad would sell his vegetables, he would also sell the ones I grew as well. And then I would get the money which I saved or used for my needs,” he says.

As the manager of Alpham Fresh farm, Alpha keeps dairy cows, poultry and cultivates horticultural crops organically. Alpha has big dreams for his business; he wants it to grow into one of the leading agri-products companies in his county of Kiambu and even the country.

According to Alpha, the three biggest challenges African farmers like him face, are access to finance, technical support and information.

   “Agriculture is a capital intensive venture and therefore requires sources of access to finances for expansion of the business. This has been difficult because financial institutions are charging high interest rates.”

“It is also difficult to access extension services, veterinary services among others. Finally, most farmers lack easy access to critical information such as disease outbreaks, prices of inputs and different inputs available.”

But teaming up with other farmers in the area, and getting online, have both changed the way that Alpha works.

“The internet has given me access to various platforms where I acquire knowledge and I am also able network with other farmers. Also, joining farmer associations has helped me a great deal. It has helped me to overcome the challenges of access to finances. Now that I am part of a savings in the group, I can access veterinary services from a veterinary doctor that is sourced and paid for by the group, as well as cheaper access to farm inputs sourced by the group.”

This World Water Week, young Kenyan Environmental Scientist Hudson Shiraku tells Farming First how farmers in Kenya are overcoming water scarcity in a variety of ways. This article is part of our ongoing partnership with Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD)

My hometown Kakamega, is endowed with predictable rains and ever-flowing rivers supplying water all year round. Many people have therefore taken this availability of water for granted and are shocked when they hear of other people suffering for lack of it in other places. One such place is Machakos in Eastern Kenya.

Machakos is one of the areas susceptible to frequent and prolonged droughts. Lack of irrigation facilities, inadequate policies and abject poverty have all subjected residents of some areas in the region to a complete dependency on food assistance. This problem has been further exacerbated by climate variability and climate change, causing more or less precipitation in different regions and more extreme weather events. Cognizant of this challenge, the Biovision Farmer Communication Programme (FCP) has been training farmers on sustainable and effective use of water resources to make farming possible in the face of water scarcity. It promotes different technologies to make this happen. Through the field-based workers, FCP conducts farmer training and demonstrations on how to use certain technologies such as;

Mulching: Mulching uses plant remains such as leaves or grass to cover the soil between rows of cultivated crops. Mulching compliments irrigation by reducing the impact of water on the soil – reducing soil erosion and allowing longer retention of moisture. Mulch improves the condition of the soil since this mulch slowly decomposes, becoming part of the soil organic matter. Mrs. Mutisya, one of the farmers practicing mulching, says that since she started mulching, she now uses a mere quarter of the water she previously used on her kale plantation.

Drip irrigation: Another technology being promoted in the region is a watering system that delivers a slow moving supply of water at a gradual rate directly to the soil at the base of crops (drip irrigation). Also referred to as micro-irrigation or trickle irrigation, it consists of a network of pipes, tubing valves, and emitters. Bottles are also filled with water, a small hole pierced at the top and then inverted and buried at the base of a plant to allow water to seep to its roots gradually. This is an economical use of water, as there is reduced evaporation and deep drainage compared to other types of irrigation such as flood or overhead sprinklers, since water can be more precisely applied to the plant roots. Farmers have also reduced disease prevalence due to this technology.
Drip Irrigation
Water harvesting: Besides teaching our farmers how to sustainably use their water, we also train them on water harvesting technologies, to avoid water flowing to waste when it rains. We teach farmers the importance of capturing water runoff from the road for agricultural use. Fixing gutters on iron roofs is also important for water harvesting. The benefit of water harvesting is not only to secure and increase crop production in these regions, but also to stop soil erosion and recharge aquifers tapped for irrigation. It also improves soil fertility due to deposition of humus, silt, manure and other organic matter together with harvested water.

Agroforestry: Trees also play a vital role in agriculture. Practicing agroforestry using drought resistant trees species has helped to create more diverse, productive, profitable, healthy, and sustainable land-use systems. Besides providing shade to the crops, these trees are important sources of fruits, nuts and edible oils which counter global warming and the risk of hunger in the region. Trees in agroforestry practices catch, store and release water. Trees break the force of falling rain – preventing soil erosion and allowing percolation into the ground where it is stored as groundwater.

Multi-storey gardens: One of our farmers discovered that it is easier to water and maintain plants in a sack. She fills a sack with soil and then uses it as her land. It is easier to water it and accommodates more crops. This technology not only saves on water but also on other resources like fertilizer.

This and other technologies that we promote have since spread to other farmers through our farmer to farmer sharing systems. Farming has been made possible in the wake of water scarcity, and many people are adopting agriculture in the rural areas of Machakos. Thanks to these water saving technologies, farmers have increased crop production and a steady supply of agricultural products all year round. This has in turn cushioned them against the pangs of hunger.

Thanks to a steady supply of water, they have also been able to produce in surplus for the market earning some income. Generally, enabling people to farm has improved the food security situation in the region as there are more farmers than before. Trees have been incorporated in the crop production lots changing the entire picture of a dry area with scorching sun to a better environment.

There are more areas affected by water scarcity and struggling with agriculture. There is need to spread the benefits by these water saving technologies to them. We need to learn from these FCP experiences and replicate them in such areas. Having a database of all these technologies in ready to access and understand formats would help in sharing their benefits.

Reblogged from the Farming First Website

This is the application for the Youth in Landscapes Initiative (YIL), which will be held in Paris, France, from December 1- 6th 2015. Make sure you go to the bottom of this page and click "How to apply" to access the application form.

We will select 50 youth innovators and split them into 5 teams to work with organisations to overcome real-world landscapes challenges during a 4 day intensive leadership development and project accelerator program from December 1-4 in Paris.

The ideas generated from these challenges will be pitched to a dragon’s den of business, policy and science experts for feedback during the 2015 Global Landscapes Forum on December 5 and 6 - the largest and most influential side event to the UNFCCC COP.

See www.landscapes.org/youth for more information.

The 50 selected youth innovators will receive complimentary registration to the Global Landscapes Forum. We will be selecting across gender, nationality, age and encourage all regions of the world are encouraged to apply.

TIME COMMITMENT
Selected youth innovators will be required to:
-Attend several preparatory webinars in November
-Be in Paris from 1-7th December solely for the purposes of joining the Youth in Landscapes Initiative. It will not be possible to attend COP sessions during this time however you are welcome to attend COP sessions after these dates.
-Write several blogs (introduction, reflection) that can be published on landscapes.org/youth
-Participate in our evaluation processes

APPLICATION DEADLINE
The deadline to apply is Sunday October 11th, 5pm CET. Applicants will be notified if they are successful by 19 October 2015.

FUNDING
We have a limited number of travel scholarships available for deserving applicants. However funding support is not guaranteed, so most selected delegates will be expected to raise their own funds to attend (though our partnerships team will be available to help you raise funds).

VISA SUPPORT
We will provide a formal letter of support to assist with visa applications.

TIPS TO APPLY
We'll be running two webinars (different timezones) where you can find out what we’re looking for in our youth innovators and get some application tips. Plus we'll answer any questions you have about the application form or process.
Wednesday 30 September, 10am Rome/3pm Bangkok. Register: http://gowoa.me/i/NgcP
Wednesday 7 October, 7pm Peru/8pm New York. Register: http://gowoa.me/i/sNHN

SELECTION CRITERIA
Applicants will be selected based on their:
- Experience and understanding of landscape and sustainability issues
- Creative thinking
- Passion and motivation
- Ability to implement ideas and collaborate
- Clarity of responses

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
Please have all following information ready before starting the online form:
- Passport information
- Answers to the following questions:
1) What is your motivation for applying to attend YIL in Paris? (E.g. What is your story? Why do you care about sustainable, integrated landscape management? What do you hope to get from the experience?) (max 1500 characters, ~200 words)
2) Which of the five landscape challenges are you most interested in, and why? See http://www.landscapes.org/glf-2015/youth-in-landscapes-initiative/landscape-challenge/ ‎
3) What experience do you have with sustainable landscapes-related work? Include academics, research, advocacy, campaigning, community engagement etc. (max 1500 characters, ~250 words)
4) How are you planning to pass on what you learned during and after YIL to your country, region, community? (max 600 characters, ~100 words)
5) How do you operate within a team and how does that make you a valuable team member? Please support this with examples. (e.g. are you a co-ordinator, facilitator, supporter, thinker, doer etc.) (max 1000 characters, ~200 words)

VIDEO
Besides completing the form, all applicants are required to submit a 2 minute video telling us:
- What are the current challenges facing landscapes and how could you make positive changes now or in the future to address these?
- Give us an example that demonstrates your passion for the challenge you’ve selected.
- Why are you the perfect candidate for the 2015 Youth in Landscapes Initiative?

You will not be judged on the quality of your video production so feel free to record this on your phone/camera. These videos need to be publicly posted on YouTube or Vimeo. All applicant videos will be posted to landscapes.org/youth as they are received and the public will get the opportunity to vote for their favorite applicants.

If you have any questions or concerns about this application, please e-mail Michelle Kovacevic at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or join one of our webinars.

Good luck!!

How to Apply

Dear Friends,

It is a matter of great pleasure to invite you to an online discussion on Food Security and Nutrition in APEC economies.

This discussion is organized in the context of the “APEC Food Security Training and Workshop” that the Agriculture Information Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences is hosting on September 7-9, 2015 in Beijing, China.

APEC is the premier Asia-Pacific economic forum which goal is to support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.

The major objectives of the workshop are to promote communications among APEC economies’ food security researchers and experts, build interest on food security strategies, enhance research capacity and offer policy recommendations to improve food security. The training and workshop will identify existing methodologies, tools and best practices of food security researches and improve future research on food security and research issues.

Notwithstanding the regional aim of the workshop, we believe that the knowledge of experts from APEC economies can be of great value to practitioners in the rest of the world on food security and vice versa.

In order to allow the workshop to benefit the food security community as much as possible, our vision therefore is that interested individuals, food security professional, practitioners, researchers and students from all over the world can join this event through this online discussion. On the days of the workshop we will share the write-up and results from the training sessions with all of you, while the inputs received through this online discussion will be discussed at the meeting.  

Given the above we would like to invite you to reflect on the following guiding questions drawing on the experience in your country.

If you would like to provide your feedback to this online discussion please do not hesitate to comment on the discussions website or to send your comments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  Please also feel free to circulate this information among your colleagues

Comments are welcome in English, French, Spanish and Chinese

Our sincere thanks go to all of you for the active participation and the open exchange of views!

We look forward to meeting you online.

MyFood30 launched a 50 day campaign to hear young people’s views on the future of agri-food systemsOur global food system has a big problem: it is not sustainable. Hunger, malnutrition, waste, and unsustainable agricultural practices endanger our present and future well-being. Could young people help to improve it? Are we innovative and creative enough to shape future agri-food systems and make them more sustainable?

Building on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agreed in 2000, 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have now been drawn up through a series of global consultations. At the upcoming United Nations Summit September 25th, 193 world leaders will commit to ensuring their delivery.

Is this good enough? We as youth say NO and we are happy that the Swiss National Committee of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is listening to us – the youth of the world. We believe that young people are shaping the future of the food systems and we need to understand what they think of the SDGs and how they can be better equipped to contribute them.

In August, MyFood30 launched a 50 day campaign to hear young people’s views on the future of agri-food systems and to make sure they are supported in order to maximize their contribution toward achieving the SDGs.

This is YOUR opportunity to contribute and be heard by key decision makers and influencers. Have your say now and directly contribute to a more sustainable agriculture and sustainable food system. MyFood30 is all about hearing your views on the future of our food systems.

In October, your views will be shared with international leaders in Rome at the  42nd Committee on Food World Security.  Your inputs will also be compiled into a report that will be brought to decision makers and influencers' attention.

If you are studying or working in the agri-food sector, let us know what you think of the SDGs through this survey.

If you are new to the topic, play our short game to get more familiar with the SDGs and food security challenges and get information on what YOU can do to make a difference.

We encourage you to join MyFood30 and have your say on the future of the food system.  The survey will take 10 minutes to complete and the results will be made available to decision makers to help them understand where best to invest to grow and nurture tomorrow’s agri-food talent.

For more information please visit http://www.myfood30.net/#home

MyFood30 is a project by the Swiss National FAO Committee. The project is supported by the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and delivered by Foodways Consulting GmbH. YPARD: young professionals for agricultural development is partner of the project.

Find the orginal article on The Food Tank website as written by  Rahel Wyss
 

APEC Discussions

Beijing was a hotspot for young professionals in agriculture, last week. The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) hosted the “APEC Food Security Training and Workshop” on September 7-9, 2015. This event, funded by the Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of China aimed at training over 30 young researchers from Asia Pacific Economic Conference countries’ to build their capacity in tackling food security issues. As a representative of the Global Forum, I was invited to attend this event and offered the participants to dip into plausible futures for young professionals working in agricultural research and innovation systems.

A back-to-back event (Sept 10-12), still supported by CAAS and funded by the YPARD Global Coordination Unit, was the first conference of the Asia and Pacific Young Professionals in Agriculture for Development network (YPARD Asia). This meeting included a side-event where I was given the opportunity to engage again with more than 30 young professionals in foresight. This time we reflected together on the futures and together built contrasted plausible scenarios for YPARD Asia.

Besides this foresight event, the main purpose of the meeting was for YPARD Asia country representatives to establish their strategic development plan 2016-2018 and related activities.  As a member of the YPARD Advisory Committee I was given the privilege to assist as an observer to various working sessions. A privilege? Yes, definitively a privilege!

A privilege to witness young professionals working with rigor, commitment and joyfulness.

Rigor was everywhere: in the thorough revision of their draft plan, crafting sentences, word by word; in the attention given to ensure that ideas and proposals would be feasible and sensible; in ensuring consistency throughout the whole process, going back and forth through the different sections; in keeping their framework consistent with the global orientations of YPARD but tailoring them to the specificities of Asia and the Pacific.

Commitment is probably an underestimation. Not just because they relentlessly worked from dawn to dusk, with rare and short breaks, but also because all ideas, all proposals systematically reverted to supporting the cause of agriculture in development and ensuring that the youth will be given all opportunities, possibilities and capacities to play a major role and be recognised for it. I was impressed, too, when I learned that, in the Philippines, the young professionals who established YPARD Philippines put money from their own pockets to ensure YPARD Philippines could go through the process of getting a legal status to make it an independent entity, facilitating its operation and its fund raising activities in the specific context of the country.

By Warren Nyamugasira

In the recently launched Second National Development Plan (NDPII) spanning financial years 2015/16-2019/20, agriculture tops the list of five investment priorities selected because of their potential for the greatest multiplier effect in the economy.

The NDPII is themed: ‘Strengthening Uganda’s Competitiveness for Sustainable Wealth Creation, Employment and Inclusive Growth’.

The other priorities in the plan are tourism; minerals, oil and gas; infrastructure development and human capital development.

In particular agriculture is prioritised because it remains a major sector in the Ugandan economy with good prospects for increasing production and productivity, particularly when considered along its value chain such as agro-processing and marketing. In this regard, it is also a launchpad for industrialisation for the eventual transformation of the Ugandan society from a peasant to a modern and prosperous country in the next 30 years.

Consequently, agriculture is slated to generate over one million jobs over the five years.

Indeed this is significant if agricultural production and productivity are not paid lip service as has been the case in the past when both agricultural and rural development have been a major missed opportunity in enhancing their role to support growth opportunities, reduce poverty and gender inequality (for example, see the report of the Joint Evaluation of Budget Support to Uganda, April 2015).

However, with the current focus put on improving the road network countrywide and not just in the south and western parts of the country, intensification of rural electrification and improvements in other supportive infrastructure, the prospects have never been better.

The stage has been set to put agricultural productivity at the top of the policy agenda and to revive agriculture in real terms. Key to this revival is the role of the youth in agriculture.

I am involved in a learning research whose goal is to deepen the evidence base on youth employment and entrepreneurship to inform efforts to expand youth livelihoods and economic opportunities in Uganda.

Specifically, it is investigating the principal push and pull factors driving youth engagement in and out of farming, rural/urban migration and employment patterns and more specifically their attitudes towards the agricultural sector.

Preliminary findings indicate that youth in middle north of Uganda do not have a negative perception about working in agriculture for their livelihoods.

They know that it is often their only economic opportunity and they are interested in making it their major livelihood activity. They think that agriculture can provide and already provides enough income for sustaining them and their families.

While a number come from families which are traditionally involved in farming, they prefer to do agriculture a bit differently from the parent associations, prioritising those aspects that earn them quick money such as procuring and selling agro-inputs; using improved tools such as rippers to open up land, spraying and weeding for cash and transportation. Most work on family land while others rent or buy their own.

Their source of capital is the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA), as opposed to formal financial institutions which lack appropriate financial products and are too bureaucratic.

Reflecting more deeply on these preliminary findings it becomes clear that the theory of change in conceptualising most youth livelihood programmes by the elite policy maker is far removed from the realities of these young people.

While the policy makers’ starting point, that agriculture is the backbone of Uganda’s economy and is still dominated by smallholder farmers, is sound, they quickly jump to pumping resources into the processing of agricultural commodities without catering for the intermediate stage to link the youth smallholder farmer to the processed agricultural commodities.

Furthermore, I am also convinced that another and perhaps the greatest weakness in youth livelihoods programming is the ‘land cruiser culture’ of the designers and implementers, exemplified by the burden they place on the resources when they impose a layer of overt or covert overheads to support their (the designers and implementers) own lifestyles.

As far as the youth are concerned, the land cruiser in which the designers and implementers often arrive in the village is the epitome of luxury; equivalent to owning an aeroplane.

Therefore, while agriculture is good for the youth and youth are vital in the revival of its fortunes, the problem lies with the designers and implementers of youth livelihoods programmes.

I owe a visit to Pius Bigirimana (permanent secretary in the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development) to peer into his thinking behind the copyrighted Youth Livelihood Model which the Government has adopted and invested sh38.8b for its anti-poverty campaign.

Should it have identified and eliminated the said impediments in the design of youth livelihood programmes, then he deserves accolades beyond the Government’s no-objection to him copyrighting the model.