Deadline: July 29, 2019
Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) , in collaboration with FAO and Rikolto, is organizing an experience training and capitalization workshop for young people working in the cereal and horticultural value chains in order to strengthen the territorial metabolism between rural and urban areas. sustainable agriculture and food.
Date: From the 21st to the 25th of October 2019
Most African countries are under the impact of rapid urbanization which presents opportunities but also major challenges affecting food security, youth employment.
Current analysis and thinking consider urban agriculture as one of the viable and sustainable solutions to address food insecurity, unemployment, underemployment, environmental degradation in cities, poverty and poverty. ‘social exclusion. Urban agriculture occupies an important place in the economy of the countries of West Africa. In Dakar (Senegal), it provides 70% of the demand for vegetables as well as the creation of thousands of direct and indirect jobs. It is the subject of much research from different angles, focusing on topics such as urban food security, poverty eradication, urban health, integrated city development, planning and development. urban.
Despite this important economic and social role, urban agriculture faces new challenges related to: access to land, the emergence of new technologies, the development of digital, access to water but also and especially the growing disinterest of young people vis-à-vis agriculture in general.
Effective and efficient solutions are therefore needed to ensure sustainable agricultural development in urban areas, allowing access to a nutritious and diversified food supply while ensuring sustainable management of natural resources and viable economic opportunities for the next generations of farmers. farmers.
The objective of this workshop is to build the capacity of young farmers on sustainable agriculture practices so they can participate in sustainable development and strengthen the links between rural and urban areas. This meeting will be an opportunity to initiate B2B exchanges between young participants and allow new partnerships at the local and regional levels, as well as to promote access to funding and markets.
Type of funding: full financing
Eligibility criteria:
- To be a member of YPARD;
- Be between 18 and 35 at the time of application;
- Have a valid passport;
- Being a citizen of Senegal, Benin, Togo, Mali, Burkina Faso, or Côte d’Ivoire;
- Know how to read, write and speak French fluently;
- Demonstrate active experience in the agriculture, agri-food or youth employment sector;
- Demonstrate relevant engagement in social actions for positive change in their community;
- Being willing to actively participate in an intensive program;
- Be willing to contribute to the development of the post-workshop project proposal document for young farmers in the sub-region to strengthen rural-urban linkages for a sustainable agriculture and food system;
- Be willing to develop a mini-project after the workshop to promote youth activity in agriculture;
- Selected candidates will be able to
- Participate in training sessions and exchange of experiences between participants from the sub-region;
- Travel to Saly in west-central Senegal to develop new skills and knowledge and be part of the larger network of leaders who work together for the development and development of young people in agriculture in Africa;
- Develop new partnerships, network and learn from other individual participants or institutions in the agricultural sector of the sub-region;
- Benefit from online training opportunities, meet high-level mentors as well as partnership opportunities with large organizations, institutions and experts;
- Back home, the 40 selected candidates will be able to work in teams with participants from other countries to develop innovative and influential solutions to strengthen the links between rural and urban youth. for sustainable agricultural development;
- All costs of the workshop ie travel expenses, travel, consumption and necessary amenities will be covered for all selected applicants.
