The 19th Brussels Development Briefing was on Youth and rural development in ACP countries and took place on 16th June 2010 at the Borschette Center. This Briefing discussed the challenges and opportunities for future ACP young farmers and the potential of rural youth in terms of employment, income generation, access to financial services, investment and ICTs as well as provision of formal and non-formal agricultural education and social services. The Briefing also looked at the policy options favourable in support of young farmers and their contribution to development thinking.
Welcome remarks by the organisers
Highlights of the UN International Year of Youth, Margaret Wachenfeld, Senior Policy Adviser, UNICEF, [Presentation]
Panel 1 – Challenges and opportunities for future ACP young farmers
Agriculture and rural areas need to become more attractive for young people to encourage them to live, work and invest in them. Agriculture must also become more productive and profitable generating remunerative livelihood opportunities for rural youth. This panel will discuss the potential of rural youth in terms of employment, income generation, access to financial services, investment and ICTs as well as provision of formal and non-formal agricultural education and social services.
Panellists:
-Youth employment in agriculture and economic opportunities for young entrepreneurs,
Bruno Losch, Senior Economist, World Bank,
[Presentation]-Key challenges for Young farmers, especially in ACP countries,
Kati Partanen, President, Young Farmers’ Committee, International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP),
[Presentation]-Empowering young farmers: What can we learn from the European experience?
Joris Baecke, President, European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA),
[Presentation]-The role of young Researchers in setting the ARD research agenda
, Peter Mwaura, Researcher, Young Professional’s Platform for Agricultural research (YPARD),
[Presenation]Panel 2 – Policy options favourable in support of young farmers
Development interventions will be needed in education, health and agricultural services sectors targeting youth. The key challenge for governments, development agencies and actors is to identify innovative ways to promote the positive contribution of youth to development at local, regional and global levels. On the basis of positive experiences, we will discuss the need to strengthen young people’s capacities, agricultural knowledge and skills through education and training as to enable them to become productive farmers and contribute to rural development. We will also discuss favorable development policies.
Panellists:
-Promoting employment and entrepreneurship for rural youth: the case of Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools, Peter Wobst, Senior Economist, Gender, Equity and Rural Employment Division, FAO, [Executive Summary], [Presentation]
-Successful agricultural economic initiatives of the rural youth: lessons learned, Anthony Kipkoech Saina, International Movement of Agricultural Rural Youth (MIJARC), Kenya, [Presentation]
-Successful initiatives by rural young farmers in the Caribbean, Shari Niles, Policy Advisor and Research Officer, ECTAD/CaFAN, Caribbean, [Presenation]
Conclusions
Posted by ctabrussels 
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