Young women and men who live in rural areas are the world’s future farmers, entrepreneurs and leaders. The challenges of meeting future food demand, developing vibrant rural centres and promoting broad-based economic growth in developing countries depend on them.These are compelling reasons to place rural young people and smallholder agriculture at the forefront of global strategies for food security, poverty reduction and income growth.

Today’s generation of young people is the largest in history. In developing countries, young people make up on average 20 per cent of the population, and as such they represent a huge potential resource to those countries. Yet ironically, rural areas are not benefiting fully from this resource; indeed, many rural communities are ageing precisely because, in the absence of incentives to remain there, young women and men are leaving rural areas to seek opportunities elsewhere.

Resolving this paradox and responding to the challenges of enhanced agricultural productivity and rural economic growth demands at least three things. It requires investment in social and economic infrastructure in rural areas; the creation of remunerative economic opportunities for young people in agriculture and in the rural non-farm economy; and the provision of expanded opportunities for young men and women to build the capacity and skills that they need to take advantage of these opportunities.

On 19 February 2011, during the thirty-fourth session of IFAD’s Governing Council,  a high-level panel will discuss and reflect on the following key issues affecting rural young women and men in smallholder agriculture, and in the rural economy more broadly.

• What are the reasons, and what are the solutions for the relative neglect of young people – men and women – in national agricultural programmes, given their critical role in feeding the world tomorrow?
• What are the key steps required at the national level to move the youth agenda forward?
• How can innovative and dynamic partnerships between local and international, and between private and public actors, be created to provide opportunities for the next generation of smallholder agriculturalists to participate at different levels of global value chains, and to promote a fairer global trading system?
• Can agricultural investments and training programmes be coordinated to create synergies and provide concrete economic opportunities and incentives to young smallholder farmers?
• What changes and initiatives do we need to undertake to enable young women to contribute to the rural development process and to share in the rewards?

Panelists:

• Her Excellency Agnes Matilda Kalibata, Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources of the Republic of Rwanda
  
• Mr Noel D. De Luna, Agricultural Attaché, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Philippines to IFAD
• Ms Simona Marinescu, Senior Economist at the United Nations Development Programme, former Minister of Labour and former Senator of Romania
  
• Mr Carlo Petrini, President, International Slow Food Movement
  
• Ms Dayana Rivera Rivas, Rural Farmer Promoter of the Association of Small-scale Coffee Growers of La Marina (ASOPECAM)
  
• Mr Kevin Cleaver, Associate Vice-President, Programmes, IFAD Ms
• Tumi Makgabo (Moderator)

 

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Side events focusing on support for young people living in poverty

On the occasion of the thirty-fourth session of the Governing Council of IFAD, on 20 February 2011, four side events will be organized to examine the issues facing young people living in poverty around the globe.

• Asia and the Pacific Division: Weathering the global economic crisis: opportunities and challenges for rural youth
  Focal point: Ms Martina Spisiakova
• Near East, North Africa and Europe Division: Unleashing the potential of young rural people
  Focal point: Ms Rasha Omar and Mr Taysir Al-Ghanem
• Sub-Saharan Africa: Rural youth - Investing today for a better tomorrow
  Focal points: Mr Moses Abukari and Mr Geoffrey Livingston
• Latin America and the Caribbean Division: Supporting rural youth microenterprises
  Focal point: Mr Roberto Haudry

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