No module Published on Offcanvas position

Mentoring

Mentoring youth in agriculture program

Now more than ever, the world needs young people proactively contributing to innovative and environmentally and economically sustainable agricultural development. For humanity to adapt to the impacts of rising temperatures, rapid urbanisation and unpredictable weather events on agriculture we need to empower and nurture the next generation of farmers, researchers, entrepreneurs, scientists, industrialists and extension workers. YPARD believes that mentoring is crucial for capacity developing and ensure that young professionals are equipped with the right skills to thrive! 

Current mentoring programs

Due to COVID-19 we have paused our mentoring programs until further notice.

Past mentoring programs
PHILIPPINES // 2018 - 2019 // Face to face mentoring program
YPARD Philippines is holding its first Mentoring Program, which is aimed at helping students and young professionals in agricultural development reach their goals through mentoring. Applications for mentees are now closed. For more information visit https://ypard.net/2017-10-25/apply-be-part-ypard-philippines-first-mentoring-program or contact Maggie at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
NIGERIA // 2017 - 2018 // Grooming Leaders for Agriculture program
YPARD Nigeria is partnering with Green Generation Initiative, Nigerian Women in Agricultural Research and Development (NIWARD), Protect Ozone and the Agribusiness Academy to afford members of Ypard in Nigeria to be attached to mentors in their field of interest, get periodical training and accessibility to e- resource and learning platform. In return, the volunteers will work closely with a chosen secondary school in their location where school farms will be set up and managed in collaboration with the Young Farmers Club. For more information visit http://glainitiative.org/ or contact Olawale at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

NEPAL // 2017 // Student-farmer interaction program

‘Student-Farmer Interaction Program’ is a Mobile Approach for On-site Mentorship led by YPARD Nepal in collaboration and coordination with farmers’ groups and local partners. The program provided farmers with technical and/ or advisory information on production and management techniques, and at the same time facilitated two-way learning between agri-students and farmers. Completely novel of its type, the program lasted for five days during which a series of learning-exchange activities were carried out at farmer’s field to share ideas on crop production, management, and marketing based on two-way learning. 

GLOBAL // 2017 // Young Agripreneurs Project - Mentoring Program

As part of the pilot Young Agripreneurs Project (YAP) six young agripreneurs with great ideas are being provided with seed funding and 12 months of business and leadership coaching and technical mentoring to facilitate the startup of their project. Read more at the GFAR blog: blog.gfar.net/tag/YAP

NEPAL // 2016 // EduMala mentoring program

Upon recognising the lack of mentoring opportunities, YPARD Nepal decided to create their own, using the global YPARD programs as a base. The EduMala Mentoring Program started in 2016 with 5 mentors giving 5 course modules during 5 weeks. It is a mix of online and offline mentoring program aiming to build the inter-professional skills of Nepalese young agricultural professionals. It is characterized by a peer to peer assessment technique using e-learning, downloadable content and online conferences where mentors and mentees can interact. Find out more at http://edumala.com/

CROATIA // 2016 // Elders teaching the Youth 
The project started from Youth Associations in small villages near Split linking with elders (60-70 years) who have been farmers their entire life, to ensure that their knowledge is not lost, but is passed onto today’s youth. The program lasted 6 months and covered 6 topics relevant to traditional Croatian agriculture. The program was held on farms, where the participants were able to sample the elder’s products. Some key benefits of this mentoring program include the social inclusion aspects (elders are pensioners that are living alone), avoiding knowledge loss and reducing the generation gap through social interactions between elders and young people. Local media took up the story which provided visibility to the issue of passing on knowledge, but also to the elder’s farms. The project was funded by local government on a small scale. 
 

PERU, PARIS, MOROCCO // 2014, 2015, 2016 // Youth in Landscapes Mentoring Program

For the past three years, YPARD has partnered with the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) to run the Youth in Landscapes Initiative. For many of these youth, the GLF is their first international conference and they find it challenging to navigate the complexity of topics being discussed, to speak up in discussion forums, or to network with senior professionals.

The Youth in Landscapes Mentoring Program aims to capitalise on the face-to-face time that conferences enable, by pairing youth delegates with senior delegates attending the conference and encouraging them to attend a GLF session together. Following an extensive application and selection process, 22 youth from 17 countries have been partnered with 22 senior professionals from business, government, NGOs and research institutions. A small subset of these pairs were chosen to co-design a 6-12 month mentoring program, tailored to each of their needs, during a design sprint workshop on 5 December, 2015.

Read more about the Youth in Landscapes mentoring program: landscapes.org/glf-2015/youth-in-landscapes-initiative/mentoring-program

KENYA // 2015 // Face to face program

In June 2015, YPARD launched a 12-month pilot mentoring program in Kenya. 15 YPARD members - farmers, students, entrepreneurs, young scientists and extension workers from across Kenya – have been paired with mentors based on their sectors and skill sets.

Mentors and mentees first met during a three-day orientation workshop led by African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) to consolidate the relationship and understanding in the mentor-mentee pairs, equipping them with communication, conflict resolution, networking and gender in the workplace skills. With support from their mentors, mentees developed a purpose road map and development journal, clearly outlining their 10 year visions/goals and the technical skills, interpersonal skills, academic/professional qualifications, behaviour change and action needed at each step of the way to reach their long term goal.

Each mentee met with their mentor for at least two hours per month (over the phone, Skype or face to face). See the profiles of pilot program mentors and mentees here: ypard.net/mentoring/profiles

ONLINE // 2015 // Online program for women in agribusiness

28 of YPARD’s female entrepreneurs were selected to spend 12 months working virtually one-on-one with a mentor to achieve key business goals. Mentees built their business skills and digital literacy through a comprehensive online training program.