At its core, the workshop sought to define how agricultural research, extension, and capacity development systems should be organized and mobilized across national, regional, and continental levels to achieve inclusive, climate-resilient, and innovation-led agri-food systems.
In Kofi Kisiedu Acquaye’s intervention, YPARD’s Africa Regional Coordinator, he challenged the prevailing assumption that young people and women face challenges only around access to land, finance, inputs, or technology. While these constraints are real, he emphasized that they are not merely logistical but structural, institutional, socio-cultural, and behavioral, deeply embedded in policy frameworks, research systems, and social norms.
Drawing on insights from YPARD’s work and partnerships, his intervention outlined these interconnected barriers:
These reflections resonated strongly with YPARD’s practical experience through the Research for Agroecology Network Southern Africa (RAENS)- a regional initiative strengthening agroecology research, learning, and policy engagement through farmer-led, youth-inclusive, and transdisciplinary approaches.
Across Southern Africa, RAENS demonstrates how youth and farmers can move beyond token participation to co-create knowledge, shape research agendas, and contribute to learning systems that are responsive to local realities. Through participatory research, storytelling, and community-based knowledge networks, RAENS reflects the same system shifts discussed during the Cairo workshop - translating principles of inclusion, equity, and co-ownership into practice.
During the workshop, Kofi Acquaye also highlighted models that are already shifting the narrative. Gender-responsive extension networks, youth and women innovation hubs, participatory action research teams, and co-creation platforms are creating inclusive pathways to entrepreneurship, climate-smart solutions, and decision-making power.
These approaches, he noted, do more than widen access - they fundamentally transform who is seen, heard, and trusted to lead agricultural change. This mirrors lessons emerging from RAENS, where youth and farmers are actively shaping research, learning, and innovation systems rather than participating on the margins.
The workshop’s emphasis on strengthening national agricultural research systems, advancing policy coherence, and scaling climate-smart technologies aligned closely with YPARD’s ongoing efforts -including RAENS to embed youth and gender inclusion at the heart of agricultural research and innovation.
As Africa enters a new CAADP decade, initiatives such as RAENS provide concrete, regional examples of how community- and youth-centred action can support continental ambitions.
Moving beyond commitments requires ensuring that youth and women are not simply invited to participate, but are empowered to co-design and co-deliver agricultural futures. At YPARD, RAENS represents one pathway through which this co-ownership is being tested, strengthened, and scaled.
YPARD thanks AU-SAFGRAD, FARA, and all partners for convening this strategic dialogue and for recognizing the importance of youth and gender leadership in shaping Africa’s agricultural R&D systems for the next decade.
By Kofi Acquaye, YPARD Africa Regional Coordinator
