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From July 29th to 31st 2024 YPARD participated in the 3rd biennial Africa CSA conference as part of the Science and Partnerships for Agricultural Conference (SPAC). The CSA conference offered YPARD the opportunity for stewardship on CSA actions across the continent. The discussions boarded on this paint off technology generation and utilization as well as impact of CSA actions on agrarian livelihoods. The discussions featured research papers on various CSA related issues to inform policy action in the African context.
The Science Partnerships for Agricultural Conference (SPAC) embodies broad-based partnerships at various levels to address key issues in Africa's agricultural research and innovation space. Among the four continental initiatives which were hosted by SPAC 2024 is the 2024 Biennial Climate Smart Agriculture Stakeholders Conference. This was convened by FARA, CAADP-XP4, and partners including the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD).
YPARD was featured to present on youth engagement in Africa CSA. The YPARD Africa regional coordinator Kofi Kisiedu Acquaye presented the challenges and prospective opportunities in the food systems as a career option as perceived by the youth in the face of Climate change.
Based on online discussions and knowledge-sharing sessions among the YPARD Community, Kofi emphasized that youth-focused trainings in CSA at different levels (national, continental) are perceived as helpful in building their resilience and capacity to adapt to climate change. Aside from the challenge of access to resources, the main limitation to youth engagement in the food systems is the need for an enabling environment for youth to thrive. Nevertheless, the youth are increasingly positioning themselves as change agents/ environmental stewards in the face of climate change.
From the discussions, it was realized that meaningful engagement in CSA would require addressing infrastructure gaps, improving market access, and ensuring that agriculture offers decent employment opportunities for young people.
