We are delighted to welcome a new steering committee member: Jorrit Kiewik. Jorrit Kiewik is the newest add-on to the YPARD Steering Committee team. Jorrit is a graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Entrepreneurship and is finalizing his master’s program in Communication, Health & Life Sciences at Wageningen University. Jorrit has been working as the director of Slow Food Youth... More

In my perspective, food is not just about quenching hunger pangs or the act of barely consuming crop and animal products. It spreads across other aspects of food that defines us as human beings rather than just viewing food as a means of survival. The melody that food transmits to me represents culture, traditions and above all love. No matter what... More

There is no question the current global food system is under ever-growing pressure which means meeting the foundation SDGs - SDG 1 and 2 on poverty and hunger - are challenged. YPARD and GFRAS believe that combining efforts can yield better results. Pressure in the global food systems can be linked to a multitude of factors: the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, increasing... More

Who is an entrepreneur? An entrepreneur is an individual who creates a new business, bearing most of the risks and enjoying most of the rewards. Economists have never had a consistent definition of "entrepreneur" or "entrepreneurship" (the word "entrepreneur" comes from the French verb entreprendre, meaning "to undertake"). Though the concept of an entrepreneur existed and was known for centuries, the classical... More

We are proud to announce to the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) community that Laureene Reeves Ndagire, a member of YPARD Uganda has been listed as one of the speakers for the IFOAM – Organics International and the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF)’s Digital Forum: Food without Farmers. Laureene is an eminent young professional in agriculture who has a deep understanding... More

On 4th February 2020, the Young Professionals in Agriculture Development (YPARD Rwanda) in partnership with Alliance for Science Rwanda completed a one-day field learning experience. This took place in Kigali- in Southern Province, Muhanga District in Shyogwe sector. The aim of this field learning experience was to help 30 young professionals in agriculture to understand the potential of science in changing... More

I dreamt of becoming an entrepreneur when I got admitted to the undergraduate level at the University of Rajshahi.  Currently, I am undergoing my master’s studies in Horticulture at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University. My farm is located in Mirpur, Kushtia, in the South-Western zone of Bangladesh. The journey of my Entrepreneurship started in 2016. I wanted to become an entrepreneur since childhood.... More

Water is a resource of high demand used in agriculture and livestock, food washing, manufacturing and production industries, cleaning of structures, personal hygiene, etc.  Water is a crucial resource for all human activities. Even though the importance of water cannot be overemphasized, it has been constantly polluted and the quality of such a valuable resource has been gradually disintegrated. The industrial... More

Pius Hiwe, Youth-Leader Communications Champion, Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD), speaks about communication for effective youth inclusion at the SIANI Annual Meeting 2020 held in Sweden. You can now watch the video and read the presentation script in a chronological sequence. First slide What does the communications officer of a youth network with over 18,000 registered young professionals in 70 countries... More

The agricultural sector is facing a number of new issues that have come to life in the past decades.  Our climate is changing, soils are eroding, the available production area is shrinking. We have to produce increasingly more ‘beautiful’ produce to meet consumer’s expectations without using crop protection compounds, and we have to adapt to a changing food pattern. How do... More

Climate change is a reality that is happening now, and that we can see its impact across the world. Climate change is a very hot and trendy topic in the world now, but most people don’t even know the causes and effects on the environment. What do you think about when you hear climate change? Did anyone ever wonder why there... More

Le Laboratoire de Terrain (LT) est un espace et un évènement en même temps, ou? différentes parties prenantes (équipes techniques des projets, jeunes ruraux, champions locaux et partenaires) se rencontrent, pour finaliser la conception de leur propre pilote pour tester les outils qui pourraient leur permettre d’améliorer leur impact sur les jeunes ruraux. Organisé du 28 au 31 janvier 2020 à... More

YPARD is delighted to welcome Gcina Dlamini as the Country Representative of YPARD Eswatini. Gcina holds a BSc in Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Management from the University of Swaziland, a Certificate in Business and Entrepreneurship from UNISA, a certificate in Business and Entrepreneurship Development from Oklahoma State University and a Certificate in Leadership Change from Cambridge University. He is also a... More

YPARD Austria is seeking a young, innovative and fresh spirited professional to take on the role of a Country Representative (CR) and continue its work on youth in agriculture! Being a CR is a unique opportunity for you to be more active with fellow young professionals in agricultural and related fields in Austria as well as with the global YPARD network.... More

The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) 2020, was held from 16 - 18.01.2020. under the title and focuses on Food for all! Trade for secure, diverse and sustainable nutrition. “Agriculture is not just food but the world around us” I heard this phrase during my participation in GFFA 2020. This Forum was organized and hosted by the Federal Ministry... More

Fulbright has been operating as a successful program for many decades, it may sound familiar to many, worldwide. In this blog post, I share my personal experiences with the YPARD community, in the hope that some of you will be encouraged to apply.  January 15, 2019 became a memorable day for me, because I received the email, beginning with the following... More

The last two years were very substantial for YPARD Serbia! We put our feet on the ground, we spread the word on who we are and what we do and we made some friends and partners along the way. We are very proud of our position now and with the position of young farmers in Serbia. The number of young farmers... More

Reflecting on the year 2019, it is worth noting that the year came with great a pack of diverse experiences for members of the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) in Africa. As the curtain has been drawn on the year 2019, a walk down memory lane gives a clear picture of the goings-on in YPARD Africa upon which the prospects... More

It is the year 2020! Happy new year! For YPARD, all hands are already on deck. Many young professionals are already back to the grind. It is an opportunity to start strong with increased potentials for better returns, as the new year transitions from days of public merriments and vacations to periods of evaluation - “what progress have I made this... More

We are delighted to welcome a new steering committee member: Marina Cherbonnier. Marina is a graduate with a Master’s degree in Information and Communications Technologies for Development (ICT4D) from the University of Manchester, the UK, and a Master’s degree in Information and Documentation sciences from the UCO, Angers, France. She was also a Bachelor student in French and Classical (Greek and... More