Agriculture is a proven path to social and economic prosperity in Nigeria. No region of Africa has developed a diverse, modern economy without first establishing a successful foundation in agriculture. This is going to be critically true for Nigeria where, today, close to 70% of the population is involved in agriculture as smallholder farmers working on parcels of land that are,... More

According to FAO, the number of young people (aged 15 to 24) is expected to increase to 1.3 billion by 2050, accounting for almost 14% of the projected global population. As we all know, the world is now getting more advanced in terms of modernization, use of technology, new practices and much more. Agriculture is going into dim light as most... More

The government of Nepal initiated nationwide lockdown from March 24 as the preventive measure during the Corona Virus Outbreak.  The duration of lockdown is uncertain as it was initially for 21 days but it’s hampering day to day activities like study, work and others. For students, it might be frustrating because the research works are directly affected but still, the lockdown... More

The GWP Steering Committee, at its meeting in December 2019, decided to create a permanent independent youth seat on the Committee, thereby ensuring full information and voting rights for a strong youth perspective. This step is unique among global water organisations and reflects the GWP’s commitment to creating space and opportunities for youth to engage in water governance and management -... More

YPARD is delighted to welcome Ingrid Oliveira as the new Communications Coordinator.  Ingrid is a graduate with a master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Transformation from the University of Basel, in Switzerland, and a bachelor’s in law from Universidade Federal de Sergipe, in her native country of Brazil.  Ingrid has been working as a Communication Officer for GFRAS – Global Forum... More

“I will breathe no matter what; the question is whether the human will breathe or not. I leave this decision up to you” – the message to Humanity from Mother Earth, commonly known as COVID-19. Thus, what will be our choice? That was one of the questions we discussed during our small group meetings as part of the “Game Changer Course”... More

“Chiya Guff with an entrepreneur” is an interactive program designed to motivate all those youths who aspire to become an entrepreneur by conveying the persistent efforts of successful entrepreneurs.  The first episode of this program with the collaborative support of YPARD Nepal and The Entrepreneurship Club (ERC) at Institute of Engineering Purwanchal Campus on 2nd February 2020. The chief guest of... More

How are the local agricultural sector and rural advisory services coping with COVID-19? GFRAS has recently conducted a survey on what kind of COVID-19 information our constituency would like us to provide. The absolute top interest lied on understanding the impact of COVID-19 on food value chains, and possible mitigation strategies. We have also seen more than 1,000 unique hits on... More

We are delighted to announce Marina Cherbonnier as the newly elected YPARD Steering Committee Chair.  Marina is an international network and community engagement specialist with extended experience in agricultural-related development. You can learn more about her on this introduction blog post published when she joined the Steering Committee last January.  When asked about her vision as a steering committee chair and... More

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