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Highlights


Olumide Idowu Emmanuel, Communications manager at AIESEC Nigeria blogs about Agriculture, Environment and Youth in Africa.

In his blog "...Agriculture for Youth Development in Africa" he writes about the role agriculture can play in youth development, but also vice versa, why it is so important to engage youth in agriculture.

Interested in his opinion and his proposed strategies? Read the full blog.

We all have friends and colleagues whom we talk to when we are about to make important decisions on our lives. We all have friends who over a call, a cup of coffee, etc, they can advise us on the best action to take if you have been stuck with an important decision about your job, career, leadership positions and even your social life. I always find myself spending time talking to my peers about how they present their applications for schools admissions, scholarships, jobs etc. As well, there are those peers who are always checking on my career status, what new you need to try out, what you need to drop, and even advising on how to balance work and social life.

While I may feel timid to approach my boss, or other senior staff, or even my family members for such advice, there are those peers in the same age group that I have always relied on to give me sober advice- these have been my peer mentors. They have shared with me skills that they have acquired elsewhere, important information in their career growth, and contacts that have assisted me move on the career. They also rely on me for such advice, guidance and support; so there is mutual benefit for both of us in this relationship. What makes my peers unique is that we have a give and take relationship that I can rely on any time of the year; and each person has a unique role to play in my life. However, there is that time we both find ourselves seeking the assistance of a senior professional or more experienced person, who give advice and share the knowledge. We understand they are very busy so they don’t spend a lot of time with us building this kind of mutual mentoring relationship, however we appreciate their regular ‘coaching’ sessions.


Groupe de Bruges, in collaboration with SPERA (Interuniversity Centre for Studies on Economic, Rural and Environmental Policies) and Associazione Alessandro Bartola, is developing a comprehensive e-learning course on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).


For over 50 years, the CAP has been one of the most important policies in the European Union. Currently, a new reform of the CAP is under way in a turbulent period of the European Union. Numerous leading experts from all over Europe contributed their knowledge and expertise to this course. This is your chance to learn about the CAP or to bring your knowledge up to date in an easy, accessible manner.

The course is intended for first year students and everybody else that has a professional interest in the Common Agricultural Policy.You can either follow one or more of the course’s 8 modules or follow the whole course. In the latter case, you will be able to obtain an official certificate.

The course will be available from November 1st, but a preview of one of the modules is already available now. Click here to see the preview.


Engaging the youth in future agricultural developments in Africa will take centre stage at Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) Annual Regional Food Security Policy Dialogue in Swaziland on 19-23 September 2011 (www.fanrpan.org).


“The time is now to ensure that the youth are part of decisions about the future of agriculture in Africa – they are after all the generation that will have to ensure that the continent’s growing population is fed,” says FANRPAN Chief Executive Officer Dr Lindiwe Majele Sibanda. ”It is the responsibility of current leaders in agriculture to ensure the involvement of the youth in development– and that is what we plan to do.”

The FANRPAN 2011 Food Security Policy Dialogue will discuss, among others, dominant and alternative viewpoints and recent empirical data about how young people engage with the agri-food sector in Africa as producers, processors, entrepreneurs, employees, consumers and citizens. It will also look at change in different components of the agri-food sector and its implications for young people and at alternative policy approaches to the development of the agri-food sector.

Over 300 international delegates are expected to attend the Regional Policy Dialogue and the meeting will be officially opened by Swaziland Prime Minister, Right Honourable, Dr Barnabas Dlamini. Case studies of innovative youth initiatives from Southern and Eastern Africa will be presented.

Other presentations will include the role of the youth in markets for Africa’s green revolution and their role in safeguarding the continent’s natural resources and the environment. Global youth initiatives will be explained in presentations by the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), the Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), the 4-H Council, the Caribbean Agricultural Forum for Youth, the Pacific Agricultural and Forestry Policy Network and the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Children and Youth Development Programme. The keynote speaker will be the Minister of Youth and Development in Swaziland, Hon Hlobsile Ndlovu.

Dr Sibanda says no dialogue about agriculture is relevant without discussing climate change. Civil society is committing to responsible increases in agricultural productivity through climate smart agriculture which includes proven techniques such as agro-forestry and conservation agriculture, that combine adaptation, mitigation, resilience and food security.

“African leaders in agriculture and indeed African Heads of State will have to take the global lead to bring together a climate deal that ensures food security. A Climate deal with no agriculture is no deal! It is of utmost importance that Africa puts climate-smart agriculture high on the political agenda” she says. “FANRPAN and its partners will work to ensure that one of the outcomes of the UNFCCC COP17, in Durban at the end of the year is a dedicated agriculture work programme."

FANRPAN congratulates the Hon. Tina Joemat-Pettersson, South Africa’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries who this week, convened an African Ministerial conference on Climate Smart Agriculture  (http://www.nda.agric.za/index2011ClimateChange.htm)  to ensure that Africa speaks with one voice at the forthcoming UNFCCC CoP17.Every African country has exemplary policy success stories that can be scaled up for greater impact.

This year the FANRPAN Board Chairman, Hon. Sindiso Ngwenya (COMESA Secretary-General) will present the FANRPAN awards for media, civil society policy movers and shakers and for food security policy leadership at the Swaziland dialogue.