Agriculture is the backbone of the Nepals’ economy.  About 60.4% of the total population of Nepal is dependent on agriculture contributing to 31.7% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, the agricultural sector is affected by various factors of low productivity, climate change, and lack of inputs and mechanization.  In the current situational crisis of worldwide lockdown due to COVID-19, Nepal government... Continue reading

Young people have the energy, enthusiasm, and perspective to work and achieve something good and sustainable in the field of rural development. In general in developing countries, rural youth after completing their education do not return to their homes to make an effective contribution to the development of rural areas, and communities where they live, but in most cases, they migrate... Continue reading

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) the global pandemic which officially started last year in China Wuhan, although they have been a lot of scandals regarding the pandemics and its origin, that is not the focus of this write-up. According to WHO ‘’ Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans.  In humans, several coronaviruses are known to... Continue reading

We are delighted to welcome the new YPARD Peru country representative, Marcelita Ponce de León. Marcelita is a graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Agronomic Engineering from the National Agrarian University La Molina. She began her professional career as an intern in government programs. This allowed her to have contact with different rural communities from cultures that promoted ancestral knowledge for the... Continue reading

Although they have been working towards sustainability before it was trending, waste pickers remain some of the most widely excluded people on the planet.  The result of decades of marginalising by societies is revealed very plainly during this global pandemic. But before talking about COVID-19, let’s talk about them. Who are waste pickers? Waste pickers are informal workers who base their... Continue reading

What are the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the world’s food system? This question sets the backdrop of a recent chat with EdenWorld (EW) and Dr. Yemi Adeyeye, the YPARD Director, on the theme – roles of young professionals in achieving sustainable agri-food system in a Post COVID-19 world. EW: What makes an agri-food system sustainable?  Yemi: In simple terms,... Continue reading

Despite being one of the biggest food producers in the world, Brazil is a country with major social inequalities, political instability and a large food-insecure population. Within this context, many are the challenges and complex issues posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In terms of food chains and urban agriculture, as we know, “the bigger the food chain the bigger the risk”,... Continue reading

How do you differentiate a movement from a community? How are

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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,... Continue reading

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... Continue reading

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... Continue reading

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 -... Continue reading

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... Continue reading

“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”... Continue reading

“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... Continue reading

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... Continue reading

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... Continue reading

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... Continue reading

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... Continue reading

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... Continue reading