30 youths from over 15 countries gathered to proffer youthful solutions to global agriculture challenges at the Tropentag 2019.


The 21st edition of the largest gathering on tropical and subtropical agriculture, Tropentag, kick-started today with a pre-conference workshop titled “Supporting youth in agriculture and research: Role of youth-based organisations”. This session was facilitated by two #YouthinAg centred organisation; YPARD and Agrinatura. With global youth membership over 16,000 and support from FAO and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, YPARD has been providing #YouthinAg support and mentorship for the past 11 years. The Agrinatura also plays the same role with the support received from major European research and education stakeholders. If you would agree with me, the session was facilitated by competent hands.

Each organisation was able to share its work and available opportunities with the over 30 participants that cut across 5 continents. Interestingly, the session was not a monologue, as participants had the opportunity of contributing to the title via a group break-out session. The diversity of the participants allowed the contribution of national perspectives on the challenges and solutions to youth involvement in agriculture. In spite of the group diversity, participants unanimously agreed on challenges limiting youth participation in agriculture. Challenges enumerated included migration (including rural-urban drift and overseas migration), poor technology adoption, poor government support/funding, the unattractiveness of agriculture as a profession, poor infrastructural facilities and corruption - especially among developing nations.

As much as challenges were collectively identified, the top of the agenda of the session was drawing-up workable solutions. Participants acknowledged that youths need to be equipped with practical-oriented training opportunities, as 21’st century agriculture is both knowledge-driven and not hoe-driven. Government and both international and national non-governmental organisations would also need to invest in infrastructures, as well as in technology and digitalization of agriculture across the value chain, this would make agriculture “cool” for the teeming global youth population. On their part, both facilitators pledged to continue to provide mentorship, workshops, excursion and summer internships for interested #YouthinAg. The need to bridge the gap between research outputs and adoption through extension services and conferences like the #Tropentag2019 was equally identified as a veritable solution. Additionally, the provision of market and market opportunities for youth involved in Agribusiness is equally seen as important.
The session ended with the compilation of all challenges and recommendations into a policy manual to be adopted by both facilitators and shared widely amidst the agricultural community. Mr Pius Hiwe, YPARD Global communications officer, was elated at the response of participants and had this to say about #Tropentag2019, “#Tropentag2019 helps to facilitate a common ground between the academic world and agricultural practice, it provides a veritable opportunity to share realities, challenges and agricultural success stories”. The determination and excitement on the face of participating youths was contagious, they were resolute in their conclusion, youths can feed the world and indeed fill identified “traps” and “gaps” in agriculture, if their recommendations are adopted. If you are a youth and not in #Tropentag2019, the question to ask is, are you missing out?