PLATFORM | 15. JUNE 2022 | HYBRID EVENT, IFAD HEADQUARTERS, ROME, ITALY
Keynote Speaker
Lauren Phillips
Deputy Director, Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Panelists
CEO, Young Farmers Champions Network (YOFCHAN), Uganda
Founder and CEO, JR Farms Limited, Rwanda
Head of the Rural Training and Agricultural Extension Department, Directorate for Support to Producers’ Organisation and Agribusiness, Madagascar
Policy Officer, Rural Development Division, African Union´s Commission Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Development (AUC-DARBE)
Lead Consultant, Coalition of Action on Decent Work and Living Incomes and Wages for All Food Systems Workers (DWLIW), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Rural Economy Specialist, International Labour Organization (ILO)
Moderator
Henry Bonsu
Journalist and Broadcaster
Session 4 – Rural Youth Employment and Food Systems Transformation – Solutions in times of (multiple) crisis!
Background
Rural youth need more and better jobs in sustainable agri-food systems and green economies. Creating decent employment and income opportunities is essential to reduce poverty, improve food security and provide a future for young people in rural areas. The Global Donor Platform for Rural Development (GDPRD) Thematic Working Group (TWG) on Rural Youth Employment (RYE) was initially formed following the 2018 AGA that focused on rural youth. It is a donor
catalysed TWG to advise donors, governments and civil society organisations on the most effective ways to create employment opportunities and to support the empowerment of youth to productively contribute to and benefit from sustainable rural livelihoods.
Objective
The session follows the AGA theme by looking at the implications of crisis and conflict on a sustainable and more just transformation of food systems, including approaches for creating employment opportunities for rural youth in agri-food systems within the broader food systems approach. It was enriched by a panel discussion including practical experiences from government, development partners and youth perspectives providing insight into their specific challenges as well as good practice examples. The discussion focused on how to achieve a youth inclusive food systems transformation. It also provided insight into the role of different stakeholders and successful project implementation.
