(re-) connecting the african youth with viable agri …re-) connecting the african youth with viable...

(Re-) Connecting the African Youth with viable Agri-business

A case study about the involvement of youth in agribusiness in and around woreda Wukro Kilte

Awlaelo (Tigray Region, Ethiopia)

Made by: Sjors Bijen (MSc graduated (WUR))

Grmay Tsehaye (VHL student) Asmeret Kidane (Research assistant)

G/Kidan G/Tsadkan (Research assistant)

Research done: 22th July – 15th August 2014

Problem statement of the research

Breakthrough on the topic "(Re-) Connecting the African Youth with viable agri-business" during an international expert meeting in Kampala-Uganda (October 2012) Critical conclusions were made: • The youth in Africa is no more interested to venture into farming business. • Agriculture is viewed as the last resort when all other means are dead;

since agriculture is often regarded as "poor-man's” work! As a result, creativity and innovations in the agricultural sector seem to be

hardly possible, which influences the policies in current development programs and policy frameworks.

Problem statement of the research

The low impact of national policies on involving youth in agricultural business: • Rural youth are not included in a common strategy • Youth are not participating in making the policies • Negative framings

The impact of policies (in terms of strategies) of other actors (NGOs, private actors (business people and MFIs) on involving youth in agricultural business • Is not clear

Goal and research question of the research

Goal: “To capture the views and aspirations of the youth towards farming

and life in rural and urban areas in order to know how youth

can be involved in agricultural business.”

Research question: “How can youth be stimulated to do farming as a business?”

Central issues in this research are:

• The supports/strategies of education to involve youth in agribusiness!

• Supports/strategies of relevant involved actors who can support youth to become involved in agribusiness

Using woreda Wukro Kilte Awlaelo as a case

Key research questions

1. What is the perception of youth (students and graduates) in working in agricultural business?

2. How does education support youth to involve them in agribusiness? 3. Who are the important actors that influence youth’s engagement in

productive agricultural business? 4. What kind of support do the important actors provide to involve youth in

agricultural business? (strategies) 5. Which agricultural sectors are at this moment comfortable (profitable)

for youth to become involved in? 6. What are the challenges to involve youth in agricultural business? 7. What is needed to trigger more youth to work in agricultural businesses?

(related question: What is needed to become a successful business man?)

Research area

In and around woreda WUKRO KILTE AWLAELO

Research methodology: Data collection

Interviewed youth: 16 students and 13 graduates of different educational levels: High

school, (A)TVET and universities.

Interviewed key persons: GOs (also federal level), NGOs, MFIs, research and

knowledge institutes and (public-) private business

Organized 2 FGDs with youth: 1 female and 1 male FGD

Organized a validation workshop in Wukro

Reviewing relevant literatures: Like GTP documents

Research methodology: Data analysis & End product

Qualitative data analysis: (1) Perceptions of youth about getting involved in agribusiness (2) Support/strategies of different actors to involve youth in agribusiness (3) Challenges and opportunities for youth to become involved in

agribusiness Output: A recommendation paper about improving the actual economic development programs and policy frameworks regarding engaging youth in productive agricultural business, which can be used for further actions

Main findings are…

1. On perception of youths

2. On influence of education, and challenges

3. On the potential viable agricultural sectors for youth

4. From education to agribusiness, challenges

5. On migration

6. On actors involving youth in agribusiness, and their support

Main findings-1

Perceptions of youth about getting involved in agribusiness

High school students still studying: Little perception/little awareness Looking for the most profitable jobs

(A)TVET/University students still studying: perception is good

Graduates directly after studying, if they get work: perception is very good Most of them would like to involve in GOs and NGOs!

Graduates directly after studying, if they don’t get work: perception is not good

Looking for the most profitable jobs often involved in non-farm activities

Graduates after a few years of work: perception is not good Don’t want to work anymore in agricultural business; look for profitable jobs often

involved in non-farm activities

Main findings-1

Perceptions of youth about getting involved in agribusiness

Important note:

Lack of awareness of youth about the

government policy (Agriculture vs. Technology)

This influences the perception of youth

regarding into which sector the youth involve in

Main findings-2- Education

Knowledge and skills about agribusiness is very important

The more knowledge about agribusiness, the more willingness to involve in

agribusiness AND more able to solve the challenges regarding to

agribusinesses

Most of the students and graduates interviewed didn’t do agricultural

studies!

Due to the policy some youth can’t be involved in their desirable jobs;

students are ‘pushed’ to do certain studies, especially technology, based on

the score of the national examination. (The pyramid model)

Actual policy strategy: 70% involvement in technology, 30%

involvement in other different sectors (in universities)

Main findings-2: Education

Main challenges observed in education: 1. Too little focus on agricultural activities/business at

different levels of education, from elementary school up to higher education (universities)

2. Too little practical training field trips are not often organized due to lack of

per diem (investment of 18 birr per student) lack of demonstration sites 3. Internships/Apprenticeships are not common 4. Lack of important educational materials and

technologies, like PCs, software, etc.

Main findings-3 : Potential viable agricultural sectors for youth

(1) Beekeeping: easily handeling, (local) input materials available, only small amount of land is necessary and there is a good (local and international) end market

(2) Livestock (especially fattening): easily handeling, small amount of land is necessary compared to other sectors, and market is quite good (local)

Note: In a short period of time, only 3 months, you can make profit! Poultry is less profitable/comfortable due to the occurence of

diseases/pests and the management (lack of skills and knowledge) Dairy is less profitable/comfortable due to the need of high initial

capital, the management (lack of skills and knowledge) and the occurence of pest/diseases, like calcium shortage

(3) Vegetables /Cereals/Fruits): need for a lot of land, good irrigation and input materials, including technologies

Main findings -4: From education to agribusiness

Most of the students and graduates would like

to work for GOs and NGOs for a few years to

earn money which they would like to use to

start their own private business

(non agricultural)

Main findings-4: From education to agribusiness

Main challenges for youth to involve in agribusiness are: • Negative perception about involving in agribusiness of youth, parents and

others • Lack of basic farming skills and knowledge • Lack of initial capital to start a business • Negative perception of some youth to take credit: “Risky” and “Affraid” • Credit system is not good (perception of the people)

1. Too little amount of money 2. Interest rate is too high 3. It takes too long time to get credit (bureaucracy)

• Lack of access to land • Lack of sufficient access to farm inputs and technologies • Little risk insurances (organizations start introducing insurances) • Environmental conditions: drought, seasonal (erratic) rainfall and

pests/diseases • Youth lack knowledge about actors involving and supporting youth in

agribusiness

Main findings-5: Migration problem

Most common migration patterns of youth are: rural-urban, urban-rural, rural-abroad, urban-abroad, (rural-rural, urban-urban) Reasons for migration of youth (rural – urban, rural – abroad, urban – abroad) are: • Absence of desirable job opportunities in rural areas • To get/earn money in a short period of time; misperception of youth • Absence of agricultural industries/companies • General dislike of the village life • Poor physical infrastructures • Access to education; not all types of educational levels are available in the

rural areas

Main findings-6: Actors involving youth in agribusiness, and their support

Governmental organizations: Youth office: Organize youth in groups and provide different services to these groups by collaborating with different other responsible organizations Women affairs office: Organize women in groups and provide different services to these groups by collaborating with different other responsible organizations Bureau of education: Provide different kinds of support (formal trainings) up to grade 10/12 SME office: Provide services to business men, mainly the ones who are living in the cities: 65% non-farm businesses, 35% on-farm businesses Rural development and agricultural office/Woreda, DAs and tabia representatives: Provide land, training, input materials and technical supports to people in the rural areas

Main findings-6: Actors involving youth in agribusiness, and their support

Other actors: Schools (Universities, High schools, ATVET, Colleges): Provide the necessary skills and knowledge about different kinds of business (sectors) to youth TARI: Provide training and new technologies and varieties/breeds to different Actors NGOs (like REST, Kidst Mariam, World Vision, etc.): Provide trainings, input materials, technical services, funds, etc. etc.. MFI (Dedebit): Provide loan in cash and in kind; individually and in groups (Public-) private actors, like business people: Provide some technical trainings (experience sharing) and input materials, like chicken and cattle In kind services constructions: E.g. Collaboration between business people and REST/Dedebit REST provides input material to the youth in kind

Results

Agricultural business is at this moment not attractive!

• There is a perception problem of youth (and others) regarding involvement in agribusiness. Including lack of awareness about the policy: Agriculture vs. Technology.

• There is problem with education: Not enough agricultural skills, especially practical, and knowledge is taught to the youth this results in little awareness in the communities about the importance of agribusiness

Results

• Policy problem regarding to involve youth in agribusiness. negative influence of national exam scores on the involvement of youth in desirable jobs

• Little impact of policy regarding involving youth in agribusiness due to: – A lot of actors are trying to involve youth in agribusiness

using their own mandates, own strategies, packages, policies, etc.

– Collaboration and communication between the different actors is not good

– Bureaucracy problems: E.g. the process of taking credit to start a business is long due to the involvement of many actors in this process

MAIN RECOMMENDATION

A new common strategy is needed to solve the big problem of low youth involvement in agribusiness.

Strategy “Youth involvement in agribusiness”

With the slogan:

“PROUD TO BE A FARMER” (For advertising the strategy to the people!)

Youth involvement in agribusiness strategy, Proud to be a farmer:

The strategy has two components: MODELLING/AWARENESS CREATION “changing minds of youth, parents and other people” • Using tangible examples (education, model farmers) for youth to create an image

of their future employment in agribusiness • It is also about solving other related (indirectly) problems like unemployment and

migration of youth POLICY DIALOGUE • Need for specific roles and responsibilities per organization/actor

• Good collaboration and communication (formal) between the different

organizations: – This will result in little bureaucracy and cost reduction/sharing – It will be more attractive for youth to go to the organizations asking for

help/advice (suggestion: introduce the 1 window method)

Youth involvement in agribusiness strategy, specific roles per actor

There are 7 different types of actor, a until g: a. Micro and Small Enterprise (MSE) office: • Should play a coordinating role in involving youth in agribusiness • Need for a structural change at the MSE office: A MSE representative

should be present in the rural areas. This will result in more focus on youth in rural areas • Combining/Connecting on-farm activities (agriculture) and non-farm

activities (technology) regarding to the policy; technology as part of agriculture.

b. Youth office/Women affairs office: • Should play a strategic role in involving youth in agribusiness • Should improve awareness creation regarding to making agribusiness

more attractive, especially to youth (special focus to women)


c. Bureau of education: • Should provide support up to all educational levels, from elementary

school up to higher education instead of only up to grade 10/12 • Should improve the educational curriculum; agricultural courses/trainings

should be given at different educational levels • Should play a bigger role in creating awareness to youth to become

involved in agribusinesses by organizing trainings for the youth d. Schools (Universities/High schools/ATVET): • Should improve awareness creation to make agribusiness more attractive

to their students and graduates AND their parents/relatives – More agricultural courses should be provided to the students at all

different levels of education – More focus on practical education, like field trips and cooperative

trainings – Introducing internships/apprenticeships


e. Rural development and agricultural office/woreda, DAs and tabia representatives: • Improve awareness creation, specially in the rural areas, to involve youth

in agribusiness (on-farm activities), by providing more trainings. • Improve organizing youth in GROUPS more groups should be created • Improve the provision of technical trainings and disseminate input

materials and technologies to the beneficiaries. f. TARI: • Improving collaboration with youth groups:

– Doing more research together with youth – Providing more trainings to youth; experience sharing – Providing new (potential) technologies, input materials

(breeds/varieties) to youth groups


g. MFIs (like Dedebit): • Providing credit in an attractive way, like providing a

special type of credit for youth; individually and in groups! – Searching for possibilites: providing ‘in kind’ services,

making the credit interest lower, providing enough amount of credit and making the process of taking credit less bureaucratic (together with other organizations!)

• Awareness creation to youth to make taking credit more attractive by organzing trainings for youth

• Providing trainings about how to save money


h. (Public-) private actors, like business people: • Should provide technical trainings and share experience

regarding to their business • Should organize fieldtrips, together with schools, to support

students’ practical experience • Should be willing to create internship possibilities for

students, to provide students more work experience


i. NGOs: (REST, World Vision, Kidist Maryiam, UNICEF, GIZ, etc.) Important note: NGOs are not the most sustainable actors; project based activities. • NGOs should be managable for the MSE office and should work regarding

the common strategy doing their expected activities

• NGOs should do activities based on the demand of the MSE office regarding improving involvement of youth in agribusiness

• MoU should be made between NGOs and MSE office on shared

commitments for youth and agriculture • NGO roles: Improve provision of input materials (technologies, new

breeds/variaties), funds for several activities (involvement of youth in education), etc. etc..

Thank you!!!

Discussion questions

What are your additional experiences regarding challenges and opportunitis for youth involvement in agribusiness?

What can be done to improve youth involvement in agribusiness in awareness creation and strategies? (Follow up!)

(re-) connecting the african youth with viable agri …re-) connecting the african youth with viable...

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