FAO have been supporting rural youth activities and programmes for some time. FAO Rural Youth Development provides more details. A wealth of practical experience has accumulated over the past 100 years related to working with rural young people through education and training. FAO itself has been a part of this effort for at least the past four decades. Today, youth development, with its strong research/knowledge base, and adequate policy and resource support, can become a powerful force in empowering large numbers of rural young people in developing countries to take an active role in sustainable agriculture and rural development as a major contributor to the overall progress in their respective countries. The mission of FAO's rural youth development work is to strengthen and expand young people's capacities, knowledge and skills through education and training to enable them to become productive and contributing citizens of their local communities.
Friday 11 April 2008
FAO and rural youth development
FAO have been supporting rural youth activities and programmes for some time. FAO Rural Youth Development provides more details. A wealth of practical experience has accumulated over the past 100 years related to working with rural young people through education and training. FAO itself has been a part of this effort for at least the past four decades. Today, youth development, with its strong research/knowledge base, and adequate policy and resource support, can become a powerful force in empowering large numbers of rural young people in developing countries to take an active role in sustainable agriculture and rural development as a major contributor to the overall progress in their respective countries. The mission of FAO's rural youth development work is to strengthen and expand young people's capacities, knowledge and skills through education and training to enable them to become productive and contributing citizens of their local communities.
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Malcolm Hazelman responded with an update on some work FAO have been involved with in the Pacific Region below:
In Asia-Pacific region my work has focused on the following areas:
- Advocacy especially regards the role of youth, especially rural youth, in food security and sustainable development
- Rural youth employment
- Youth information and communication
Advocacy has included presentations at international, regional and national meetings, holding national rural youth meetings, and undertaking case studies on "innovative and best practices for education and training for rural youth" as a means for advocacy but also for sharing information, strategies and technologies. Most recent case studies have been on rural youth employment in four Asian countries in collaboration with the Bangkok offices of ILO and UNESCO. A synthesis report will be prepared and a meeting held in late 2008 to share and to plan follow up.
In Thailand we had collaborations with the Thammasart University NGO called "Thai RuralNet" to undertake advocacy and to provide training for Thai 4-H Clubs relating to IT and it included a "Youth Market Place" in Bangkok.
We have also sponsored National Rural Youth Meetings in Indonesia, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Thailand and linked with the UN Youth Programme in New York with regional meetings focused on youth concerns.
I used to have an "e-newsletter" but have discontinued that when feedback was not forthcoming from Asian contacts.
You may also be aware that FAO via the SAPA Office in Apia had implemented two Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) projects in Tonga and Samoa and just recently in Cook Island as well. These projects were agri-business in focus but also included advocacy with schools and rural youth regards careers and opportunities in agriculture and rural development. Rural Youth Strategy documents were also developed for guiding long term sustainability of the rural youth efforts. I had involvement in these projects with Heiko Bammann as lead officer for SAPA.
Hope these brief comments are found useful. Should you require copies of reports etc, do let me know.
I look forward to collaborating with SPC and Pacific partners especially regards rural youth concerns that you will be advocating.
Best regards,
Malcolm Hazelman
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