Pacific Youth in Agriculture Strategy published

In the Pacific, as elsewhere, young people struggle to find formal employment when they leave the education system. Farming has all too often been regarded as a fall-back option – something to do if you don’t find anything else. In 2008, Pacific Ministers of Agriculture asked the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and its partners to explore what might be done to improve the attractiveness of farming as a career for Pacific Youth. As a first step, the Pacific Agriculture and Forestry Policy Network (PAFPNet), hosted by SPC’s Land Resources Division, in partnership with the Human Development Programme of SPC undertook a survey in November 2009 of young people in Fiji, Tonga and Kiribati to explore issues central to their participation in farming and what needed to be done to encourage, support and empower young people to realise the full potential of a career in farming. This blog has been an important resource for guiding the development of that strategy which we are happy to say has now been approved and endorsed by the Heads of Agriculture and Forestry Services (HOAFS) and Ministers of Youth in September 2010 and which it is hoped will provide a road map for countries of the Pacific to encourage better partnerships, policies and programme to support the active engagement of youth in farming across the region as well as the nurturing of young agricultural entrepreneurs. Well done all.

Copies of the Pacific Youth in Agriculture Strategy 2011 – 2015 can be obtained from Ms Miriama Kunawave Brown, PAFPNet Coordinator at SPC (miriamak@spc.int) and is available to download here.

Developing a strategy to promote agriculture among young people

All organisations working with youth in the Pacific realise the challenges involved in youth finding productive and satisfying employment. The Land Resources Division (LRD) of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) has long recognised the particular challenges facing Pacific youth in rural areas and the lack of substantial opportunities which has contributed to the drift of youth to urban centres resulting in shortages of labour in the rural areas and increased social problems in urban centres. Recognition of these problems and challenges most recently prompted the Heads of Agriculture and Forestry (HOAFs) for the Pacific region to endorse and recommend that LRD, as the lead regional agency with a mandate for agriculture, to:

Develop, with relevant partners, a strategy to promote agriculture among young people.

To meet this challenge LRD, and partners, have developed a terms of reference to guide the development of a strategy to address this recommendation. This Weblog has been designed as a support tool when designing this strategy.

The development of the terms of reference and weblog for the strategy commenced with the recent Regional Youth Stakeholders meeting held at SPC, Noumea in March 2008. This gathering further endorsed LRD's plan to develop the strategy.
This Weblog has been initiated to facilitate working with the many stakeholders involved in youth development and to promote the sharing and exchanging of information which will be important to the development of a strategy. The Weblog will hopefully act as a repository of information relevant to the development of the strategy and will facilitate ease of access to sources of information for those involved in its development.

The Weblog contains substantial background information on various Pacific Youth Organisations and relevant Regional Organisations and Agencies which need to be consulted and involved in the development of the strategy. The need for special consideration of Francophone Youth Associations and Micronesian Youth Associations is addressed.

Nine key areas, which are by no means exhaustive or prescriptive, are suggested for exploration as a way of improving youth involvement in agriculture. These are:

1. Youth Mainstreaming
2. Youth Coordination and Partnership
3. Youth Participation
4. Youth Education and Learning
5. Youth Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
6. Youth Peer Organisations
7. Youth Oriented Agricultural Extension
8. Youth and ICTs
9. Youth Showcase

If LRD is to address the issue of promoting agriculture among young people it must work in partnership with the SPC Human Development Programme (HDP) and other relevant regional youth organisations and bodies. In particular, the Pacific Youth Council (PYC) will be an important strategic partner for LRD. It must also be guided by already existing regional frameworks such as the Pacific Youth Strategy 2010 (PYS2010), the Pacific Youth Charter and the Pacific Plan.

Finally, there is an Additional Resources section which contains links to other resources that might be useful in the development of the strategy.

The aim of this Weblog is to encourage comment and the addition of other useful sources of information. Please feel free to do both. This way the pool of information and knowledge will be dynamic, always growing.

For detailed information, or copies of the strategy Terms of Reference please contact Stephen Hazelman (stephenh@spc.int) or Rose Maebiru (rosem@spc.int).

Guides to Youth Employment

Improving Prospects for Young Women and Men in the World of Work is an ILO publication that provides a Guide to Youth Employment.

ILO have also published Youth Unemployment and Employment Policy: A Global Perspective which is also available online.

Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement

The Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement has many useful tools and resources online which can be searched alphabetically. Here is the result for youth participation. The site is also available in French.

Pacific Youth Mapping Exercise

Youth programmes across the Pacific are currently being mapped, for the first time, to create a picture of exactly what work is being done in the region with young people. SPC member Governments, development partners, civil society organisations, youth groups and regional organisations such as SPC and United Nations bodies have all be surveyed on what they are doing for young people.

For more information contact Rose Maebiru, SPC Human Development Adviser (Youth)

Rural Youth Livelihoods

Rural Youth Livelihoods, a DFID funded programme, has a useful set of international and Africa resources available online that might be useful in developing youth and agriculture strategies. It also has links to other youth networks and organisations.

UN youth resources online

A one-stop shop for youth-related documents from the library of the UN. Read here.

PIANGO

The Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (PIANGO) is a regional network of NGO focal points or coordinating bodies representing 22 Pacific Island countries and territories. PIANGO was formally established in 1991 to assist NGOs in the Pacific to initiate action, give voice to their concerns and work collaboratively with other development actors for just and sustainable human development. PIANGO's primary role is to be a catalyst for collective action, to facilitate and support coalitions and alliances on issues of common concern, and to strengthen the influence and impact of NGO efforts in the region.

PIANGO represent a number of national bodies involved in youth work and could be a strategic partner in developing and implementing a youth and agriculture strategy.

Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP)

The Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP), composed of the heads of the Pacific Island intergovernmental organisations and permanently chaired by the Forum Secretariat, discusses and coordinates the work-programmes and policies of the different regional agencies to avoid either duplication or gaps in the provision of services to member countries.

A number of these organisations are involved in youth development work.

South Pacific Regional Youth Caucus

The Commonwealth Youth Programme's South Pacific Regional Youth Caucus (RYC) advocate for action on youth issues at a national and regional level. They also work to have youth voices included in decision-making processes at national, regional and international levels. Over the next two years CYP South Pacific's RYC will work together to convince other leaders that they need to address issues such as unemployment, HIV and AIDS, other sexual health issues, education, health, urban drift and youth participation in decision-making in the Pacific region – and give young people a part to play overcoming those issues. CYP South Pacific's Regional Youth Caucus is also next in line to lead the Pan-Commonwealth Youth Caucus for the next four years.

Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society

The Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society (PICISOC) are dedicated to exploring how ICTs can be used to further livelihoods and sustainable development for Pacific Islanders. They host a couple of special interest groups including one supporting ICTs for women including youth. PICISOC is currently assisting the region to explore ways to implement the Pacific Regional Digital Strategy.

They are a useful contact for exploring youth and ICTs. For further information contact Anju Mangal (anjum@spc.int).

Piu Youth Group Masoa project in Samoa

The Piu Youth Group Masoa project in Samoa is designed to increase youth-related ICT activities as a way of supporting livelihoods ad income-generating opportunities as well as encouraging enterprise and entrepreneurship. It is intended to extend the project to include other youth groups and products in Samoa and other Pacific Island countries.

To read more about the Piu Youth Group project go to page 33 of the UNESCO Sustainable Island Living publication.

The E-Chutney project in Fiji

The E-Chutney project was a pilot scheme launched in May 2004 by the Fiji government's Information Technology & Communications (ITC) Department as part of a larger e-government programme to open telecentres to promote rural economic development. It is designed to empower women in Navua, a small agricultural centre in Fiji, who have for years made a few extra dollars on the weekends producing and selling tamarind chutney on the local market. By enabling these women to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to reach customers in the country's largest market (the capital, Suva), this initiative aims to increase their income - and their self-esteem.

How is this initiative coming along? Has Fiji's government been able to expand the number of telecentres? How have youth participated and benefited?

The PRIDE Poject

The PRIDE project, based at the University of the South Pacific, seeks to enhance student learning in fifteen Pacific countries by strengthening the capacity of each Ministry of Education (or equivalent) to plan and deliver quality basic education. The PRIDE Project defines basic education as all education provisions for children and youth except higher education. It includes early childhood, elementary, primary and secondary education, together with Technical & Vocational Education & Training (TVET), and covers both the formal and non-formal sectors.

In 2006 the PRIDE projet was instrumental in the regional workshop “The Role of TVET in Pacific Secondary Schools: New Visions; New Pathways” which took place in Koror. Part of the process required reflecting on global development in vocational education and examining the implications for the Pacific. The notion of integrating the best of the contemporary global with the best of the local was embedded at the heart of the workshop. The workshop was funded by the PRIDE Project in collaboration with UNESCO-UNEVOC (International Centre for Technica Education and Training) and PATVET. It would be interesting to know how far things have come since this meeting. Anyone know?

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.

Youth Exhibitions

Some agricultural shows reserve places and sessions to showcase youth achievement and enterprise. Here is an example of a show that allows Youth Exhibitors to showcase and apply what they’ve learned in school and beyond. Horticulture exhibitors are given the opportunity to create their dream landscape (see photo). Poultry and Rabbit exhibitors can showcase their breeds qualities and strengths in our showmanship class. Market Steer, Swine and Lamb exhibitors show their best work on how to properly groom an animal in our fitting and grooming competition.
Each exhibitor is then given the opportunity to share their knowledge with fairgoers by participating in the Ask Me Talks, where fairgoers are given the chance to ask the questions they’ve always wanted to ask, such as maintenance, or how the animal is groomed to how much that 1,200 pound steer may eat in any given day!

FAO and rural youth organisations

FAO have long been involved in facilitating youth group organisations. Here are some shared experiences in the publication Improving Youth Organisations in Asia. No doubt it contains many relevant lessons for initiating similar groups in the Pacific.

For further information contact Dr Malcolm Hazelman at FAO (malcolm.hazelman@fao.org)

Foreaitch (4H)!

4H (Head, Heart, Hands and Health) although seen as a US initiative does have clubs in the Philippines and Thailand and possibly others. The organization serves over 6.5 million members from ages 5 to 19 in approximately 90,000 clubs. The goal of 4-H is to develop citizenship, leadership, and life skills of youth through mostly experiential learning programs. Though typically thought of as an agriculturally focused organization as a result of its history, 4-H today encourages members to learn about many topics, such as youth leadership, youth-adult partnership, and communication skills.

Any such groups in the Pacific, the northern Pacific possibly?

Women in Business Development, Samoa

Women in Business Development in Samoa are really forging ahead in developing microenterprises that help support livelihoods for rural women, including youth. How can this substantial experience be used to mentor and strengthen youth livelihoods?

Read here just one example of their enterprise when it comes to fairtraded coconut oil.

Replicating success

The philosophy behind Success Case Replication is that among the rural poor are farmers and groups that have achieved a remarkable level of success at their occupations, whether in agriculture, animal husbandry, micro-enterprises or management of participatory groups or cooperatives. In achieving such success, they have gained valuable experience overcoming varied constraints. In a manner of speaking, they have become experts in their chosen field. These successful people have much to teach their peers and, because they are fully familiar with local language, customs and markets, they can become effective instructors.

An enterprise and training tool all in one that could be easily adapted for youth!