Snapshot - Budding Talents

Nicaragua's PRODESEC project puts area youth in the drivers' seat

Entrepreneurs beyond borders #gyin

On Wednesday 12 October, some of the participants of the Youth Conference - Agents of Change visited the pineapple agro-processing facilities of Dieu Donne Alladjodjo, located about 60 kilometres north of Cotonou. We had a rather eventful trip, as half-way to our destination, our convey had an accident.

Thank God, no one was seriously injured. We duly followed all UN security procedures, informed both IFAD and UN security officers. With their respective blessings - and as they say in this part of the world - all protocols observed -  we continued our trip to the world of pineapple processing!

Benin goes proud of its pineapples, as they are  deemed one of the best in the world. In 1998, the annual production was approximately 100 million tonnes. However, the planters were unable to exploit this gold mine because they did not have access to regional and international markets, nor in a position to improve the quality of their products.
This is why a decade or so ago, the pineapple planters got together to explore how they could exploit this great asset and increase their income, improve their livelihoods and provide a better life for their families and communities. As a result, they embarked on a successful processing journey.

Alladjodjo entered into processing business when was 19 years old.  Today he runs a successful business which gives employment to 307 people of which 80% are women and has a total annual income of CFA200 million. The plant is equipped with the “en norme” equipment meeting international standards, and has the capacity to process up to 80 tonnes of pineapple a day.

“We buy traditional and organic pineapples from individual farmers, farmer associations and cooperatives operating in Mono, Zou, Ouémé and Atlantique region”, explainedAlladjodjo. “When we embarked on this journey we realized that while the pineapple industry was a gold mine, however, we were faced with the challenge of having access to good inputs, thus being able to produce good quality final product.”

That is how they engaged with the IFAD-funded Rural Economic Growth Support Project which helped them get access to good inputs such as fertilizer and built their capacity to develop rural agro-based micro and small enterprises.

Today, Alladjodjo sells canned pineapple juice wholesale at local, national and regional level. "I sell 3000 boxes of pineapple juice for a total of CFA15,000,000", explains Alladjodjo,



This young man’s story inspired and flared the entrepreneur spirit of the young Africans, Latin Americans, Egyptian, Syrian and Yemeni participants in the group who saw Alladjodjo experience as  great import-export opportunity. It was amazing to see how business cards were exchanged and hear the questions and clarifications about import-export legal framework.

Ebtesam saw a new business opportunity for her grocery store and  Mohamed, our fashion designer, seriously started considering entering into pineapple import-export business.

What we witnessed on this hot and humid day in Allada was visionary entrepreneurs connecting with and learning from each other.  Definitely, this field trip is the beginning of many future global business opportunities.


Let’s hope next time you are in Yemen or Syria you'll be able to drink Alladjodjo’s pineapple juice and that let's hope that Alladjodjo's achievements inspire many more young entrepreneurs and help improve many more lives.

Ça c’est l’Afrique: The backstory #gyin

Young entrepreneurs from around the world have gathered in Cotonou, Benin to share knowledge and learn from each other’s experiences for a four-day event titled “Youth Entrepreneurs – Agents of Change.


Yesterday Canal 3, a private TV in Benin approached us and asked to interview Mohamed Beavougi, the director of West and Central Africa. We agreed to meet at the TV station at 7pm and to go on air live at 7:30pm.

We got there on time, met the journalist, got settled in the studio, did a test run and were all set to go. And three minutes before going on air, something does not work and a piece of equipment breaks!

The technician starts running around, goes out, comes back with some cables. It is now 7:29.... and the technician is still running around. What was most incredible is that no one panicked. It is now 7:32 and the journalist is casually chit chatting with Mohamed and says: “We have a technical problem, I am afraid we cannot go on air until we resolve the problem.”

I leave the studio and go to the adjacent room, where I find the technician literary inside the equipment. The room is dark, and I see the technicians using their cellphones as flash lights. I stood there in awe, looking at how these gentlemen solved the problem and fixed the broken equipment.

Twenty-three minutes later, we managed to go on air live. When the technician came back in the studio, he looked at us and said: “Ça c’est l’Afrique”.

I challenge all the high-tech and well-equipped TV studios around the world to solve the technical problems the way their African colleagues did!

And here is Mohamed’s interview.

P.S. Wonder what CNN's Michael Holmes has to say about this BackStory :)

Meet Ebtesam Abdullah Saad - a young Yemeni lady and an agent of change #gyin

Ebtesam Abdullah Saad, is 22 years old. She lives in Tihamah, 100 kilometres away from San’a in Yemen.

She has travelled to Cotonou in Benin to take part at the Youth conference - Agents of change to share her experience and to learn what other young people in different countries are doing and how they are overcoming their challenges and working to reach their aspirations.

She is an amazing young woman. Saad not only is a farmer, but also runs a successful grocery shop, is the chairperson of the savings groups, runs literacy and family planning classes for her community.

“I go proud of my various activities. I have a grocery store which I run together with my mother and my other siblings. I have two hectares farm land where I grow potatoes, tomatoes, sorghum and different types of vegetables”, explains Saad.

Saad’s farm land produces 15 tonnes of potatoes and 1.5 tonnes of tomatoes annually and she can count on an annual income of 600,000 Rials. Saad - a savvy farmer - knows that for her farm to have a good yield and be able to have a secure income, she needs to invest in seeds and fertilizers. “And this is precisely why I spend 60% of my income on inputs and to buy fuel for the generator which we use for irrigation”, says Saad.

Another feather in Saad’s hat is the savings group she chairs. “You know, it is impossible for women to have access to credit, so what we did, is to get organized and we set up our own savings group”, says a proud Saad.

“The group started in 2008 and today has 31 members - all women. So far we’ve given out 64 loans for a total of 845,000 Rials”.

This women’s savings group gives out loans ranging from 15,000 to 180,000 Rials and requires no guarantee or collateral. And guess what, to date, everyone has completely repaid their loans. Yet another example that women are credit worthy! One would hope that credit and financial institutions will finally open their doors to credit worthy women!

“I am looking forward to sharing my experience, challenges and aspirations with the other young people at this event these stories and show them that women can be self-sufficient and independent, that women are credit worthy, that women are as good, if not better entrepreneurs and business people”, remarks Saad.

Saad is learning English and aspires to have the local women’s savings group recognized at national level. She is a role model within her community and seeks to build the capacity of as many women as possible and empower them to take their lives in their hands.

“I hope that by the time I have my second child, at least 70% of the women in my community have an income generating activity and can stand on their feet”, says the four-month pregnant Saad.

And we can only keep our fingers crossed and wish Saad and the courageous ladies of her community the best of luck!

#gyin: Global Youth Innovation Network a platform for young women entrepreneurs to shine and advance their business

From 10-13 October 2011, IFAD together with Phelps Stokes Fund and in collaboration with the Government of Benin, Songhai Centre, Palmares Fundação cultural, Fundación Activos Culturales Afro (ACUA) and the GIVE 1 Project is holding a four-day event for young entrepreneurs - agents of change.

This morning, I met Nabiha Farrag - one of the many participants of this event. Farrang is a young Egyptian entrepreneur who runs a handicraft workshop in Asyut, south of Cairo.

"I am coming to this event to share what I am doing with a wider audience. I see this as a business opportunity to show case my products and to advance my activity", says Farrag.

Farrag started her handicraft business inspired by her father's work. After working with him for 15 years, four years ago she spread her wings and set up her own workshop. Her biggest challenge was and continues to be access to credit.

"To set up my workshop, I got an initial loan of EGP3000 and after I showed that I was credit-worthy I managed to get an extra EGP5000."

Farrang's monthly income is just enough to make ends meet. To really take the workshop  but to really take the workshop to scale, she needs approximately EGP20,000 to buy additional equipment and quality raw material.


Farrag hopes that this event will give her a platform to share her experience, to make new contacts, to show case her products, to manage to mobilize resources so that she can further advance her business.

"I will have a stand during the event and sincerely hope that when people see the workshop's products, the orders will start pouring in. One of my aspirations and goals from this event is to be able to sell my products and make enough money to buy the additional equipment I need for the workshop", explains Farrang.

Farrang although married is practically a single mother. "I am coming to this event with lots of hope. It was a great sacrifice to leave behind my four year old son. I sincerely hope that I get a lot from this event", tell me Farrang.

And we all hope that on Friday when she leaves, she leaves rich in heart, in soul, in knowledge and as they say in French rich in "sous". We should not forget that  investing in women and young girls is the pathway to stability and growth. This is why it is important to empower women, because by doing so, we make sure that the entire community thrives.

#sfrome: Partnership with young farmers to promote collective action and entrepreneurship development (38)

By Monica Romano and Zoumana Bamba

The story of a young farmer without land kicked off the discussion and experience sharing around what are the needs, expectations and challenges of rural young people and what institutions like IFAD can do to enable them become the leaders of tomorrow and build a promising future for themselves, their families and the communities they live in.

Start with nothing, but dream big. This is the story of a young entrepreneur, Leonard. Supported by the Songhai Centre after 18 months of training, Leonard rented a piece of land from the Centre and has been busy setting up a vegetable garden. Only a year after, Leonard’s life has changed. He is able to sell the harvested cabbage, carrot to the market with a support from the Songhai Centre. This was the beginning of his success. He has put some of the profit back into the business to buy a variety of seeds, thus having a vegetable of products to sell. Leonard is a shining example of the importance of persistence and commitment, in spite of initial difficulties. Leonard has become a proud young man earning an honest living from Agriculture. Another story which illustrates that agriculture can be attractive to a young generation looking for opportunities and that one can make money from it.

George Fernandez, President of the International Movement of Catholic Agricultural Rural Youth (MIJARC), stressed that agriculture is key to eradicating rural poverty and hunger, and that there is need to invest in rural youth to boost the agricultural sector, while supporting policies that can facilitate their engagement in agriculture. Over the past year, MIJARC has been implemented an IFAD-supported grant to map young farmer organizations, in collaboration with FAO. The grant aims to find out the reality of rural young people by mapping their own farmer organizations or those in which young people are represented. It also act as a platform for the rural youth express their views and explain their condition though a survey addressed specifically to them and the hosting of regional consultations in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Through these gatherings, young people are invited to share their experiences and indicate the support they need to become successful farmers and entrepreneurs.

Some of the main outcomes of the mapping exercise was presented by Charlotte Goemans (FAO), who showed that only a quarter of the surveyed farmer organizations was found to consist only of young members, whereas the majority of “mixed” organizations have nevertheless more than 50% young farmers as members. The figures increase slightly when data refer to Africa.

In reporting from the consultation that took place in Dakar at the end of August, Clemence Roger (MIJARC) meaningfully started by quoting from young people who participated in the event: “Rural youth are not aware of their rights” stated a Moroccan guy, echoed by another participant from Cote d’Ivoire, according to whom “ young people do not have enough experience in advocacy and lobbying”. The young people had a lot to say and made a number of recommendations indicating the way forward to successfully partner with them and effectively achieve objectives of rural development and rural poverty reduction. Education and capacity building programmes need to be defined together with the rural youth, and women need a special attention in order to ensure equal participation and mainstream gender considerations in selecting both themes and timing of the training. Young people also indicated that they should be involved in design and implementation of rural development policies, projects and programmes as well as to be adequately represented in farmer organizations.

A lively discussion took place after the various presentations across the session, with the facilitation of Philippe Remy, IFAD Country Programme Manager for Mali, and the moderation of Nora OurabahHaddad, Rural Employment and Institutions Officer at FAO. It was highlighted that innovation and creativity characterizing the youth should not forget about the importance of intergenerational transfer of knowledge from the more experienced farmers to today’s generation. The challenges of identifying farmer organizations that are really representing their members also apply to institutions of young people or those dealing with issues pertaining to them. It was also noted that the negative image of agriculture already starts to get built within the family, and then is consolidated at school and finally at the university. Finally, it was concluded that the approach to address youth-related issues needs to be holistic and that agriculture cannot be dealt with as a separate segment.

What do numbers tell us?

Training and skills development play a key role in many sectors but when it comes to the difference that capacity-building, agricultural education, vocational training and skills development can make in offering a route out of poverty to rural poor people the debate becomes more serious. Why? “Today, about 34 per cent of the total rural population of developing countries is classified as extremely poor…” and agricultural education is 1 of the 6 policy and institutional measures “ that governments can take to provide an enabling framework for sustainable agricultural intensification “ …… agricultural education is “fundamental to enable women, men, young people and children to develop the skills they need to take advantage of new economic opportunities (source IFAD RPR 2011)” . In this context, it is extremely important for IFAD to assess the role and scope of capacity building, training and skills development in IFAD portfolio. The 2 days international consultation "Skills development for poverty alleviation: sharing IFAD experiences in technical and vocational skills development”that took place in IFAD on 22 and 23 June was an opportunity to:

• understand the potential of training in IFAD supported projects
• discuss the results achieved in the framework of the Initiative to Mainstream Initiative (IMI - a DFID supported initiative to promote innovations
• identify successful and innovative training approaches in IFAD supported projects (six field studies conducted in on-going IFAD projects in Bangladesh, Colombia, Ghana, Madagascar, Rwanda and Sudan were presented), and
• pave the way to strengthen the impact of training on poor rural communities in order to give the rural poor the individual and collective capabilities to overcome poverty.

In terms of numbers, results are impressive! Since 2005, more than 4.3 million people have been trained (40% on agricultural technologies and production and 23% on enterprise development and employment) through IFAD programmes. But numbers, as rightly pointed out by panellists at the international consultation, need to be interrogated to give a sense of the impact of the 4.3 million trainings delivered on the lives of those people in terms of empowerment. Unfortunately data is not collected systematically and consistently; participants agreed that more efforts should be made to improve the quality of the data collected in order to answer crucial questions such as: Who are the people trained; are they men, youths or women? and most importantly are they the rural poor we need to reach? What is the use of these trainings? Did the trainings make any difference to the quality of life of the trainees?

Definitively, this is the experience of the women trained in the context of Gash Sustainable Livelihoods Regeneration Project (GSLRP) in Sudan . For them “the training on nutrition, food processing and home economics was the first opportunity to socialize and acquire new skills, said Aisha Sheik GSLRP Programme Officers in Sudan.

Kudos to GSLRP project for:

• campaigning for women’s participation in training
• influencing men and having men support the participation of women in training (it wasn’t easy…it took 2 years but they did it!!)
• overcoming barriers like the lack of venues where women could be trained
• optimizing the techniques acquired by those who benefitted from the project training on brick making and having them build the training venues with green bricks
• sharing with us during the conference the thoughts and the feedback of the beneficiaries of the training. Their words:

"Before the training, we were just sitting in the house, meetings have broadened our thinking."

"We learned how to speak Arabic and how to pray and cite the Koran"

"Before the training, our meals were sorghum porridge or Kasha, now we cook vegetables and meat; prepare special meals for children and pregnant women."

“Before we did not care when the vaccination team came for our children, now we all go out and know how important it is”

IFAD social reporting team: messengers of soundbites calling for action

The first day of 34th session of IFAD’s Governing Council was both intense and exciting!

IFAD was honoured to have a number of distinguished keynote speakers and the IFAD social reporting team had the privilege of using social media to bring the words of our esteemed guests to millions of people.

A silent revolution has happened at IFAD. 18 months ago, who would have imagined that one day social reporting would be mainstreamed in IFAD activities and processes? Well, now it is. The very fact that social reporters had seats assigned to them in the plenary hall is a testimony of this fact!

Thanks Andreina for reserving a strategic corner for us and given the success we are sure next year we'll have a bigger one!

Today, thanks to social media and social reporting we were able to share the moving words pronounced by Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Al Hussein United Nations Messenger of Peace; share the wise words of Mr Kofi Annan, Chairman of the Alliance and IFAD President’s call for action.

24 hours later, the soundbites of HRH Princess Haya, Kofi Annan and IFAD President have gone viral and the virtual world is talking about important issue such as the need for:

• passion and commitment at international level to solve the hunger problem
• more investments in agriculture
• more investments in political capital to spearhead a transformation of the rural sector to expand financial services in rural areas and ensure they have access to infrastructure
• more investments in human capital to develop and equip poor people, particularly the young people
• a change in the mind set to turn agriculture into profitable business in particular for young people

The panel discussion on “Feeding future generations – Young rural people today, prosperous farmers tomorrow” that took place in the afternoon was also an intense experience. The challenging questions posed by the moderator, Tumi Makgabo, engaged the audience in the room and on social media for over 2 hours.

We had an overwhelming response on Twitter and Facebook with tweets flying in from all over the world and questions being posed on our Facebook page.

The interventions of the audience in the room - the panellists, IFAD governors and young farmers and entrepreneurs - are still vibrating on the internet – better known as the “cloud”.

With his passionate interventions, Carlo Petrini, definitively did an excellent job in engaging and more importantly challenging the ministers and governors present in the room.

Two hours was not enough to answer questions such as:

• “What can be the role of young farmers to ensure we can feed 9.0 billion people in 2050”
• “What are the reasons, and what are the solutions for the relative neglect of young people – men and women – in national agricultural programmes, given their critical role in feeding the world tomorrow?
• Why do young people not want to get involved in agriculture?

At the end of the panel, there was a general consensus on the need to listen much more to young people and involve them in paving the way towards a better world.

Petrini was kind enough to grant the IFAD social reporting team an interview. Make sure you tune in and listen to his call for action!



Now we’re getting ready for the second day which will focus on discussing challenges and opportunities of young people in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Near East and North Africa.

I have just walked in the plenary hall and was pleasantly surprised to see the President sitting next to the social reporters. We could not miss the photo opportunity and also to have him on the team just for few minutes.

Make sure you stay tuned!

Browse the photo gallery on IFAD's Facebook page

IFAD Social Reporting Team

The journey from arms to agriculture

The turbulent history of the Republic of Congo with its troubled transition from centralized planning under a Marxist government to a market economy, together with economic mismanagement, military coups and brutal civil conflict during the 1990s has definitely marked the people of this country.

The Republic of Congo, once one of sub-Saharan Africa’s main oil producers, today has more than 40% of its 3.7 million people living under the poverty line most of whom live in rural areas earn their livelihoods as smallholder farmers and fishers.

The country’s economy relies on subsistence agriculture and livestock. Cassava, rice, vegetables are among the main agricultural products and the population is also engaged in rearing small ruminants.

The civil wars of 1993-1994 and 1997-1999 have had a devastating socio-economic impact on the country. During the civil war all fundamental and foundational infrastructure was destroyed. More than 800,000 people were displaced, the population suffered from severe food insecurity and many young children became soldiers.

Once the civil war came to an end, the United Nations family began its post-conflict effort. In 2000, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), in an effort to reintegrate the displaced people and encourage child soldiers to surrender their arms, launched the seven year «Action Communautaire pour le Rétablissement Post-Conflit» project. This project provided basic social services and helped the population to engage in economic activities.

In 2009, building on the UNDP project, IFAD funded the Rural Development Project in the Likouala, Pool and Sangha Departments (PRODER3).

“The objective of this project is to increase the production, productivity and income of poor rural people in a sustainable manner and encourage the young people to put down their arms”, explains Dominique Kenga, Coordinator of the IFAD-funded Rural Development Project.

The project reaches out to 160 villages and covers 15,750 households. The 62,800 poor rural people benefitting from this project are engaged in in the local cassava-based farming system, fisheries and livestock related activities.

The project is enabling farmers to produce, multiply and disseminate improved, disease-free cassava planting materials and seeds. It is providing training and agricultural extension services to give smallholder farmers full access to inputs and know-how. And it is also financing the rehabilitation of rural roads to better connect the over 600 villages.

“One of our other priorities is to encourage the 3000 young people, living in the Pool department, to put down their arms and start engaging in agricultural related activities”, says Kenga.

“During the civil war, Pool department was very badly hit. Things got really bad back in 1993. During this period, many died and as result families were shattered and many young people ended up on the street”.

“For these young people the only way to survive in the fury of the war was to take up arms”, explains a visibly moved Kenga. “What was devastating was the fact that almost 100% of the 3000 young people living the Pool department had become child soldiers. So after the unrest, we had a huge challenge at hand.”

Using rural radio, Kenga and his colleagues launched a campaign to encourage the youngsters to surrender their arms and to embrace agriculture.

“Convincing a young person who has experienced nothing but violence in his or her life is a Herculean undertaking. And we are dealing with 3000 devastated and shattered souls and bodies”, clarifies Kenga.

“The physical and psychological impact of the violence experienced by the youth is beyond words. Our challenge is not only to convince them to put down their arms and go back to the farms, but more importantly to do so in a peaceful and harmonious manner. The last thing we want is for them to act as aggressor and be disrespectful to their parents and other villagers. We want peace!”

To overcome this immense challenge, Kenga and other PRODER3 colleagues provide every young person who surrenders their arms and takes up agriculture between 25,000 to 50,000 CFA and 1.5 acre of land, along with inputs such as seeds, fertilizer. Mostly, the disarmed and demobilized child soldiers cultivate the land belonging to their family. If they are landless, PRODER3 facilitates a renting arrangement where they pay an annual rent of $50 to work on the land.

“We are going further than agriculture and are encouraging them to also engage in fisheries, raise poultry and rear small-ruminants”, clarifies Kenga.

“Farming in Pool department is very much a manual activity and at best the smallholder farmers can produce approximately 2 tonnes of cassava a year, of which 60% is used for local consumption mainly in the form of foufou – processed cassava.”

The goal of Kenga and PRODER3 staff is to ensure food security and transform farming into a viable business. This is why the farmers are now using part of their income to invest in better inputs.

“Our vision is to have an economy based on modern agriculture, an economy whereby we are not dependent on imports but can ensure food security for all”, says Kenga.

“So far we’ve managed to disarm 20% of the young soldiers. Our goal is to disarm the remaining 2400, build a peaceful society based on respect and trust. A society where everyone can lead a decent life, can put enough food on the table and is engaged in a profitable and dignified economic activity".

“Building a better future starts at home. Now that the leader of these youngsters has disarmed and is part of the government, we hope that we can build a peaceful and better future”, says Kenga with smile.

Only time will tell, but definitely, Kenga and his colleagues are on the right track to build a peaceful and prosperous future for the people of Likouala, Pool and Sangha Departments.

Testimonios Directos - Yeisully Tapias Arcila

Los Testimonios Directos dan a sus lectores la posibilidad de acercarse a la gente y a las organizaciones que se benefician de los proyectos y programas finaciados por el Fondo Internacional de Dessarrollo Agrícola (FIDA).

En este Testimonio, Yeisully Tapias Arcila (izquierda), participante del Primer Encuentro de Juventudes y Microempresa Rural en Colombia, nos comparte sus experiencias en Colombia.

Hola, Señores y Señoritas del FIDA,
Quiero saludarlos con un caluroso abrazo, espero que se encuentren muy bien.

Primero quiero agradecerles por fomentar espacios de construcción Juvenil, como lo fue el evento en Cartagena; quiero decirles que estos espacios no solo permiten que los jóvenes intercambien experiencias, que construyan para un mundo mejor, que fortalezcan su visión empresarial y que maximicen sus capacidades de emprenderismo; si no que también aporta elementos fundamentales para un ser humano: La oportunidad de expresar sus ideas, de sentirse útil y necesario para una sociedad en Desarrollo, para cumplir sueños tan simples como conocer el mar, algunos conocer de sus antepasados y como fue su verdadero origen...en este caso afro descendientes; además de sentirse motivado con saber que no solo hay jóvenes de un Municipio, ni de un Departamento, ni de un país que están trabajando para la construcción de escenarios de Paz; si no que nos acompañan es este caso jóvenes de quince países, y el acompañamiento de entidades que creen en nosotros los jóvenes como lo es: El FIDA, Oportunidades Rurales, ACUA, entre otros. Pero que seguro hay más jóvenes del mundo que aportan un granito de arena para lograr cumplir UN SUEÑO JOVEN.

Por lo anterior, agradezco nuevamente el habernos permitido participar en este espacio y hacer parte de sus vidas.

Cordialmente;
Yeisully Tapias Arcila
Colombia, la Dorada, Caldas
Asociación Jóvenes Emprendedores

Testimonios Directos - Sandra Guadalupe Sandoval Orellana

Los Testimonios Directos dan a sus lectores la posibilidad de acercarse a la gente y a las organizaciones que se benefician de los proyectos y programas finaciados por el Fondo Internacional de Dessarrollo Agrícola (FIDA). En este Testimonio, Sandra Sandoval, participante del Primer Encuentro de Juventudes y Microempresa Rural en Colombia, nos comparte su historia, sus esperanzas y sus recomendaciones para que el FIDA continue implementando políticas que apoyen a la juventud.

Mi nombre es Sandra Guadalupe Sandoval Orellana, tengo 20 años recién cumplidos, vengo representando a los jóvenes rurales de El Salvador, formo parte de la Asociación Cooperativa de Producción Agropecuaria y Pesquera Los Tepemechines de R.L. Mi comunidad esta ubicada en el caserío El Desagüe del cantón Belén Güijat, en el municipio de Metapán, departamento de Santa Ana; El caserío se encuentra a 1 kilometro de la carretera que de Santa Ana conduce a la Frontera Anguiatú, a 12 kilómetros de la ciudad de Metapán y a 36 kilómetros de la cabecera departamental, Santa Ana.

El caserío el desagüe, está habitado por unas 1,113 personas distribuidos así: 240 mujeres, 436 hombres, 244 niñas menores de 10 años y 199 niños menores de 10 años.

La actividad económica principal de la organización es la pesca en el Lago de Güija y otras relacionadas con la agricultura, como actividades complementarias las especies menores. Con esta experiencia la organización realizo la solicitud de apoyo en inversiones para un negocio ante el PREMODER el cual lo denominamos “Producción y Comercialización de Tilapias en jaulas flotantes”. Esta iniciativa de negocio ha sido financiada por el Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería a través del Programa de Reconstrucción y Modernización Rural PREMODER con fondos de préstamo del Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola FIDA.

Soy socia de la Cooperativa y actualmente me desempeño como Gerenta Local, en el negocio. Al principio cuando comencé con la organización no tenia nada de experiencia sin embargo quiero contarles que soy hija de un socio de la cooperativa y desde pequeña, que yo recuerdo, he tenido contacto con el quehacer de la pesca de agua dulce.

Las principales actividades económicas son la pesca y la agricultura. La comunidad esta asentada en terrenos nacionales, es decir que no se tiene una escritura de propiedad, más sin embargo, en su mayoría las viviendas están construidas de ladrillo y/o sistema mixto. El 75% de los habitantes de la comunidad cuentan con el servicio de agua, luz y teléfono. Se cuenta con un Centro Escolar, que brinda desde parvularia a 9° grado. No se cuenta con un Centro de Salud. No hay fuentes de empleo para los jóvenes, únicamente se puede tener un autoempleo en la actividad agrícola y pesquera. Es de mencionar que el 70% de los ingresos de la familia depende de la pesca.

Como joven de proyección, mis deseos son superarme, estudiar una carrera universitaria que me permita obtener mejores empleos para mejorar las condiciones de vida en el futuro, ver mi cooperativa trabajando como una empresa próspera y competitiva brindando oportunidades de empleo a las personas aledañas que mas lo necesitan, especialmente a los jóvenes y obtener la preparación necesaria para enfrentar la demanda del mundo actual. Considero necesario estudiar para lo cual ya he solicitado una beca a AES El Salvador y me encuentro en espera de una respuesta favorable para poder realizar mis estudios, ya que el dinero es una de las principales limitantes por las cuales aun no he ingresado a la universidad.

Descripción del Emprendimiento

A la edad de 17 años comencé a formar parte de la cooperativa y al iniciar la ejecución del proyecto “Producción y Comercialización de Tilapia en Jaulas Flotantes” en el lago de Guija, se presentó la oportunidad de desempeñar el rol como Gerenta Local. Esta gran oportunidad me permitió aprender mucho sobre la administración del negocio; así como, también conocer el proceso de producción y comercialización de nuestro producto. Aprendí las formas de alimentarlo de una manera empresarial, estrategias para bajar costos y aumentar utilidades, distintos tipos de mercado y conocer los canales de distribución.

Me considero una persona abierta para adquirir nuevos conocimientos y creo en mis propias capacidades y algo de mucha importancia es que cuento con el apoyo de mi familia y amigos, eso me motiva a continuar siempre adelante.

Desde muy pequeña me ha gustado los negocios y la administración de los mismos, mi sueño era trabajar en una empresa, ahora puedo decir que me siento realizada y dichosa por que mis compañeros y compañeras y yo trabajamos en una empresa y lo mejor que es nuestra propia empresa y tiene pilares fuertes que los hemos venido construyendo de manera participativa, con muchas ganas de seguir creciendo y siendo cada día mas fuerte y competitivos/as y tenemos la seguridad de lograrlo, con nuestra entrega y esfuerzo y las diferentes ONGs que nos han apoyado.

Desarrollo el cargo de Secretaria de Comunicaciones en la asociación para la protección de las Cuencas Hidrográficas del Lago de Güija, ASPROGÜIJA. El lema de esta Asociación es unir esfuerzos para proteger los lagos, lagunas, ríos y todas las cuencas del Departamento de Metapán.

En los años 2008 y 2009 participe como Facilitadora de educación para adultos impartiendo clases de primero y segundo ciclo, a un promedio de 45 personas adultas de mi comunidad. Lo cual dejo en mi la satisfacción de transmitir a estas personas el maravilloso mundo de las letras y los números lo cual para mi significó una gran experiencia.

En realidad no a sido fácil pero tampoco tan difícil, poco apoco he aprendiendo algo cada día, al igual que mis compañeros y compañeras, hemos tenido que buscar el apoyo necesario en las distintas ONG´s para salir adelante y convertirnos hoy en los empresarios y empresarias que somos.

En lo personal he contado con la fortuna de tener el apoyo de las distintas directivas de las organizaciones con las que trabajo, han sido personas que me han apoyado y puesto su confianza en mí.

Gracias a Dios he encontrado gente buena que han creído en mi y me han brindado su apoyo, el MAG-PREMODER ha sido en gran parte uno de los apoyos mas grandes que hemos recibido, al darnos el apoyo de la asistencia técnica trasmitiéndonos conocimientos por medio de su programa de capacitaciones apegadas a nuestras necesidades. Y también otras personas que contribuyeron con sus conocimientos y habilidades que me han ayudado en gran manera a mi desarrollo personal.

Durante el tiempo que tengo de ser Gerenta Local, he tenido que vencer muchos obstáculos como envidias, críticas, dificultades de mercadeo etc. También el bajo valor económico del incentivo que recibo por todo mi trabajo, se convierte en una limitante para poder seguir desarrollando acciones encaminadas a alcanzar mi éxito, ya que provengo de una familia muy humilde y de escasos recursos.

Yo antes era una persona muy reservada poco sociable y no había descubierto que en mi existía Un Liderazgo y que tengo la suficiente capacidad para guiar a un grupo hasta echar a andar una empresa. Gracias a todos los conocimientos que he adquirido de los profesores, técnicos, y otras personas que han contribuido a mi formación es que me he dado cuenta que cuento con esa gran fortaleza y que la he aprovechado para el beneficio de toda mi comunidad.

Recomendaciones para el FIDA

• Que en todos los proyectos que el FIDA financia exista una política que exija el involucramiento de jóvenes y mujeres en el desempeño de los mismos…
• Que se fomente la participación de los jóvenes, ofreciendo programas de becas que vengan a beneficiar especialmente aquellos quienes mas lo necesitan en su mayoría personas rurales de escasos recursos….
• Que pueda existir apoyo mas directo financiando proyectos que sean desarrollados especialmente por jóvenes permitiendo haci aprender y desarrollar conocimientos que nos permitan ir capitalizando experiencia y obteniendo fuentes de empleo sostenibles que nos permita mejorar nuestras condiciones de vida.

Sandra Guadalupe Sandoval
Gerenta Local
Asociación Cooperativa Agropecuaria y Pesquera “Los Tepemechines” de R.L.

Day two of Agknowledge Africa Knowledge Share Fair features focus groups

Day two of the Agknowledge Africa Share Fair featured a series of focus groups. Participants had a wide choice and seamlessly distributed themselves among nine different focus groups.

I attended a fascinating session entitled "reporting agriculture" followed by a frustrating session on "mobile devices".

Susanna Thorp from WRENmedia gave a great presentation highlighting the challenges and opportunities of reporting on agricultural related issues. "Agriculture is a multidimensional and multifaceted subject", said Susanna. I was so pleased to hear Susanna refer to smallholder farmers as entrepeneurs.  This statement resonates exactly with IFAD's vision!

She then proceeded to touch upon another topic close to IFAD's heart - young people. "We need to reach out to the young people, agriculture is not SUBSISTENCE only. Agriculture is a source of business!", said Susanna.

Not pre-empting the youth session later during the day, we talked how we can keep young people in the  farming business. There was a consensus that for this to happen farming has to become a source of income.

The participants recognized that farmers do farming in an integrated manner and they do not just tackle one single aspect. This may be a challenge when one has to report about the topic. At the same time everyone recognized that farmers need to trust their information/knowledge source.

Moving to challenges and opportunities of reporting on agriculture, participants mentioned that one of the challenges we collectively face is to make journalists understand the value of reporting about agriculture. How can we make agriculture an enticing and attractive subject matter?

Rob Burnet shared a wonderful story of convergence of various technologies to communicate effectively. So we start with gold old radio. There was unanimous recognition that radio is an important communication tool for farmers to share information and knowledge.

Rob  talked about an FM station run out of Kenya by young people called Shujaaz. What these young people are doing is absolutely remarkable. Besides running the FM station, they are disseminating agriculture related stories via a comic book, which they are distributing through the National Kenyan newspaper and through 12,000 M-PESA kiosks!!!

Moving on from radio, more convergence with social media tools. Shujaaz.fm also has a Facebook account with over 5000 followers, uses Twitter and of course the ubiquitous SMS messaging.

Susanna concluded the session by saying: "If you want to sell anything - especially if you wish to share and report on agriculture you need to be passionate!" And believe me there were many many passionate participants under the tent!!

Later during the day, I attended the  mobile session and also virtually participated in the youth session thanks to Gauri's tweet coming out of that session.

I was very frustrated by the mobile session, as I heard more and more about pilot programmes which did not quite make it to the real world. This is really sad. I fail to understand why we need to duplicate and reinvent the wheel when it comes to developing mobile applications. How many market information applications do we need? How many pest control applications do we need.

I came out of that session thinking that there is little or no hope for private-public partnership. I think the only viable way of making any head way is for governments to play a much more prominent role and take things into hand!

In my virtual conversation with Gauri it was nice to see IPSAfrica (@ipsafrica) chipping. I hope they take the suggestion of hosting a virtual converation with young African people to see what is needed for them to stay in rural areas and become the future entrepreneurs!

We finished the morning with a lovely typical Ethiopian lunch. As today was Wednesday, we had a special "fasting lunch", which was based on beans, fish and vegetables!

I've now become an addict to the Bunna, so I proceeded to the Bunna corner and thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful Ethiopian coffee.

Tonight promises to be an exciting night. We'll be having a barbecue and we've been promised good music by the best DJ in town!!!

Que piensan los jóvenes de ALC y que nos toca hacer

A los jóvenes de escasos ingresos en América Latina y el Caribe cuando se les pregunta si se sienten pobres responden que no¡ y cuando se les pregunta por lo que es la pobreza; ellos suelen indicar tres grandes características: i)la falta de medios materiales (dinero, vestido, equipamiento mínimo/ por ejemplo celular, ordenador, herramientas, etc.) , ii) la carencia de respeto (maltrato, discriminación racial y cultural, violencia, rechazo de ser escuchados y atendidos), ii) la falta de accesos (en particular a medios de comunicación masivos: bienes públicos como carreteras, transporte barato, celular, internet, etc.).

Hay diferencias de percepción entre los jóvenes urbanos y rurales, también entre chicas y chicos, entre países y colores de piel pero todos parecen coincidir en que quieren ser escuchados, bien tratados y tener igualdad de oportunidad para acceder a la modernidad, al ejercicio de sus derechos y al desarrollo de sus propias iniciativas económicas y culturales.

Para entidades como el FIDA, concentradas en la lucha contra la pobreza rural, este mensaje nos debe hacer cambiar de Ruta. Hoy no tenemos respuestas específicas a las necesidades de los distintos grupos de jóvenes y a los temas centrales para ellos. Tenemos que hacer un enorme esfuerzo para dejar de escucharnos a nosotros mismos y sentarnos respetuosamente a escucharles, a aprender de ellos y a ver en cuales de sus demandas podemos darle un apoyo relevante. Probablemente no serán a todas, ni quizás a las mas sustantivas (empleo seguro, eliminación de la violencia callejera y la guerra, etc.) pero seguramente si podemos influir en que accedan:

• a plena ciudadanía ( documentos de identidad individuales, personerías jurídicas colecticas , reducción de trámites y costos para formar asociaciones, empresas y ampliar sus emprendimientos)
• a co- financiamientos para sus perfiles y planes de negocios
• a servicios de telefonía celular e internet a costos razonables
• a pasantías, viajes de aprendizaje, entrenamientos in situ, etc.
• a fortalecer sus organizaciones y generar redes auto gestionadas

y seguramente muchas cosas más. Como de hecho ya lo vienen haciendo varias operaciones del FIDA en la Región a pequeña escala. Para pasar a una escala mayor, más relevante, el primer paso será escuchar y entender bien sus enfoques y propuestas, apoyarlos en construir sus innovaciones e instituciones, co financiar sus iniciativas, atraer a otros socios que faciliten los accesos a lo que el FIDA no pueda tender y compartir con ellos los crecientes riesgos que significa hoy ser campesino, pobre, discriminado y joven.

R. Haudry de Soucy

Investing in young farmers

Youth are often one of the most vulnerable segments of IFAD’s target group, both in terms of access to assets and services and in terms of opportunities and capacities to engage in decision-making processes that determine their livelihood prospects.

Farmer organizations are a key channel for young rural people to develop activities, get access to services and natural resources, and make their needs and concerns heard in decision-making processes.

The Farmers’ Forum was created in 2005 by IFAD, the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP), La Via Campesina and the Network of Peasant and Agricultural Producers’ Organizations of West Africa (ROPPA). It was designed as process of consultation and dialogue between farmers’ and rural producers’ Organizations (FOs), IFAD and governments focused on rural development and poverty reduction. A global meeting of the Farmers’ Forum was held in February 2010 at IFAD Headquarters where the participants stressed the urgent need to address young farmers in the following way: “Our family agriculture needs to be remunerative and give dignity. Young women and men farmers’ access to production assets – land, credit, and training – has to be ensured”. 

In this regard, the participants recommended that IFAD mmainstreams youth in all IFAD policies and programmes, with a gender balance and an emphasis on developing capacity-building and enhancement programmes for rural youth to engage in sustainable food production and agriculture and rural employment.

They particularly recommended that IFAD:

• Map young farmer and rural youth organizations and their networks (national and regional).
• Hold a Farmers’ Forum event similar to the one held for women this year, and ensure more representation of young people in subsequent Farmers’ Forums.
• Designate within IFAD a focal point for youth.
• Hold a global workshop on youth involvement in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development during this year (UN Year of Youth).
• Mainstream youth in all IFAD policies and programmes, with a gender balance and an emphasis on developing capacity-building and enhancement programmes for rural youth to engage in sustainable food production and agriculture and rural employment. 
• Launch pilot projects supporting rural youth.
• Organize youth exchanges for experience-sharing on best practices and learning”.  

To start responding to that request, a specific programme to map key actors, specific issues and success stories in the different regions of IFAD operations is under preparation  by MIJARC (International Movement of Catholic Agricultural and Rural Youth), in close collaboration with the Farmers’ Forum Steering committee members, and FAO and CTA.

The programme will develop collaborations with the various on going initiatives within IFAD to address youth issues (for example, the collaboration with the ILO to review strategies and programmes for promoting decent and productive employment of young people in rural areas and projects and grants in regional divisions supporting young people’s activities).

Regional workshops will be organised to define ways of promoting active participation of the young in FOs and in the definition of FOs’ agendas that respond to young peoples’ needs; to improve capacity of FOs to advocate for young rural women and men in gaining access to farming activities; identify tools and methods to support young men and women farmers’ interests in agricultural development programmes through their organizations.

The programme will lead to recommendations in terms of policies and projects to help FOs support young people, women and men, enter and invest sustainably in farming activities. They will be discussed during the next global meeting of the Farmers’ Forum in February 2012.

By Philippe Remy

A snapshot of young people lives in rural areas: What they do and what they need

Many of IFAD’s programmes target young people. Yet when we talk about involving “youth” in our programmes we often seem to forget that young women and men lead very different lives and have different needs.

What is youth exactly? Traditionally, it is the transition from childhood to adulthood. The United Nations defines youth as all individuals aged between 15 and 24. In reality, being young has changed over time and varies considerably from one region to another. There is a big rural urban and gender divide. Rural children in developing countries grow up quickly. Early marriage and childbearing marks the transition for young girls. In many countries, girls marry before age 15 and many 15 to 19 year olds cannot read or write. Boys help out on the farms or drop out of schools because there is no secondary education or they do not see the point of it.

When we travel to distant rural areas to visit the project sites, it is often striking to see hordes of young men and adolescent boys hanging out in front of shops or on main squares, playing cards or just idly watching the coming and going of traffic and people.

Girls and young women are kind of less visible or they are in constant movement. We see them walking to school or back home in their colourful uniforms, carrying their grocery shopping or fetching water, or going for visits with their girl friends. They seem not to stop, often having babies and younger children in tow.

When we look closer and listen to these young men and women, we discover a different reality. The young men sitting in front of the village café could be a 35 year old farmer, who is still a second hand to his father and has nothing to decide about farming and marketing. The young women with the toddler could be a 17 year old mother who did not finish schooling and lives now with her in-laws, with little time and skills.

Rural development programmes that target young people need to take into account the different gender needs. For boys and young men, programmes can get them off the street and help put them to stand on their own feet, by learning new skills or finding employment.

For girls and young women, skills development or income generating activities help them to break up a circle of isolation and chores, gets them out of the house and meet other girls. These programmes help them to socialize, to increase their education and skills, including knowledge about health, nutrition and finance. Expanding girl’s education is the most obvious lever to change the situation of young women. These programmes can also contribute to delay marriages and child birth.

By Maria Hartl

International Year of Youth begins: Join us in addressing the challenges of rural youth

The International year of Youth begins today. “We must not fail these young women and men,” said IFAD President, Kanayo Nwanze. “The International Year of Youth is an opportunity to raise awareness and galvanize action”. This should be the year when IFAD develops a strategy and action plan on rural youth. The challenge is how to promote  employment and income-earning opportunities – in particular in the agricultural sector – which are gainful and attractive to young people. Otherwise, as the Farmers’ Forum 2010 participants asked, ‘who will feed the world tomorrow?’

There are some interesting experiences in IFAD-funded operations, but they have tended to be piecemeal – they need to be scaled up and systematised.  And it isn’t just about creating new and more profitable economic opportunities, in and around agriculture, as well as in non-farm employment and services. It’s also about rural areas being better places to live, of being (far) better equipped in terms of services and infrastructures, less isolated and better connected (roads, radio, internet, telecommunications and more.  And not being the backwaters that young people just want to run away from.  Life in rural areas needs to become better for women for whom city life means –more often in their dreams than in reality – escaping from the daily drudgery of fetching water and fuel, hard work in the fields which is largely unrewarded, headloading produce to distant markets….. Basic services for rural development and wellbeing,  schools and health centres,  often suffer from chronic difficulties in recruiting an retaining staff, who also find living in rural areas difficult and/or unattractive…

There will simply be no future for rural economies unless rural development efforts manage to use and retain the talents and energy of young people. This we realize fully here in IFAD. But the challenges are many - and interconnected. Apart from the general situation of rural areas which I recalled above, factors which specifically affect rural youth include:

• scarcity of land;
• high mobility of rural youth (within rural areas and between rural and urban areas);
• lack of conditions for young people to access sufficient capital to invest in gainful enterprises with a future;
• infrequent consultation of rural youth in programming and policy-making;
• lack or low quality of skills and vocational training, also poorly matched with labour demand;
• low investments in the kinds of services that young people seek (internet connectivity, recreation, sports…);
• limited voice and representation of the young in farmer organizations;
• cultural norms and intergenerational conflict which limit and delay the autonomy of the young…and many more.

As in the case of women,  empowering young people socially, politically and economically is an issue of profound social change, which is not without tensions.

Let’s use the International year of Youth as an opportunity to listen to young people, to share learning on what works, to strengthen partnerships that can carry forward a new action agenda for rural youth.

Annina Lubbock,
Senior Technical Adviser, Gender and Poverty Targeting, IFAD