http://www.fao.org/rural-employment/en/ Presentations delivered on the 7th of September 2015 in Barbados, during the launch of the new FAO project “Strengthening decent rural employment opportunities for young women and men in the Caribbean”, developed in collaboration with the IFAD. The project will operate for 3 years in 9 countries of the Sub-region, namely: St. Lucia, Grenada, Guyana, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Haiti, Belize, Cuba and Dominican Republic. The programme is an example of effective inter-agency cooperation and aims to promote rural youth employment opportunities in the Caribbean by facilitating the development of targeted policies, partnerships and investments. The project will be implemented by the FAO Sub-regional Office for the Caribbean, in Barbados. The presentations show the perspectives and contributions of the different partners involved in the project. ©FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. LAUNCH AND POLICY DIALOGUE
REGIONAL FAO-IFAD Project
STRENGTHENING DECENT RURAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
FOR YOUNG WOMEN AND MEN IN THE CARIBBEAN
7 - 9 September 2015
Bridgetown, Barbados
Youth Employment & Participation in Sustainable Agriculture
Addressing Challenges and Constraints
David Bynoe/ National Coordinator
Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme - UNDP

2. Youth Employment & Participation in
Sustainable Agriculture
Addressing Challenges and Constraints

3. Scope of SGP
• Established in 1992 to address global environmental
problems at the community level.
• Our main objectives are to achieve environmental
sustainability, alleviate and/or reduce poverty, and
develop capacity.
• We offer financial and technical support to civil
society organizations (CSOs) for community driven
projects that contribute to global environmental
priorities.

4. SGP Focal Areas
Biodiversity
51%
Climate Change
17%
International Waters
5%
Multifocal Area
11%
Persistent Organic
Pollutants
2%
Land Degradation
12%
Climate Change
Adaptation
2%
Distribution of Projects Implemented

5. Special Areas of Focus
•Youth and Children
•Gender Equality and Women Empowerment
•Disabled Community
•Support of Indigenous People

6. SGP’s Approach To Sustainable Human Development
Sustainable Human Development 3 pillars:
•environmental protection
•poverty reduction
•community empowerment
SGP approach leverages shifts towards environmentally
sustainable livelihood options, and increases education
and awareness on environmental issues.

7. Current Picture of Youth Involved in Agriculture
• The average age of persons involved in
agriculture is above 55 in most Caribbean
countries.
• Youth involvement in Agriculture offers
significant opportunities to tackle high
unemployment in the region.
• There are several significant constraints in
achieving this goal.

8. Challenges & Constraints
• Perception of Agriculture
• Access to knowledge, information and
education
• Access to Land
• Access to Finance Services
• Access to Markets
• Engagement in the Policy Dialogue

9. Perception
• Youth are discouraged about engaging in
agriculture.
• Agriculture is not presented as a viable career
option.
• Agriculture has been projected in the past as a
last resort for unsuccessful youth.

10. Access to Knowledge, Information and Education
• Poor and inadequate education limits productivity and
the acquisition of skills.
• Insufficient access to knowledge and information can
hinder the development of entrepreneurial ventures.
• Agricultural training and education is not always
adapted to ensure that graduates’ skills meet the
needs of rural labour markets.

11. Access to Land
• Access to land is fundamental to starting a
farm.
• Loans to assist youth in acquiring land are not
readily available.
• Leasing arrangements through which youth
can gain access to land are lacking or
underdeveloped.

12. Access to Finance Services
• Most financial service providers are reluctant
to provide their services to youth.
• Lack of financial products that cater for youth.

13. Access to Markets
• Without such access youth will not be able to
engage in viable and sustainable agricultural
ventures.
• Access to markets for youth is becoming even
more difficult due to the growing international
influence of supermarkets and the rigorous
standards of their supply chains.

14. Engagement in the Policy Dialogue
• Young people’s voices are not heard during
the policy process, and so their complex and
multifaceted needs are not met.
• Policies often fail to account for the
heterogeneity of youth, and so do not provide
them with effective support.

15. Strategic Actions Implemented
• Youth Training, Education, and Mentoring
• Youth Agri-business/Entrepreneurship
• Youth Agricultural Production and Processing
Capacity
• Youth Entrepreneurship Incentives and
Recognition
• Information Sharing among Regional Youth in
Agriculture
• Youth-Government Dialogues

16. Lessons Learnt & Recommendations Applied

17. Youth Training, Education and Mentoring
• Perceptions can be changed through providing
tangible examples of career options and
showcasing viable enterprises within agriculture.

18. Youth Training, Education and Mentoring
• Formal partnerships with the Ministries of Agriculture,
Education and Youth to introduce structured programmes
and projects in the primary and secondary schools that
merge the science and practice of agriculture with
entrepreneurship.

19. Youth Training, Education and Mentoring
• Establishing train the trainers and agricultural
vocational training centers allows for greater impact.

20. Youth Training, Education and Mentoring
• Linking youth with mentors and technical
expertise required especially in the start-up
phase increased the probability of success.

21. Access to Land
This has been facilitated mainly through:
•Land lease arrangements with government,
private sector and individual citizens for at least
the duration of the project.

22. Access to Land
• Reconversion of unused land back into agriculture
& reclamation of lands not previously used for
production is a viable option.

23. Access to Finance
• Micro-finance & Grant financing is much more
appropriate for youth start-up agri-businesses.

24. Access to Markets
• Link young agri-entrepreneurs with
established Farmers groups that already have
access to markets.
• Utilize existing or start a Farmers Market.

25. Market Access
• Target a niche market and equip youth with
the prerequisite to access this niche.
• Link youth enterprises with supermarkets,
hotels and restaurants in close proximity.

26. Engagement in the Policy Dialogue
• Capacity building workshops on policy issues
are essential.
• Formation of youth advocacy groups provides a
formal conduit for dialogue with policy makers.

27. Engagement in the Policy Dialogue
• Establishment of CSO-Government Dialogues
creates the space for dialogue.

28. COMMUNITY ACTION
GLOBAL IMPACT

29. THANK YOU