By Phillimon Backson
The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has emphasised the need to strengthen support for young farmers by improving access to information, finance, technology, markets and climate-smart agricultural practices.
IWMI Researcher – Gender, Social Inclusion and Youth, Ojongetakah Enokenwa Baa, says empowering young people with the right skills, resources and opportunities is critical to transforming agriculture into a more profitable, resilient and sustainable sector while creating jobs and improving livelihoods.
Enokenwa Baa further stressed that young farmers should not only be viewed as beneficiaries of agricultural programmes, but also as key partners in shaping policies and interventions that affect the agricultural sector.
Baa has since called for greater involvement of youth in decision-making processes, noting that their ideas, experiences and innovations can help address emerging challenges such as climate change, limited access to markets and inadequate financing.
She said creating an enabling environment for young agripreneurs requires stronger collaboration among government institutions, development partners, private-sector players and youth-led organisations to ensure that policies and programmes respond to the realities and aspirations of young people in agriculture.
The remarks were made during a two-day Youth Agribusiness Policy Dialogue organised by CGIAR Scaling for Impact and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Lilongwe.
The dialogue aimed at strengthening an inclusive enabling environment for youth agripreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), bringing together various stakeholders from government institutions, development organisations and other players in the agribusiness sector.
The dialogue provided a platform for stakeholders to discuss challenges facing young agripreneurs and explore practical solutions to improve their access to finance, markets, skills, information and other services necessary for the growth of their businesses.
