CTCF enhances youth involvement in Agriculture
In Nepal, agriculture is not the priority sector for youth farmers. There are many policies and strategies targeted towards youth, but they are unable to sustain their businesses due to a lack of productive assets, mainly capital. The youth are not trusted by financial institutions and are not involved in the policymaking process. Their voices remain disregarded. Productive youth are also given less priority in capacity development training and have limited exposure to stakeholders.
The agroforestry system is practiced by most farmers, but there is a lack of in-depth understanding of its scientific application for biodiversity conservation. Young farmers lack capacity development activities and grants to support their enterprises, which forces them to migrate to Gulf countries in search of better employment opportunities. CTCF, Nepal has a youth subcommittee, and the youth committee has developed a three-year strategic plan to increase youth involvement in agriculture. CTCF has been conducting various types of training, including capacity development, technical, and vocational training.
CTCF, Nepal organized a three-day virtual training under the project entitled "Improved capacity of the youth committee members on Lobby Advocacy skills, Sustainable Agriculture and Enterprise Development" from 15th to 17th July 2021 using the Zoom platform. They also distributed tea and kiwi seedlings, and conducted training on lobbying for access to finance, market access, etc. CTCF, Nepal is implementing various projects in coordination with national and international organizations like AFA, Agriterra, Dakchyata (British Council), and government organizations.
Altogether, 18 youth farmers and leaders engaging in different cooperatives and the private sector from eight districts participated in the training.
The objective of the training was to orient youth farmers towards sustainable farming practices and provide them with the necessary inputs to support their enterprises. The training participants and their families had been engaged in agriculture/family farming for years. This training offered a systematic and scientific roadmap to reinforce agroforestry practices and promote sustainable, resilient, and climate-adaptive agriculture practices. It also incorporated indigenous knowledge and skills for local biodiversity conservation. The farmers engaged in agri-horti-silviculture, horti-silvi-pastoral systems, which helped reduce soil erosion and regenerate soil health.
The participants also generated viable business ideas and were determined to pursue their dreams if productive inputs were provided to them. Youths have unique ideas, skills, and determination, but they lack assets. Thus, input-supplementing activities were found to be highly effective in increasing youth involvement in agriculture and engaging them in their own businesses.
After the completion of the training, each youth farmer was provided with 550 tea seedlings (total 9900 seedlings) and 20 kiwi seedlings to 15 youth farmers (total 300 kiwi seedlings) as part of enterprise support to strengthen their family farming businesses. The young farmers extended tea and kiwi cultivation to three hectares of land, promoting the agroforestry system. As a result, their income is expected to rise. Some youth farmers intercropped chilly, cardamom, beans, lentils, etc., which contributed to additional surplus returns for their family farming businesses.
After the training, youth farmers began lobbying and coordinating with local, provincial, and federal governments, as well as national and international supporting organizations, to gain access to finance, markets, sustainable agriculture (organic farming), resources, and new technology.
The project activities not only provided comprehensive knowledge on sustainable agriculture, lobbying-advocacy skills, and enterprise development, but also targeted youth farmers to promote agroforestry practices on their farms. By providing them with tea and kiwi seedlings, the project aimed to help farmers multiply their productive assets and earn a livelihood by marketing the crop harvest. The young farmers extended tea and kiwi cultivation to three hectares of land, promoting the agroforestry system. Their income is expected to rise, and some youth farmers have intercropped chilly, cardamom, beans, lentils, etc., adding surplus returns to their family farming businesses.
Similarly, after the training, youth farmers are lobbying and coordinating with local, provincial, and federal governments, as well as national and international supporting organizations, for access to finance, markets, sustainable agriculture (organic farming), resources, and new technology.
