A youth agenda for sustainable agricultural transformation in an era of climate change and out-migration
The 11th International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change (CBA11) will take place in Kampala Uganda 22-29th June 2017. A Youth Conference is being organized and will run parallel to the main CBA11 Conference on 28—29th June 2017. As part of this event, The CGIAR program on Water Land and Ecosystems (WLE) is supporting a session entitled ‘A youth agenda for sustainable agricultural transformation in an era of climate change and out-migration’. The organizers are now in the process of identifying youth representatives to participate in this session.
At a time of high youth out-migration and climate stress, this session aims to bring together perspectives from youth representatives working at the grassroots across the region to answer some of the critical questions relating to the future of young people’s engagement in agriculture. The session will address the following questions:
- What is the relationship between climatic and environmental change and migration? Is migration really a response to climate stress, and how does it intersect with other processes, such as cultural aspirations and economic pressures.
- What policy interventions will encourage youth investment in the agricultural sector, or the larger agri-food sector? What changes are necessary in terms of how agro-ecological knowledge is promoted through the educational curriculum, as well as the incentives for young people to invest on the land.
- Youth can not be assumed to be a homogenous category – how does ‘generation’ intersect with class, ethnicity and gender to create particular opportunities within or outside agriculture, and how does this affect patterns of migration and/or youth engagement in agriculture?
- How can migration be harnessed as an opportunity for the agricultural sector? Can remittances from youth be invested to build a more resilient agricultural resource base for those who do not migrate? What policy changes are necessary to incentivize this allocation of resources?
Call for participation:
Against this backdrop, WLE, through its host institution, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), would like to support several youth representatives to participate in this session. All travel, lodging and food costs will be covered. Participants must meet the following requirements:
- Be aged between 18 and 30
- Have extensive grassroots experience working in the agricultural sector, either as a practitioner, researcher, or through personal engagement in agricultural activities.
- Have a high competency in spoken English
How to apply:
Please send a CV along with a one page write up on what you consider to be the major issues facing youth in agriculture, in the context of out-migration and climate change. Please send your applications to Om Prasad Acharya (O.Acharya@cgiar.org) by 2nd June 2017.