ARDYIS Project:Promoting opportunities for youth

in agriculture and ICTs

Ken LohentoICT4D Programme Coordinator

CTA

Wageningen, Nov 2012

CTA’s ICT4RD ProgrammePromoting and supporting use of innovative ICT tools and approaches

Train

ing

Multistakeholder Policy debate

implementation

Awareness raising

Informationdissemination

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Objectives Strengthen capacities on ICTs for ARD Contribute to sensitising on Agriculture and RD issues

Target audience young farmers students in agricultural training courses Youth interested in ICT for ARD

Advisory Committee/ Partners

Yam PukriSPCCAFAN

ARDYIS -- Launched in May 2010

Promoting opportunities for youth in agriculture and ICTs

Rationale

• Agriculture offer employment opportunities for youths.

• ICTs help to reach and promote agriculture to youth, contributing to reducing the ageing agricultural population

• ICTs offer new marketing tools to enhance more than in the past (youth-led) agricultural businesses;

• Youth spearhead ICT innovations that enhance Agriculture and Youth ICT specialists can enhance agriculture with their innovations (mobile applications (mAgri), market information systems, etc).

• ICT help to improve livelihoods in rural areas which faces rural exodus

ARDYISPromoting

opportunties for youth in

agriculture and ICTs

• Networking - Dissemination of information: (opportunities, etc.) and discussions

• website, dedicated mailing lists 890 followers on Facebook

• Training

Some activities….

Ghana, 2010 Facilitate youth participation in Ag and ICT conferences & projects (IAALD, water management, FANRPAN projects, CTA 2012 Value chain conference etc.)

Advocacy document calling for stronger support for youth

involvement in agriculture and ICT

Some activities….

Consultation on youth, ICT-based entrepreneurship in agriculture,

Addis Abeba, NEPAD collaboration, May 2012

Publication featuring succesful youths

Some activities….

• About 3000 public votes and comments for Yobloco Awards

• Institutional and individuals blogs awarded

Strengthening rural youth employment opportunities in agriculture and ICTs in Southern Africa (SOFIA project)

• 3 year project, facilitated by ARDYIS /Southern Africa region• Targets: main young farmer groups, youth training centres in

rural areas • Case studies on youth entrepreneurship activities involving ICT

and agriculture• Training on ICT and agri-marketting; Free software business

models, business management• Monitoring of ICT use by farmer groups• Policy discussion on ICTs• Etc.

Thank you

http://ardyis.cta.int

http://www.facebook.com/ardyis

lohento@cta.int