UN - HABITAT GC – Side Event 21 April 2015 Elizabeth Ssendiwala Gender & Youth Coordinator,...
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Transcript of UN - HABITAT GC – Side Event 21 April 2015 Elizabeth Ssendiwala Gender & Youth Coordinator,...
UN - HABITATGC – Side Event
21 April 2015
Elizabeth Ssendiwala
Gender & Youth Coordinator,
IFAD-ESA
Harnessing the youth demographic dividend for sustainable rural‐urban development
Outline
Who are the Young People? Definitions & Demographics
Policy contextUnemployment and PovertyYouth & Agriculture: Opportunity for rural-urban development
Issues and potential solutionsInvesting in Young People: IFAD’s Guidance Note on Youth
Who are the Young People: Definitions
No universal definition:UN: 15 to 24 yearsAU: 15 to 35
Difference within & across African countriesKenya: 18 - 35Ghana: 15 – 35Ethiopia: 15 – 29
Who are the Young People
Youth bulge:1.8 billion youth globally (10 and 24)About nine out of 10 people between the ages 10 and 24
live in less developed countriesYouth (aged 15 to 24) constitute slightly more than 32% of
Sub-Saharan Africa’s populationFAO estimates - 70% of youth in SSA reside in rural areas
Youth not homogeneous: gender, marital status, level of education, legal status, rural vs. urban
Given the youth bulge:
i) Will the developing economies offer decent jobs
ii) Will they take advantage of the ‘demographic window’ to eradicate poverty?
Policy Context: National Youth Policies
As of April 2014: Out of 198 countries, 122 (62%) had a national youth
policy, up from 99 (50%) in 2013. Across all continents, 37 states (19%) are either developing
a new or revising their current youth policy, 31 countries have no national youth policy at the moment
(16%) - Of those, 14 are in Africa, 9 in Asia, 5 in the Americas, and 3 in Europe
Need to involve youth in Policy Designs and Reforms – Giving youth a voice / representation in policy and governance arenas
Unemployment & Poverty
Globally, about 75 million are young women & menPoverty - most obvious consequence: 72% of the youth in Africa live with less than USD 2 per day
The highest rates of poverty are observed among young women & young people living in rural areas
Youth and Agriculture
While formal sector offers scope for creating jobs and raising incomes for youth, rural enterprises also provide important income-earning opportunities & can mitigate against rural/urban migration.
Youth face particular constraints in gaining access to inputs & resources:
• Limited access to land• Access to Finances for Agriculture• Insufficient access to Knowledge, information and education• Limited voice in Policy dialogue• Innovation and Technologies• extension services and social capital
Opportunities – Potential to transform Agric.
Youth are Innovators: They bring talent and creativity
Linking Agriculture and Technology
Youth more likely to adopt new technologies & innovations in Agri.
They have Energy, vigor
and are ambitiousHigher education level than
older farmersFuture of agric. - aging
farmers (60 yrs in Africa
Limited access to Land
IssuesLack of information Inheritance o fragmented & unviable land
parcels o landless or secondary rights
users o life expectancy is increasing Adult small-holder farmers
have small parcels of land Cultural discrimination against
young womenorights channeled through their
male relatives / Marital Status
Potential SolutionsLeasing land rather than relying
on inheritanceChange mindset towards agric.
as a business
Access to Finances for Agriculture
IssuesAccess to capital and credit for
smallholders especially youth in Africa is a perennial problem
Financial providers rarely have products suitable for young people
Most MFIs require loan guarantees (land titles, steady employment, personal guarantors, group guarantees
Inadequate finances hinder access to agric. inputs (improved seeds, fertilizer, mechanization etc)
Potential SolutionsInnovative collateral schemes
(Mshwari; social capital)Credit guarantee fundCrop insuranceCapacity for financial providers
Insufficient access to Knowledge, information and education
IssuesInadequate education limits
productivity & skills acquisitionInsufficient access to
knowledge & information hinders
Potential SolutionsCapacity building Mentoring for
entrepreneurship (e.g IFAD’s Household methodologies)
Appropriate education & training policies (emphasis on entrepreneurship)
Extension services for youth (e.g FFS & Junior Farmer Field Schools; Mukulima Young)
Limited access to markets
IssuesMarket structures often do not
favour young peopleYouth are usually not
sufficiently organized and/or lack experience to counter the strong market actors
Inadequate knowledge of how markets work
Young rural women face additional difficulties
Potential SolutionsUse ICTs for market infoTrain youth to reduce post-
harvest lossesTraining on quality standardsProvide basic infrastructure
(e.g roads)
Innovation and Technologies
Youth cannot do agriculture using the hoe Need to create room for innovationSupport mechanization at all levelsUse of ICT
Investing in Young People: IFAD’s Guidance Note
Involve youth in project/program design process; Socio-economic analyses on youth specific opportunities and
constraints; Comprehensive approach to promoting youth’s development
in general and decent work; Mainstream youth considerations across components and
sectors Enable youth’s participation in the projects’ management &
organizational set-upsAdopt M&E systems that report on data disaggregated by
age.
Thank you for your attention!