Promoting Employment and Entrepreneurship for Rural Youth:The Case of the Farmer Field and Life Schools (JFFLS)

Dr. Peter Wobst - Senior EconomistEconomic and Social Development Department

19th CTA Brussels Rural Development Briefing - 16 June 2010Youth and Rural Development

UN System-wide policy coherence

System-wide commitment • Second UN Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017):

“Full Employment and Decent Work for All”

• ECOSOC resolution 2008/18 “Promoting full employment and decent work for all”

MDG target 1.B (2005): “Achieving full and productive

employment and decent work for all including women

and young people”.

System-wide initiatives • Plan of Action (2nd Poverty Decade)

• 2009 CEB Crisis Initiatives: Global Jobs Pact and Social Protection Floor Initiatives

Rural Employment Team

FAO Global Goals: • Reduction of hunger• Elimination of poverty• Sustainable management of natural resources

Gender, Equity and Rural Employment Division (ESW)

FAO’s New Strategic Framework

A B C D E F G H I K L

Crop production

Livestock production

Fisheries and Aquaculture

Food SafetyForest and

Tree management

Natural Resources

Management & Environmental

Challenges

Markets, Livelihoods,

Rural Development

Food Security and

Nutrition

Preparedness and Response

to Emergencies

Gender equity

Investment in Agriculture and Rural

Development

G

Markets, Livelihoods,

Rural Development

IIEE (2007) recommendation: “Refocus FAO’s work on value addition and employment for income generation and food access”

Strategic Objective GEnabling environment for markets to improve livelihoods and rural development

Organizational Result 2Rural employment creation, access to land and income diversification are integrated

into agricultural and rural development policies, programmes and partnerships

Unit Result G0209The enabling environment in support of decent rural employment is improved

Decent work

Country-based strategic approach

Youth employment

Decent Work

Agenda Employ creation Rights at work

Social ProtectionSocial Dialogue

Institutions

Gender

Equity

Sub-areas Principles Considerations Topics

Smallholder trans

Globalization

Climate change

Econ & fin crises

Outcomes

Enabling Environment

More and better jobs

Increased incomes and livelihoods

Food security & poverty

reduction

Others ...

Child labour prevention

Migration

Economic & social

empowermentLand / NR

Decent rural employment

• CEB Gobal Jobs Pact and Social Protection Floor Initiative

• Second UN Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017)

• CAADP process • Other regional frameworks

• ILO Decent Work Country Programmes

• UNDAF

Country support approach• Country profiles• Specific policy advice and technical

assistance on rural employment(e.g. JFFLS via UNJPs)

Strategic country support approach

Share of rural youth in total population

Country data snapshot (Malawi)

Share of youth living with less then 2 US$ per day 66.3%

Typical Malawi youth

Location Sex Age LiterateAttending school

Rural 87%Female

52% 19 Yes 63% No 40%

Working youth population

National / rural Female 23% (94.6% in agriculture)

Male 19% (88.6 % in agriculture)

Lack of access to and control over productive resources (e.g. land and capital)

Inadequate skills (e.g. production, processing and business skills)

Generational gap (e.g. transfer of indigenous farming knowledge from adults to young)

Labour market discriminations often result into higher unemployment rates for young girls

Globalization (e.g. uncertainties, variability in prices)

Few countries have included employment promotion strategies in their PRSPs

Many challenges for rural youth

JUNIOR FARMER FIELD AND LIFE SCHOOLS

Agriculture techniques COMBINED WITH life and business skills

JFFLS: Creating jobs and engaging people

crop cycle follows

creation of

Youth Farmers’ Associations

JFFLS graduates

one year cycle

JFFLS training modules

Land preparation

Planning in agriculture and in life

Growing up healthy

Agriculture diversity

Protection (IPM and personal protection)

How to face threats and loss

Food processing and conservation

Entrepreneurship – business skills

Water for life

Land and property rights

Child labour prevention (FAO-ILO module)

—————

Monitoring and Evaluation toolkit

AGRICULTURAL SKILLS LIFE-BUSINESS SKILLS

PLANNING IN AGRICULTURE(planning a cropping calendar)

PLANNING IN LIFE(importance of setting goals)

WATER MANAGEMENT(irrigation methods)

WATER IN LIFE – HYGIENE – HEALTH(quality of water and nutrition)

CHARATERISTICS OF SOIL CONDITION(methods of sowing and preparation)

PERSONAL CHARATERISTICSAND DEVELOPMENT

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR CROPSAND PROPERTY

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF(child labour, rights and property rights)

WHEN TO HARVEST AND WHAT TO DO WITH IT(demands from the market)

AGRICULTURE AS A BUSINESS(business and marketing skills)

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS(sustainable and diversified agriculture)

MAINTANANCE IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PROPERTY

Innovative JFFLS curriculum

Ministry of YouthMinistry of Education

FAO

Institutional Support

Youth Clubs - Schools

Vocational TrainingCenters

Capacity Building

Norms and Standards

Innovation Programmes

Inclusion of agric.skills in MoYDS - MoE

curriculum

Creation of Youth Farmers’

Associations

National ownership - Up-scaling to all MoYDS clubs and MoE schools & Farmers’ Cooperatives

+

+

=

=

Institutionalization

Implementing countriesBurundi, Cameroon, DRC, West Bank and Gaza Strip, Ghana, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Rwanda, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Foreseen next Comoros, Haiti and Niger

Youths trained 19,000

Facilitators trained 2,000

JFFLS mapping

National Government + UN Country Team (UNCT)

United Nations Development Assistance Framework

(UNDAF)=

UNJPs in Comoros, Nepal, Honduras, Tunisia, Mozambique, Gaza & West Bank, Sudan and Malawi

• National ownership

• Partnership

• Comparative advantage

• Maximum effectiveness and accountability

UN-wide system coherence: Delivering as ONE

The way forward

Undertake core activities under areas of gender equality and rural employment, youth employment promotion, child labour prevention and migrationSeek financial support for developing and applying a strategic country support approachJFFLS as integral part of an inclusive FAO country approach on decent rural employmentExpand country and regional coverage of JFFLSEnhance institutionalization of JFFLSLink rural youth employment work to UN country teams and inter-agency mechanisms:

CEB Joint Crisis Initiatives: Global Jobs Pact and Social Protection Floor InitiativeUNDAFs, UNJPs, NEPAD/CAADP, DWCPsCollaboration with ILO Continued UNJPs cooperation (UN-wide approach)

Link to other development partners and policy areas

Contact: www.fao-ilo.org / peter.wobst@fao.org