Integrated Country Approach Ica For Boosting Decent Jobs For Youth In The Agrifood System

This Baseline Survey Report brings together the information collected through baseline surveys across the five countries supported by the project Integrated Country Approach (ICA) for boosting decent jobs for youth in the agrifood system (2019-2023). The ICA baseline surveys provide an in-depth understanding of the socioeconomic situation of the beneficiaries of the ICA pilot models before receiving support, the characteristics of their agribusinesses, as well as of their access to information and communication technology (ICT), finance and training. The report aims to foster information sharing across countries, highlight common challenges and lessons learned from the data collection process, and possibly inspire other similar youth employment interventions on the basis of the lessons learned from the ICA baselines and the changes that they induced for the overall theory of change of the ICA project.

Young people are key agents of change, with enormous innovation potential. FAO recognizes that youth are already at the frontline to build more sustainable agrifood systems and are best placed to rejuvenate the sector, acquire the knowledge and skills needed to innovate, uptake new technologies, and spearhead the digital transformation. The Organization provides support to countries to develop more youth-inclusive policies, strategies, investments and programmes, in order to enhance the overall well-being of young women and men. This compendium of good practices brings together snapshots of selected FAO's youth-specific projects, activities and products in support of the Rural Youth Action Plan (RYAP) first biennium of implementation (2021–2022).

This youth-sensitive value chain assessment aims to assess the current engagement of youth in selected value chains in the Kenyan counties of Siaya and Kakamega, as well as the specific challenges that youth face and the opportunities that could be tapped into for the generation of more and better jobs. The specific value chains analysed are dairy, fish, poultry, and soya in Kakamega and avocado, fish, poultry, and mango in Siaya.

Reducing rural poverty is a key objective of FAO. To achieve this goal, the Organization must reach the poor and the extremely poor in rural areas, analysing their needs and aspirations and providing effective guidance for the design of policies and investments that foster inclusive and sustainable development. This guide was developed to strengthen the Organization’s work on rural poverty reduction and inclusivity over the coming years. It provides key information to measure poverty, characterize rural populations, and identify their constraints to target them more accurately. The guide includes five chapters. Chapter 1 explains the structure, content, and use of the guide, as well as its intended users and objectives. Chapter 2 discusses how poverty is measured, focusing on the different indicators that can be used, depending on the context, specific circumstances, data availability and policy objectives. Chapter 3 provides guidance on how to build a poverty profile and produce poverty maps to understand who the poor are and where they are located. Chapter 4 focuses on the targeting process, on various targeting techniques and on how to choose one over another to ensure that programmes and projects effectively combat poverty, particularly in rural areas. Finally, Chapter 5 sets the next steps for the development of further analytical guides. The various chapters provide an overview of both widely used and emerging techniques in poverty analysis, focusing on quantitative methods, and giving constant attention to FAO’s areas of work and the challenges posed by operating in rural areas.

This catalogue aims to improve the dissemination and outreach of FAO’s knowledge products and overall publishing programme. By providing information on its key publications in every area of FAO’s work, and catering to a range of audiences, it thereby contributes to all organizational outcomes. From statistical analysis to specialized manuals to children’s books, FAO publications cater to a diverse range of audiences. This catalogue presents a selection of FAO’s main publications, produced in 2023 or earlier, ranging from its global reports and general interest publications to numerous specialized titles. In addition to the major themes of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, it also includes thematic sections on climate change, economic and social development, and food safety and nutrition.

This publication is intended to assist field practitioners, youth organizations and other stakeholders to identify binding constraints and viable opportunities to youth engagement in value chains that can translate into greater youth inclusion. Considering youth heterogeneity and inequalities, the youth sensitive framework for value chain analysis gives guidance to assess factors that push and pull youth into employment and entrepreneurship in value chains. The youth-sensitive value chain (YSVC) analysis is a starting point for youth-inclusive agricultural value chain development, since it identifies entry points and key actions expected to bring about the desired increase in employment and business opportunities for youth within a more attractive agriculture sector.

Food and Agricultural Organization’s Integrated Country Approach for boosting decent jobs for youth in agrifood systems carried out a digital readiness assessment of youth in agribusiness in partnership with the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation and youth-led organizations in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Over 360 young male and female entrepreneurs engaged through an online survey and virtual focus group discussions that generated insights on their interaction with digital technologies, either as entrepreneurs, service providers, or members of youth organizations. This summary note presents key findings on the following topics: agribusiness information flows, youth digital access and preferences, information technology use for business including e-commerce, e-learning, online mentoring, and online activities of rural youth networks.

This compendium is the result of a first-of-its-kind stocktaking exercise looking at FAO activities to address child labour in agriculture in Malawi, Mali, Uganda, the Niger and the United Republic of Tanzania over a decade (2010–2020). It is intended to make a practical contribution to the field of child labour elimination in agriculture, by shedding a light on some of the FAO-supported activities, country processes and practices as well as achievements, and lessons learned. As such, it highlights the general main lessons learned and key messages, outlines and provide details on country processes and related outcomes and achievements on knowledge generation, capacity development, awareness raising, policy advice and promotion of advocacy and partnerships. The contents on these FAO strategies for the elimination of child labour in agriculture are complemented by examples of areas of work such as promoting safe practices and labour-saving technologies and empowering and building the skills of youth aged 15–17 by facilitating school-to-work transition in agriculture.