Creating employment for rural youth and women Youth, decent employment and CAADP

1. Creating employment for rural youth and womenYouth, decent employment and CAADP 24th CTA Brussels Rural Development Briefing - 14 September 2011 Major drivers for rural transformation in Africa: Job creation for rural growth Peter Wobst, Senior Economist Economic and Social Development Department

2. Rural employment, poverty reduction & food security Rural employment creation More skilled & productive workforce Reduced child labour Managed migration MDG 1 Targets 1.A Reduce by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day 1.B Achieving full and productive employment and decent work for all including women and young people” 1.C Reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger Food production Empowerment Income generation Food security Purchasing power Acquisition of skills & bargaining power Better health Poverty reduction & social integration

3. Poverty among working youth in Africa On average 72% of the youth population in SSA live on less than US$ 2 a day 70% of the African youth population is lives in rural areas 40% of the total unemployed in SSA are youth Typical African youth Poor – rural – little education – (female) little job opportunities Source: World Bank 2008/09 Africa Development Indicators

4. Relevance of rural employment: Youth & adults Sources: ILO, 2010; UN-DESA, 2008 * South and Central Asia

5. Relevance of youth employment in SSA Source: Adopted from World Bank Rural Structures Programme (2010)

6. Employment challenges for rural youth & women • Youth & women face common challenges • Work is often temporary and insecure, under informal contracts • Lack of access to & control over productive resources (e.g. land & capital) • No collateral • Low education & inadequate skills (e.g. production & business) • Globalization (e.g. uncertainties, variability in prices) • Challenges for rural youth • Generational gap (e.g. transfer of indigenous farming knowledge) • No employment history and/or low work experience • Discriminations often result into higher unemployment rates for young women • Additional challenges for rural women • Often disregarded in labour rights, security benefits (i.e. social protection) • Hold a lower employment status in agriculture • Girls face more disadvantages in accessing education

7. Importance of addressing gender in rural employment Gains from closing the gender gap in agriculture • Productivity gains • 20 - 30% on women’s farms • 2.5 - 4% at national level • Food security gains • 12 - 17% reduction in number of hungry • 100 - 150 million people lifted out of hunger FAO/ILO/IFAD: Gender dimensions of agricultural and rural employment: Differentiated pathways out of poverty • Broader economic and social gains • Higher human capital, which promotes socio-economic growth FAO: The State of Food and Agriculture: Women in Agriculture:Closing the gender gap for development

8. FAO’s work on rural employment (RE) for youth Agriculture plays a pivotal role in the rural economy and the provision of farm and non-farm employment opportunities can contribute to economic growth and food security What • FAO has a key role in supporting decent employment for rural youth: • Facilitate youth-friendly training for employment creation • Support Youth Farmers’ Associations (YFAs) • Rural youth need adequate support & access to resources allowing young women & men to ... • reach their full potential and • become active partners in the achievement of economic & social goals Why How • Through Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools (JFFLS) • FAO facilitates the education & training of youth for employment • creation and enterprise development in rural areas

9. Approaches for youth employment creation Potential multi-stakeholder approaches for youth employment creation suitable under the Rural Futures Initiative • ILO • Start Your Business (SYB) • Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) • FAO • Farmer Field Schools (FFS) • Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools (JFFLS) • UNIDO • Salima Agricultural Technology Trainings (SATECH) • IFAD-UNIDO-FAO • African Agro-business and agro-industries initiative (3ADI) • Civil Society • The Songhai model

10. ILO – Start Your Business (SYB) SYB a system of inter-related training packages and supporting materials for small-scale entrepreneurs in developing and transition economies • SYB training is designed to assist potential entrepreneurs to: • Draft a marketing strategy; • Plan their staff needs; • Cost their goods and services; • Decide about the legal form of their business; • Get a clear idea about the licenses and permits needed; • Assess the environmental impact of their planned business; and • Forecast their finances. The SYB trainings have been implemented in over 90 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. SYB training is equally suitable for men and women in rural and urban areas, both young and old.

11. FAO – Farmer Field Schools (FFS) FFS  is a group-based learning process adopted by governments, NGOs and international agencies to promote Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The first FFS were designed and managed by FAO in 1989 since then more than 2,000,000 farmers globally have participated in this type of learning. Core principle of FFS & JFFLS is Agro-eco system analysis (AESA ) • FFS brings together concepts and methods from: • agro ecology, • experiential education • community development. Analysis Synthesis / Discussion Observation Presentation

12. 1. Rethinking the rural sector 2. Framing a rural agenda Rural Futures and JFFLS Rural economy & national development Agriculture & its linkages Governance & democratisation Ecosystems & their services Enhancing agro- skills: field prep., planting, IPM, harvesting, irrigation Developing an integrated learning methodology (agr.&life skills) Learning Design Local needs & interests Climate change & priorities Understanding ecosystems (AESA) Collaborating with central & local authorities Adapting curricula to local needs & contexts Promoting G.A.P. & environmental awareness Strengthening involved institutions’ capacities Developing life skills (self esteem, decision-making skills) National and regional setting & priorities JFFLS Human wellbeing & environment Aligning to national priorities & promoting national ownership Insitutionalisation Employment Promoting Youth Farmers’ Associations Entrenching JFFLS into national employment programmes Rights awareness Providing entrepreneurship, business & marketing skills Facilitating access to credit Globalisation & structural change Development regime & priorities Market access Global markets & investments 3. Moving into action 4. Mobilizing support

13. Institutionalization of JFFLS in Tanzania • In Tanzania, FAO works with rural institutions - the Tanzania Federation of Cooperatives (TFC) and the Cooperative Union of Zanzibar (CUZA) - to include young women and men in the rural employment sector Youth inclusion in the rural employment sector, encourages their participation & motivation Incentives given to cooperatives that include youth as active members Incentives negotiated by FAO & provided by the TFC & CUZA • FAO aims at national ownership / scaling-up of JFFLS by incorporating it into national youth employment strategies & programmes • Recent JFFLS methodology training (June 2011): • 30 cooperatives were trained by FAO (both Mainland & Zanzibar) • MoL, MoA, MoT & TCF & CUZA focal points included • Strengthens institutions’ capacities to allow a comprehensive inclusion of youth in various agro-value chains selected (cashew, horticulture, seaweed, etc.)

14. JFFLS to date Partnerships & alliances • Since 2004, JFFLS have been initiated in 16 countries & some 20,000 youths (50:50) have graduated from the schools. The programme aims at: • Reducing youth unemployment, child labour & school dropout rates through relevant education • Youth employment creation & enterprise development • Integration & participation in (modern) value chains • Tackling gender inequalities through gender-sensitive skills training • Reducing distress rural out-migration through psycho-social support, nutrition, agr. & life skills Programme support & advisory services Capacity development Policy advice

15. Key messages • Youth employment in rural areas is an enormous challenge • Productive employment creation for young women and men in rural areas is crucial for achieving MDG 1and feed the world in 2050 • Innovative approaches such as JFFLS contribute to youth employment creation & entrepreneurship development in rural areas • National ownership and strategic partnerships are crucial for successful implementation and long-term sustainability • Thank you ! • Contact: www.fao-ilo.org / peter.wobst@fao.org