This document discusses youth and agriculture in Nepal. It notes that Nepal has a large young population but high unemployment and underemployment rates among youth. Agriculture in Nepal is currently small-scale, traditional and subsistence-based, but has lost competitiveness. The document argues that engaging youth is key to transforming agriculture and ensuring future food security through more sustainable practices like changing diets, demand-based production, leasehold farming, product diversification, conserving local seeds, and sustainable crop management. These approaches could provide opportunity and income for unemployed youth.
3. Overview
Nepal: Land locked, mountainous and least developed
• 26.6 million population, CIA World Factbook 2013
• 13th poorest country in the world
• Economy: natural resources (Distribution and Use: Uneven)
• Rich in biodiversity; rich in young population i.e. up to 40 %
4. Youth: Overview
Unemployment rates are highest among people just out of
college
• 38.8 % of the population are either unemployed or
underemployed
• 15-29 years young people: 6.131 million people (26.2 % of
total population of which 11.4 % are out of work)
• Annually 3.5 -4 hundred thousand people enter into job
market, but only < 10 % absorbed in national market
5. Situation
Agriculture: small holder, traditional and subsistence farming
• Lost of its competitive edge: Food Security?
• Climate change and its impact: severe weather events
• Traditional agriculture has no attraction to the young people
as well as it is not adapting in new changing socio-economic
and changed climatic scenario
6. Cause
Hunger, poverty and under-lying nutrition
• Low agricultural productivity
• Limited livelihood opportunities
• Inadequate production and consumption of nutritious,
locally available foods
• Poor infrastructures
• Government’s inadequate resources
7. Food Security: Scenario
3 global parameters: 79/105 countries, GFSI 2012
34 districts food deficit, MoAD 2013
2/3 suffers from food insecurity each year
Currently 3.7 million people are food insecure
People from rural and remote areas are dependent on
external/emergency food supply
The continued food insecurity and lack of employment
opportunities= out migration of youth
8. Food Security: No. of policies
Agriculture Prospective Plan 1995
National Agricultural Policy 2004
Agribusiness Promotion Policy 2007
10th five year plan; 11st three year plan
National Agriculture Sector Development Priority Plan
2011-2015
Country Investment Plan
Agriculture Development Strategy 2015-2035 (Upcoming)
9. Youth Prospective
Young people are future and future generations of farmers
Young are adept at spreading new habit, raising awareness
and advocates for change
Advocacy on
i. Climate Justice
ii. Equity
iii. Sustainability
Major challenges
1. Reorganization/ trust
2. Opportunity
3. Finance
To meet present growing population and future projected
population; food security= sustainable agriculture practices
10. Sustainable Agriculture Practices
which could include YOUTH as well as adaptation on climate
change in agriculture securing food for present and future
• Change in food habit
• Demand based produce
• Lease hold farming
• Product diversification
• Germplasm
• Sustainable crop management practices
11. 1. Change in Food habit
• Rice as major food
• Traditional local food Vs readymade snacks
• Feeling of deprived
• Awareness on food diversification
• Well processing technologies-
• Minor and locally available- nutritious
• Raising awareness and engaging agri-production
12. 2. Demand based Produce
• Several pocket areas
• High demands and more profitable
• Marketing available
• Selling or exchange of product
• Food security better
• Increase IGF and youth engagement in
agriculture
13. 3. Lease hold Farming
• Land Use Classification
• Land degradation and Pollution
• Sustainable Soil Management practices
• Commercial agriculture which creates
employment to the unemployed youth
14. 4. Product diversification
• Increase farmer’s income
• Larger environmental footprint > less processed food
• Greater environmental impacts
• Technology and Volume of production
• Varieties within farming and food related activities
• Well marketing system; high returns to farmers
15. 5. Germplasm
• Farmer’s preference to the hybrid seeds
• Open border, quarantine and phyto-sanitary measures
• Increased problems
• Farmer to farmer networks
• Local varieties can re-colonize (van Dusen 2003)
• Youth should conserve germplasm as an
alternative
16. 6. Sustainable Crop Management
practices
• Crop productivity
• How crop will response to simultaneous change?
• Crop diversification
• To increase crop portfolio
• Introducing great range of varieties
• ↑/↕ income; ↑ natural biodiversity
• Producers with alternative means for income
Why YPARD?youth are often doing a lot of the work but not getting adequate recognition and their voice and key concerns are not heard nor taken into consideration. ‘Silent’ performers; passive participantsLimited access to trainings, meetings aor attending conferences like this one.It’s not always easy for youths to speak up in their organisations, to give their viewpoint, to ask questions or to voice their concerns. YPARD can help to allow them to discuss these issues with other youth are the key stakeholders for the sustainability of the ARD arena
The relationship between climate change and agriculture is two-way but once the climate is disturbed, the whole agriculture system is affected
The relationship between climate change and agriculture is two-way but once the climate is disturbed, the whole agriculture system is affected
three global parameters: affordability, availability, and quality and safety
three global parameters: affordability, availability, and quality and safety
three global parameters: affordability, availability, and quality and safety