Regional Webinar on Agri-Forest Enterprise Development for Young Farmers

INTRODUCTION TO AGRI-FOREST ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT FOR YOUNG FARMERS
April to June 2022

THEME

Young Women and Men  Farmers As Advocates for Sustainable, Resilient, Gender Sensitive Agri-Forest-Based Livelihoods: Young Farmers for Farms in Forests, Forests in Farms

INTRODUCTION

Enterprise development, value chains and market linkages are terms that are increasingly being used when discussing agriculture and farming. Most small-scale farmers and agriculture stakeholders understand the need for farmers to become more entrepreneurial in the way they operate their farms in order to make their livelihoods sustainable. While small-scale farmers have the ability to adapt to the changing market environment (e.g., explore new practices and technologies to increase productivity, etc.), they still need access to information and knowledge on marketing, value-adding, farm business planning, among others to ensure the sustainability of their enterprise. More so, capacitating young farmers on enterprise development serves as a strategy to attract more youth to the sector and to address the “greying” (i.e., aging) population of farmers in Asia.

To this end, the Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), with the support of the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF), launched the phase 2 of the project, “Young Women and Men  Farmers As Advocates for Sustainable, Resilient, Gender Sensitive Agri-Forest-Based Livelihoods: Young Farmers for Farms in Forests, Forests in Farms” to support and sustain sustainable, resilient, and gender-sensitive agri-forest-based enterprises led by young women and men farmers. It will continue the engagement with the 10 National Young Farmers Committees (NYFCs) established during the first phase of the project towards two main objectives:

Objective 1. Capacitate FFPOs and their NYFCs to support youth-led sustainable, resilient, gender-sensitive agri-forest-based enterprises

Objective 2. Enable FFPOs and their NYFCs to provide improved access to business, marketing, and financial services to its young women and men farmer members

Under Objective 1, AFA will conduct a series of regional webinars that aims to serve as a venue for participants to learn and improve their skills and knowledge on agri-forest-based enterprise and cooperative development and management. The Webinars will increase understanding on the strategies necessary in building/ establishing agri-forest-based enterprises, as well as best practices in managing and sustaining them (e.g. business planning, marketing and financing strategies). Successful case studies and value chain analyses, including those focusing on sustainable forest management and priority forest-based crops and products, will be highlighted in the hopes that participants can draw inspiration from each other and from experts.

REFERENCES

Bonavitacola, S., Menozzi, F., Pettoruso, S., Quartuccio, F., Vaccari, S., Valera, P.A., Lourenco, M., Campanico, P., Ligeiro, L. (2018). Empowering youth through entrepreneurship: a trainer’s toolkit. [online]. Retrieved 8 October 2021 from: https://experientiallearning.net/wp-content/uploads/listing-uploads/file-up-to-1-document/2020/04/Empowering-youth-through-entrepreneurship.pdf

Mwakio, E.M. (2018). Business skills and entrepreneurship development training and planning manual

Science for a food-secure future for potato producer cooperatives and youth groups. [online]. Retrieved 15 September 2021 from: https://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/handle/10568/99165/avcd_cip_manual.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Technoserve, the Kingdom of the Netherlands (2019). The Small Commercial Farmer model as a mechanism for rural development. https://www.technoserve.org

TOPIC

ZOOM REGISTRATION LINKS

TARGET PARTICIPANTS

• Representative/s of the National Young Farmers Committee (NYFCs) of partner/ member FOs of AFA 
• Interested young farmers/ young farmer collectives with budding enterprise/ enterprise ideas
• Focal point/s of AFA FO members

Day 1 program
Date : April 22, 2022
Starting time : 2:00PM Manila time
Duration : 4 hours

Day 2 program
Date : April 29, 2022
Starting time : 2:00PM Manila time
Duration : 3 hours

Day 3 program
Date : May 6, 2022
Starting time : 2:00PM Manila time
Duration : 3 hours

Coaching session
May 17, 2022
Time TBA

30 minutes per country  – AFA coaches will sit down with the representatives from the country and discuss (1) questions/ clarifications for the first three webinars and (2) the initial enterprise idea

Day 4 program
Date : May 24, 2022
Starting time : 2:00PM Manila time
Duration : 3 hours

Day 5 program
Date : TBA
Starting time : 2:00PM Manila time
Duration : 2 hours

Coaching session
June 14, 2022

30 minutes per country  – AFA coaches will sit down with the representatives from the country and discuss (1) questions/ clarifications for the last two webinars and (2) the business plan