3 min
The need for youths to be proactively involved in building resilience of food and agricultural systems was the central message of the interactive session organized by the Young Board of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA). The webinar-styled event was part of the ongoing IFAMA digital conference. It featured young agribusiness professionals drawn from different parts of the world who gave unique perspectives on how the current pandemic affected their regional food systems and the role played by young people in managing the crisis.
Provide digital platforms to shorten value chains
Starting the conversation, Mr. Bolanos gave some insight on how food security in Costa Rica and Latin America has been impacted by the pandemic. According to him, being a largely food exporting region, the international demand for export commodities was affected by the pandemic especially for non-staple crops like pineapples. The case was however different for staple exports which were still quite in demand. In terms of the government’s reaction to the situation, restrictions were placed on transit but total lockdown was not enforced. Bolanos also spoke about how youths could be involved in the region’s food system response. He remarked that some areas that hold urgent promise for youth participation are information technology-where youths can provide digital platforms to shorten the value chain and link growers to demand- and value addition or product development.
Building on the discussion, Mr. McNally also pointed out the need for more youths to be involved in agricultural workforce. He pointed out that just like in Costa Rica, the average age of the agricultural workforce in Canada was in the mid-fifties. So far, there has been an increased drive to stimulate more youth participation through the creation of more summer jobs for young people in agriculture.
Responding to the question of how North American youths may be involved in creating resilience in the light of the current pandemic, McNally remarked that young people have always been at the forefront of creating disruptive innovations in the agricultural sector including facilitating the incorporation of advancements like robotics, and precision technology in the sector. There is therefore the expectation that this pandemic might open a vista of opportunities for more technological advancements in the sector championed by youths.
Balancing between 'efficiency and resilience'
Bringing an academic perspective into the discussion, Melissa van der Werwe remarked on how the pandemic has disrupted instruction and interaction with students, with activities having to shift online. Key challenges with this new reality, she averred were the problem of internet access and connectivity as well as the problems students face with balancing home responsibilities with their academic obligations. According to Van der Merwe, the situation was not all bleak, as it has enabled schools to be able to invite professionals in the industry via virtual digital platforms, a situation that has enriched student learning experience.
A highlight of her presentation was the assertion that with respect to the global food systems, there has to be balance between “efficiency and resilience”. She alluded to the supply challenge faced by developed countries where the shut down of large meat processing plants caused major shocks through the entire value chain. On youth involvement in promoting food systems resilience, she called for more proactive involvement by youths especially in the developing countries of Africa, where there is a lot of room in value addition, food processing as well as development and adoption of technology.
Mr. de Munnik, the panelist from Europe, spoke about how Rabobank was making food available to cushion the effect of the pandemic in low to middle-income countries. According to De Munnik, the bank has been responding through its initiatives such as the Rabobank Foundation whose goal is to stimulate local food production where it is most needed especially in developing countries. Speaking on the financial realities occasioned by the pandemic, he highlighted the slight increase in European interest rates, a situation that has since been restored to pre-COVID19 levels.
On how youths in Europe could be encouraged to be more involved in agriculture, De Munnik lamented the huge capital requirement for starting new agribusinesses. On its part, Rabobank has been making contributions towards having more youth participation in agriculture through providing advisory services as well as providing loans at favorable rates to entrepreneurs whose businesses engaged environmentally and economically sustainable practices.
What is your take-home message from the first Young Board Webinar? Please share below.
Starting the conversation, Mr. Bolanos gave some insight on how food security in Costa Rica and Latin America has been impacted by the pandemic. According to him, being a largely food exporting region, the international demand for export commodities was affected by the pandemic especially for non-staple crops like pineapples. The case was however different for staple exports which were still quite in demand. In terms of the government’s reaction to the situation, restrictions were placed on transit but total lockdown was not enforced. Bolanos also spoke about how youths could be involved in the region’s food system response. He remarked that some areas that hold urgent promise for youth participation are information technology-where youths can provide digital platforms to shorten the value chain and link growers to demand- and value addition or product development.
There is therefore the expectation that this pandemic might open a vista of opportunities for more technological advancements in the sector championed by youthsInvolving youths in agricultural workforce
Building on the discussion, Mr. McNally also pointed out the need for more youths to be involved in agricultural workforce. He pointed out that just like in Costa Rica, the average age of the agricultural workforce in Canada was in the mid-fifties. So far, there has been an increased drive to stimulate more youth participation through the creation of more summer jobs for young people in agriculture.
Responding to the question of how North American youths may be involved in creating resilience in the light of the current pandemic, McNally remarked that young people have always been at the forefront of creating disruptive innovations in the agricultural sector including facilitating the incorporation of advancements like robotics, and precision technology in the sector. There is therefore the expectation that this pandemic might open a vista of opportunities for more technological advancements in the sector championed by youths.
Balancing between 'efficiency and resilience'
Bringing an academic perspective into the discussion, Melissa van der Werwe remarked on how the pandemic has disrupted instruction and interaction with students, with activities having to shift online. Key challenges with this new reality, she averred were the problem of internet access and connectivity as well as the problems students face with balancing home responsibilities with their academic obligations. According to Van der Merwe, the situation was not all bleak, as it has enabled schools to be able to invite professionals in the industry via virtual digital platforms, a situation that has enriched student learning experience.
A highlight of her presentation was the assertion that with respect to the global food systems, there has to be balance between “efficiency and resilience”. She alluded to the supply challenge faced by developed countries where the shut down of large meat processing plants caused major shocks through the entire value chain. On youth involvement in promoting food systems resilience, she called for more proactive involvement by youths especially in the developing countries of Africa, where there is a lot of room in value addition, food processing as well as development and adoption of technology.
On how youths in Europe could be encouraged to be more involved in agriculture, De Munnik lamented the huge capital requirement for starting new agribusinessesYouth participation in agriculture by providing advisory
Mr. de Munnik, the panelist from Europe, spoke about how Rabobank was making food available to cushion the effect of the pandemic in low to middle-income countries. According to De Munnik, the bank has been responding through its initiatives such as the Rabobank Foundation whose goal is to stimulate local food production where it is most needed especially in developing countries. Speaking on the financial realities occasioned by the pandemic, he highlighted the slight increase in European interest rates, a situation that has since been restored to pre-COVID19 levels.
On how youths in Europe could be encouraged to be more involved in agriculture, De Munnik lamented the huge capital requirement for starting new agribusinesses. On its part, Rabobank has been making contributions towards having more youth participation in agriculture through providing advisory services as well as providing loans at favorable rates to entrepreneurs whose businesses engaged environmentally and economically sustainable practices.
What is your take-home message from the first Young Board Webinar? Please share below.
The event featured members of the Young Board, including:
The moderator:
Richard Agetu (Graduate Student, University of Adelaide, Australia)
And panelists:
Melissa van der Merwe (Lecturer, University of Pretoria, South Africa) Justin McNally (Agronomist, Lallemand Canada) Juan Jose Bolanos (CEO, Pinalbo Costa Rica) Michiel de Munnik (Account manager, RaboBank, The Netherlands)
Attending IFAMA Board members were:
Hector Laurence (President) Raj Vardhan (President Elect) Woody Maijers Prof. Victoria Salin Kathryn White (IFAMA Executive Director)
Remarks were also made by the Chair of the ongoing IFAMA Digital conference, Dick Veerman, as well as the Young Board’s Program lead for the event Anathi Makamane (University of the Free State, South Africa). Closing remarks were made by the Chair of the Young Board, Edeoba Edobor (Purdue University, United States).
The moderator:
And panelists:
Attending IFAMA Board members were:
Remarks were also made by the Chair of the ongoing IFAMA Digital conference, Dick Veerman, as well as the Young Board’s Program lead for the event Anathi Makamane (University of the Free State, South Africa). Closing remarks were made by the Chair of the Young Board, Edeoba Edobor (Purdue University, United States).
Related
The Young Board initiative is an excellent initiative from IFAMA. Appreciate the approach, board composition and the perspectives they carry. Can be a significant contributor to the sector.
Thought i shall put forth a couple of areas where there is significant entrepreneurial (valuecreation) activity from our community members:
1) B2B marketplaces especially connecting specific product/category value chains players to business markets. We now have about 5/6 initiatives that are showing significant promise. For examples, a B2B marketplace for sweetcorn value chain in Nigeria being set-up by an experienced agribusiness entrepreneur, A B2B export marketplace being set-up for Okra and chillies set-up connecting India farm-produce to international buyers. On similar lines a marketplace for poultry value chain is being conceptualized by a Nigerian entrepreneur
2) Reseller network powered by digital platform. Challenged by the retail distribution economics and payment terms a small scale food processor setting up a reseller network for his and a few other manufacturers products. The core idea is to create new distribution network by manufacturers themselves taking the role of digital wholesalers. Conceptually, this is an excellent opportunity to develop and a model that would be an open opportunity in several markets
3) Technology providers taking stance in the value chain. The third model which i like very much is a model where the technology providers spotting an inefficiency has developed a technology and have decided to give technology away to the value chain players for procuring the produce against to serve nice contracts from downstream partners. The smart technology entrepreneurs seem to have realized that it is easier to create and leverage arbitrage opportunities within the value chain than to see sell technology to the actors
Happy to discuss more on any of the above or other themes of interest to this group?
IFAMA Young board (IYB) members presented a timely discussion of how this current crisis is impacting a large percentage of the world. I applaud them as they hit the ground running.
The visionary values outlined by Ray Goldberg and other early IFAMA members remain as valid today, as they were when IFAMA was formed 30 years. It’s exciting to share this path with the next generation while imagining different and new solutions for emerging challenges.
The IYB is tasked with attracting youth to agribusiness. This topic deserves a full conference. With the incorporation of high tech, renewable energies, work and education opportunities online, new payment systems, food safety, the pursuit of superior yields, CRISPR technology, and the use of AI, drones, and robots in farm management require a highly skilled and cross-disciplined workforce entering the ag sector.
Likewise, young entrepreneurs often lack access to the money needed to launch startups, and yet immense opportunities exist to change, expand, and recreate organizations that are already funded. This includes progressive and generational change and the incorporation and management of things that were not available a few years ago.
The new expanded concepts of food, health, hunger, and supply will also be critical. The launch of the IFAMA Young Board is extremely positive and we are looking forward to supporting these young professionals as they continue their progressive trajectory.
Hello everyone! I’m Tássia, a IFAMA Young Board director from Brazil.
Here in Brazil, even before the pandemic, we were already in a process of migrating young people to the agriculture field. This natural movement were following the agricultural professionalization and the medium age of most part of the farmers. During the pandemic, digitization is accelerating, which brings even more focus to young people. A major challenge that we already face and will be even more important is the process of succession in the field, that is, how past generations are making this transition for younger generations. The ideal scenario is to maintain the knowledge accumulated by previous generations and bring disruptive innovation through youth but doing so is not a simple matter when it comes to people and family businesses.
Dear Hector Laurence and Kathryn White, how do you look back on the first webinar of the IFAMA Young Board?