The average age for farmers around the world is around 58. What can be done to bring more young people into policy discussions around agriculture? Farming First TV spoke to Courtney Paisley, Director of the Young People for Agricultural Development network (YPARD) about just that.
According to Ms. Paisley, young people are not being shown the opportunities that are available in agriculture, and how it could make them money. Continue reading
In this guest post, young soil scientist Steve Kibet tells Farming First how he has managed to mobilise young people to take action against soil degradation in Kenya. This blog is part of our ongoing partnership with Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD).
My grandmother would sit us by the fireside after a long day of looking after her livestock. She would tell us how she used to plant crops; there was no use of organic fertilizer, just removing vegetation cover by slashing and planting the crops using hoes. There was little disturbance to the soil structure. The cover material would protect the soil from water erosion, which is the main type of erosion in the area.. This resulted in a maize plant producing 2-3 maize cops. Her granary was full all year round and the cost of production was very low. Continue reading