Food systems

Empowering women and young people in the agricultural sector

Brief description of the project

The social and economic integration of young people is a major challenge in West Africa because they are often unaware of the opportunities offered by the agricultural sector and/or have no access to training and further education opportunities. Moreover, few of these opportunities are tailored to the needs of the market. SIFAs(Site Intégré de Formation Agricole) are easily accessible, community-run, hands-on training centers for young people that prepare and guide them to start their own lucrative agricultural businesses in a short period of time.

Project goals

• Young adult producers learn agroecological practices, entrepreneurial skills and market knowledge in order to carry out a lucrative agricultural activity adapted to climate change.
• SIFAs are recognized as centers of excellence for agroecological agricultural training and innovative climate change-adapted practices that promote producer empowerment and improve the environmental impact of the agricultural sector.
• SIFAs are recognized as official vocational training institutions and are managed by local stakeholders.