As highlighted by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, "Increasing youth unemployment against the backdrop of high population growth is a major challenge for many countries... The importance of empowering youth to invest and benefit from responsible investments in agriculture is increasingly recognized at national, regional, and global levels." 

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The Appropriate Scale Mechanization Consortium (ASMC) is pushing to change the labor-intensive perception of farming and showcase agricultural careers as an attractive option for youth. With specialties such as agronomy, crop science, agribusiness, agro-engineering, agro-processing and agricultural education, agriculture has evolved into an expansive and exciting field in recent decades.  Effectively, an agriculture-centered life has taken on new meaning, and there is a need to expose youth to the vast opportunities within the field. More than ever before, these careers and professionals are necessary in order for farmers in developing nations to not only compete in the market, but to find a way to sustainably feed an exponentially growing population.

 

ASMC works with 4-H Illinois and plans to use the Positive Youth Development approach to guide its youth integration efforts in Asia and West Africa. In both Hubs, we aim to address the potential for youth to become early adopters and participate in entrepreneurial activities by training rural youth to operate service provision business as operators, mechanics, marketers, or as machinery owners. We aim to accomplish this through entrepreneurship training and capacity building following principles of 4-H curricula of leadership and entrepreneurship. In both innovation Hubs we will engage with university level students to pursue technical education, conduct research in ASMC areas and develop professional capacity to pursue post-graduate careers in agricultural mechanization.