the Agripreneurship Alliance

Growing the Agripreneurs of the Future

Welcome to the home page of the Agripreneurship Alliance. This is the first stage of developing a website that will act as a portal to and a repository of information, tools and resources designed to support young adults become entrepreneurs in Agriculture and Agribusiness.

The Agripreneurship Alliance is a partnership drawn from around the world including Business, Universities and Non Governmental Organisations (NGO's) who all have a shared vision of thriving rural communities that are supported by successful youth-driven businesses within the local and global food system.

The Agripreneurship Alliance launched as an Swiss-based non-profit Association, based in Montreux, in August 2017. We have an exciting future ahead of us as we work with our partners to develop web-based tools, resources and courses that can be used in training institutions and universities across sub-Saharan Africa.

A core focus will be to work with partners to develop a cloud-based agripreneurship programme that will take the budding agripreneur through the business start-up process and develop a suite of business start-up guides to help inspire and guide young Agripreneurs. In addition, we will build a network of experts who are willing to share their knowledge by responding to 'Ask the Expert' type requests from young Agripreneurs and also recruit a team of volunteers who can share their skills and experience to support young Agripreneurs develop their business ideas through short-term coaching and mentoring.

In 2018 we are delighted to be working with SIANI and our partners at Egerton and Laikipia Universities (Kenya), Gulu University and IITA Kampala (Uganda) and ISTVS (Somaliland) to roll-out a pilot 'Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness' blended learning course to enable students to develop high quality business plans within the agrifood sector.

The continent of Africa is at an exciting and challenging point in its economic development but continues to face such challenges as poverty, malnutrition, conflict, climate change and a growing youth population.

However, there are significant local and global strategic initiatives that aim to address such issues, including the Sustainable Development Goals, the African Union's Agenda 2063 Framework and the African Development Banks’ Feed Africa strategy.

It is worth recognising that:
 In 2015, 226 million youth aged 15-24 lived in Africa, accounting for 19 per cent of the global youth population (UN, 20151)
 10 million youth enter Africa’s labour market annually.
 Youth is defined as people between the ages of 15 (exclusive) and 35 (inclusive).
 By 2020, three out of four Africans will be an average of 20 years old.
 Youth unemployment rate in sub-Saharan Africa is about 12%.
 Only 16% of youth have a ‘wage job’, while 62% work on family farms and 22% in household enterprises.
 At the US$2/day level, the working poverty rate was about 64 % in 2013 (YAP, 20162)
 The average age of farmers in Africa is about 55 years (WTO, 20153)

Mission

To promote and stimulate youth driven entrepreneurship in agriculture and agribusiness within developing economies.

Aims

To encourage and support young adults to become the farmers of tomorrow through choice rather than necessity
To inspire young entrepreneurs to establish food-based businesses thus supporting the development of the wider rural community eco-system
To encourage new and novel approaches in locally based food systems that consider local opportunities and the challenges of climate change, conflict and malnutrition
To contribute to local and global food security

Objectives

Build a multi-sectoral partnership to support and engage in activities to fulfil mission
Design an online platform that will support in-person training programmes and individual young agripreneurs to acquire business skills specifically related to the early stages of business design and creation within agriculture and agribusiness
Develop an online course that can be embedded into in-person training programmes to enhance business skills acquisition specifically related to the early stages of business design and creation within agriculture and agribusiness
Establish a team of experienced volunteers who are available to mentor young agripreneurs

Steven Carr

C.E.O

Steven is focused on improving the life chances of young adults with particular experience on those living in conflict and/or poverty within a Community Development framework.

Anne Roulin

President

Across her career, Dr Anne Roulin has worked in academia, in the private sector (Tetra Pak and Nestlé) and as an entrepreneur in the UK, Switzerland, the USA, Italy and France.

An Exploration of Agripreneurship, Scope, Actors and Prospects. Steven Carr & Anne Roulin, June 2016

This research was commissioned as a result of growing interest in the topic of youth-centred Agripreneurship and had the objective to identify the key actors particularly within Academia, Non-Government Organisations and the non-profit sector to help young unemployed, or underemployed, graduates in Africa, or other developing economies, to enter into entrepreneurship in agriculture or agribusiness. The average age of farmers is increasing globally and encouraging a new generation of farmers and agribusinesses is crucial for the future of food and nutrition security. This is particularly critical in many developing countries where there are significant levels of migration of young people from rural to urban areas. Even where they stay in rural areas young people often do not have interest in agriculture as it is practiced today. This approach is also highly relevant within a wider global strategic framework that includes the Sustainable Development Goals, Agenda 2063, Lesser Developed Countries and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Global Alliance for Agripreneurship. Steven Carr, February 2017

This paper recommends the establishment of a Global Alliance for Agripreneurship, as an independent organisation. This will bring together the skills and expertise of global partners to initially focus on the development of a website and allied online course that can be embedded through a blended learning approach into the Young Agripreneur Programme, ENABLE Youth and other programmes such as those at Universities and be accessible to independent young agripreneurs. Such an online presence will provide encouragement, ideas and resources that will support the African agricultural renaissance and work to promote and stimulate youth-driven entrepreneurship in agriculture and agribusiness within developing economies.

Africa Management Initiative

The African Management Initiative (AMI) helps businesses across Africa build motivated, productive and effective workforces through our unique learning and transformation programmes, delivered via web, mobile and in-person workshops. We work with managers and entrepreneurs on building key business management skills, and have partnerships with numerous organisations on work-readiness programmes for young people entering the workforce

Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation

Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation (CDI) is a part of the Wageningen University and Research Centre, based in the Netherlands. It is a world leading University in the topics of agriculture and forestry. CDI works on processes of innovation and change through facilitating innovation, brokering knowledge and supporting capacity development to build inclusive and sustainable food systems.

Teach a Man to Fish

Teach A Man To Fish was founded in 2006 in London by Nik Kafka. Our mission is to change the world through transforming education in the developing countries. We work to empower young people in Africa, Latin America and Asia by providing them with a better quality and more relevant education so that they leave school prepared to succeed in work, in further education, and in life.

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) is one of the worlds leading Universities and hosts the 'MOOCs for Africa' Centre providing cloud-based learning on a range of topics and issues.

World Agroforestry Centre

The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) is a centre of scientific excellence possessing the world’s largest repository of agroforestry science and information. Our vision is an equitable world where all people have viable livelihoods supported by healthy and productive landscapes. The Centre generates science-based knowledge about the diverse roles that trees play in agricultural landscapes, and uses its research to advance policies and practices, and their implementation that benefit the poor and the environment.

Beekeeping Manuals for Developing Countries

In collaboration with Pam Gregory, the UK National Bee Unit has produced a series of beekeeping manuals specifically designed to help beekeepers in developing countries. The manuals are aimed to help enhance apicultural practices by maximising productivity and potentially increase the income African Bee keepers receive.

CTA: An ICT Agripreneurship Guide - A Path to Success for Young ACP Entrepreneurs

This Handbook provides a step-by-step roadmap designed to equip aspiring ICT entrepreneurs with the information and knowledge they need to start an ICT-based business in the agricultural sector, outlining key opportunities and challenges that will be encountered along the way.

FAO: Toolkit and E-learning modules on Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems.

This integrated package of guidance materials, developed by drawing upon expertise from across the Organisation and of many partners, aims at enhancing capacities for the formulation, implementation and monitoring of nutrition-sensitive food system policies and programmes, in line with the Rome Declaration on Nutrition, the SDGs and UN Decade of Action for Nutrition.

29Mar

BLENDING IT UP: INNOVATIVE LEARNING PROGRAMME IS TO STEP UP AGRIBUSINESS IN AFRICA

29/03/2018 10:55

We're delighted to be working with SIANI and enjoyed developing this report together https://www.siani.se/news-story/blending-learning-youth-agriculture-business/

Annual Report

05/03/2018 13:39

The Agripreneurship Alliance is now 6-months old, having launched in August 2017 as a small, Swiss-based non-profit organisation and thanks to our members, partners and friends we have made great strides forwards and we are delighted to share our first Annual Report.

16Nov

Announcing a partnership with SIANI

16/11/2017 09:35

The Agripreneurship Alliance is proud to announce that we have secured funding from the Swedish International Agriculture Network Initiative (SIANI) to pilot a novel cloud-based, blended learning programme in 'Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness' in East Africa.

28/09/2017 11:15

Seaweed, hydroponics and seeds. Dan Saladino meets the 'Future Food' finalists in the 2017 BBC Food and Farming Awards, and asks what their stories tell us about the future of what, and how, we all eat.

24Aug

Workshop: Accelerating Youth, Education & Innovation for Sustainable Development

24/08/2017 09:08

The Agripreneurship Alliance was delighted to be able to play a small role in supporting the development of this workshop in August 2017 at Makerere University in Uganda that brought together over 100 students and faculty staff from across East Africa and Sweden. For more details of the event go to http://www.slu.se/slu-global/accelerate

05/07/2017 10:17

Building a global partnership to encourage and support young Agripreneurs in Africa with cloud-based tools and resources

05/07/2017 10:09

Looking forward to being able to talk to participants at 'Planting Seeds for the Future of Food' in Vevey this week.

17Jun

May Update

17/06/2017 11:02

A short update on the work and progress of the Agripreneurship Alliance

15/06/2017 11:54

09May

Youth, Agripreneurship and the SDG's

09/05/2017 10:14

It was great to speak at the 'Youth, Agripreneurship and SDG's" workshop in Stockholm yesterday. There was lots of enthusiasm and energy from all the participants and a huge 'thanks' must go to SLU Global & SIANI for organising the event and to SIDA for hosting the workshop. For more details check out https://lnkd.in/dCaVuH7

22Apr

Premagyan Good100

22/04/2017 17:30

Super excited that as a result of our participation in the Good Festival for social entrepreneurs and innovators, the Agripreneurship Alliance has won a Premagyan Good100 award.

05/04/2017 23:45

This is awesome, I've been invited to participate at the GoodFestival.ch event on 20 - 22 April 2017 at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. As they say on their website "GoodFestival is for the sustainable innovators. The Artists, Entrepreneurs, Scientists, Writers, Doctors, Filmmakers and other practitioners, the “doers” who are building a better world. It does not matter whether the business model is for-profit or non-profit; whether the Innovator is established or a start-up; or she/he is an artist or a business person or both. The only thing that matters is that the initiative is contributing to a better world. And the aim of GoodFestival is to connect the Innovators to Fans, Funds & Fame.". This will be a great opportunity to build networks and share the ambitions of the Agripreneurship Alliance.

Capacity Building opportunities for Young Professional Farmers and Agricultural Professionals between EU & China

The EU and China have just announced a new initiative to support the future of agriculture with a programme designed to allow young farmers and agriculture professionals from EU and China to engage in study visits between the two regions. The EU Commissioner for Agriculture (Phil Hogan) stated “we need to stimulate a new generation of young agri-entrepreneurs to develop the agri-food sector of the 21st Century”.

Application for Small Grants for Graduate Internship

Association of African Universities - Internship Opportunities for Graduates

Tech4Dev Conference 2018

EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) has announced a call for proposals for papers, sessions and events at the 5th International Conference on Technologies for Development (Tech4Dev 2018) taking place from 7-29 June 2018 at the SwissTech Convention Center in Lausanne, Switzerland.

1820 Montreux, Switzerland

the Agripreneurship Alliance

Welcome

Why Agripreneurship?

Interviews

Mission

Mission

Aims

Objectives

Team

Steven Carr

Anne Roulin

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