Youth engagement in agricultural research - Are you looking for one ...

Foreword
Youth is an asset.Young people – the shapers of the future – are an
asset to society. Youth and young professionals also are an asset
to institutions like Wageningen UR and CTA, the Technical Centre
for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation, that help to shape our
future society.
For Wageningen University and Research Centre youth is
‘core business’ in terms of the education, training and skills
development trajectories that we offer in the broad field of life
sciences. At Wageningen UR we are building the added value of
youth in applying their newly-absorbed knowledge – either from
Wageningen University, the Van Hall Larenstein University of
Applied Sciences or the Wageningen UR Centre for Development
Innovation – in the actual practice of research and development.
In this respect Wageningen UR is proud to see an annual increase
of student enrollment, students from developing countries in
particular.
On the other hand, we are concerned – as is CTA – about the
Youth engagement in agricultural research
diminishing interest among youth globally and in Sub-Sahara
Africa in particular, to engage in careers in the agricultural
sector and in agricultural research. Therefore Wageningen UR
aims to develop an initiative to increase youth engagement in
these areas. In preparation thereof, the present study, compiled
by a young professional ánd a Wageningen University alumna,
Ms Froukje Kruijssen, provides an overview of the present
situation as to youth engagement and career perspectives,
in agricultural research, with a focus on Sub-Sahara Africa.
The study lists the many current initiatives in this area and comes
with a number of welcome recommendations on courses of action
for Wageningen UR to follow.
Dr. Bram Huijsman
Director Wageningen International
Wageningen University and Research Centre