Type	Voluntary commitment by other stakeholders
Organisation	International Agri-Food Network
Scope	Global
Themes	Addressing systemic issues; Agriculture and food security; Domestic and international private business and finance; Domestic public resources; Small and medium enterprises; jobs

Description

In October 2013 the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) endorsed its Multi-Year Programme of Work for 2015-17, including a Round Table entitled “A Plan of Action to Build Knowledge, Skills, and Talent Development to Further Food and Nutrition Security”. The endorsement by the CFS of this topic signalled talent development in agriculture would take increased precedence in the United Nations food security agenda. In response to this plan of action, a coalition of interested
partners engaged through an iterative process to define strategies for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of talent development systems of the world’s most important industry, agriculture. Several key areas have been identified where there is need for working on progressive goals and innovative partnerships to implement them.

Partners

Young Professionals in Agricultural Research and Development (YPARD)
UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS)
Global Forum for Agricultural Research Services (GFRAS)
Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP)
World Farmers Organization (WFO)
Global Pulse Confederation (GPC)
Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for Agriculture and Life Sciences
Nuffield International Farming Scholars
Cybernated Farm Systems
Partners for Euro-African Green Energy (PANGEA)

Targets

1. Create an enabling environment and incentives for private sector engagement in talent development to improve linkages between supply and demand of knowledge and skills
2. Promote demand-driven and innovative agriculture education, training, and skills development programmes geared towards transformation and maintaining high performance culture at all levels
3. Recruit and retain youth and women in agriculture through incentives and the promotion of conducive environments for equitable access to secure land tenure, inputs, financial services, knowledge, and markets;
4. Develop national agricultural plans and resource mobilisation strategies to enhance talent development in agriculture, food, and natural resources while including women and youth in the process;
5. Develop monitoring, learning, evaluation, and knowledge management systems for talent development.

Indicators

Number of jobs created in the agri-food chain
Number of youth and women employed in those jobs
Number of trained farmer and workers
Number of training programs available
Number of national strategies developed in the countries including talent development in agriculture

Resources

In-kind by the partner organizations

Timeframe

September 2015-September 2017