Enabling the Business of Agriculture 2019 presents indicators that measure the laws, regulations and bureaucratic processes that affect farmers in 101 countries. The study covers eight thematic areas: supplying seed, registering fertilizer, securing water, registering machinery, sustaining livestock, protecting plant health, trading food and accessing finance. It highlights global best performers and countries that made the most significant regulatory improvements in support of farmers.

This How-to-do Note on access to land for rural youth employment and entrepreneurship complements the Toolkit on land tenure in IFAD-financed operations that highlights the importance of strengthening tenure security for rural development.

It builds on the work done by IFAD to support rural youth employment and entrepreneurship, by highlighting important issues and good practices from around the world on how to address them.

This How-to-do Note is designed for country programme teams, consultants and technical advisors, to provide guidance on designing projects with youth-sensitive interventions targeted at strengthening tenure security to achieve more equitable development.

Agritech-startups is a versatility tale and a new one. It is about exploiting technologies by the absolute dedication and creating solutions to indigenous issues. The road is less travelled, but it can unravel significant treasures while also pulling the agriculture sector out of the dark. India witnessed deals that are made up for 4.7 percent of the total deals globally and attracted 9.5 percent of the total startup investment amounts raised. Food and beverage, e-commerce, and fintech are three of the exceptionally performing startup sectors in India this year. While seed funding amounts were quite lower than the global average, venture funding amounts were twice the global venture funding figures this year. People are conscious about risk and rewards and India is referred to as a price-sensitive market. Indian markets are largely unorganized and fragmented which creates a roadblock for a startup to succeed. The behavior of Indian consumers changes every 30-50km that makes it really difficult for a startup to create a business or market strategy for their products or services. Most startups generally get stuck in stagnancy and gradually shut down. India is a place of varied culture and taste thus, every product might not be welcomed equally in every region. Appropriate IT-infrastructure has become a need for Indian businesses given the growing number of consumers online. Most startups are self-subsidized with a small workforce, making financial and operating records impossible. Farmers and Agritech startups have evolved rapidly over the past few years due to digital penetration and funding, majorly driving the growth of this sector. Solutions focused on developing a strong supply chain remain a key priority for all stakeholders. B2B is considered to be the biggest revenue-generating stakeholder due to long term business sustainability. Outlook in 2020 should be towards driving innovation, data collaboration, easy working capital and providing digital infrastructure.

The achievement of the first two Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – end poverty and hunger by 2030 – requires substantial investments. To fully contribute to sustainable development, both public and private investments should be perfectly aligned with the SDGs. In this context, empowering youth to invest in their own farms and businesses along agricultural value chains should be a key component of sustainable development-centered investment promotion and mobilization strategy for three reasons: the improvement of food security; the promotion of the added value of food products; and the improvement of employment and economic well-being.

This strategic planning tool can help propel investments by young agri-entrepreneurs at national or regional levels, and help ensure their sustainability. It analyses the current environment and overall conditions young investors face while offering practical solutions to overcome the main challenges identified. The strategic planning tool also helps ensure that decision-makers take ownership of the results through a participatory and inclusive process.

The COVID-19 outbreak has generated extreme vulnerability in the agriculture sector by creating a future threat to food security. The Agricultural Extension and Advisory Service (EAS) systems have been playing a crucial role at the frontline of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in rural areas. This is not the first time that EAS has been called to intervene in an emerging catastrophe. As an institution with trained technical staff, the extension has supported efforts and educated communities during natural disasters. Agripreneurs trained under the AC & ABC scheme have changed their way of operating in order to adapt to the government regulations. Efforts by MANAGE and partners have resulted in the training of 72,806 agri-graduates and the establishment of 30,583 (42%) active agriventures across the world as of 2 December 2020. Although the pandemic has affected the agripreneurs’ business in terms of getting recommended inputs, reduced sale of inputs and monthly turnover, their extension services have remained significant.

This document is the outcome of research initiated by a team of ISED Small Enterprise Observatory. It is meant to present the ISED perspective relating to ‘Youth Enterprise Development’ in the context of the ongoing Pandemic, COVID-19, and to put in place, the outline of a research agenda.

There has been an enhanced global interest in youth entrepreneurship today. Three key reasons explain that: a) the growing share of youth in the world population; b) the mounting situation of unemployment; and c) rapid changes in technology, where the young are expected to be more technology savvy. Besides the above three reasons, there is another objective ground for a focus on youth entrepreneurship: Unlike in the past, technological platforms today offer better and quicker solutions. At the macroeconomic level, this implies a progressive trend towards ‘servitization’ of the economy, which means, the proportionate share of services exceed that of real manufacturing. Creation of new businesses, in policy circles today, is largely perceived in terms of technology start-ups. However, COVID-19, the Pandemic, has drastically changed the scene. The medical stipulation of physical distancing, and the need for social connectivity as a means of survival economic activities, makes livelihoods strategies really complex. An escalation in the use of technology platforms in a more decentralized form than ever, is seen as a possible solution. However, the economic structure, in general, has come down to a lop-sided mode, demanding a search for alternatives.

The opportunities, as also the constraints and challenges to youth agri-enterprises in developing countries need close examination. The international experience, and more specifically India’s rich experience, can highlight the key drivers, and show how governments, non-profit organizations and private companies can strengthen youth entrepreneurship in the agricultural value chain. Such exploration on the experiences and imperatives in the context of India, demands further detailed enquiries and research as well.