The Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation, part of Wageningen University & Research, is seeking applications for the 2021 Engaging Young People towards Climate and Social Resilience Course.

Without appropriate responses, the effects of climate change are likely to hamper economic development and poverty reduction efforts. Sahelian countries, North and West Africa and Central Africa, with their economies rooted in climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, fishing and forestry, are highly exposed. In addition to climate change, these countries also face rapid growth in the number of young people and growing insecurity, to varying degrees. Far from being isolated phenomena, they feed on each other.

What are you going to learn?

Participants will learn the following:

• Analyze and understand the current situation in Africa in relation to climate change, the involvement of youth and political insecurity;
• Understand climate change (concepts such as adaptation and mitigation, causes and risks) and its implications for food security and natural resource management;
• Analyze and understand complex agro-food systems by integrating socio-economic, technical, environmental and cultural dimensions;
• Co-create resilient agro-food systems in the face of climate change by integrating youth;
• Use multi-actor partnerships in the search for concerted development solutions;
• Understand the process of policy development, advocacy and integration of climate change and youth issues into existing policy processes and rural development strategies;
• Propose concrete measures to strengthen climate resilience at the scales: individual, farm, local, see regional but also at higher levels such as the landscape level;
• By combining the theory provided by the course facilitators and the participants' own experience; propose approaches and actions to implement in the concrete situations of the participants.

Course program in more detail

The course answers questions like:

• What are the current situations and challenges in relation to youth unemployment, climate change (or crisis) and political insecurity in Africa?
• How do these three aspects interact in Africa?
• How to build agrifood systems resilient to climate change by involving youth?
• How to reduce poverty by mobilizing youth in agro-food systems?
• How to work in a context of political insecurity and sometimes violence?

Course Date

• Date: Mon November 1, 2021 until Fri December 17, 2021
• Duration: Part-time 16 hours per week (5 weeks)

Criteria

The training is designed for development actors operating in the agro-food sector such as researchers, NGOs, public service employees, or civil society actors. Private actors in the agrifood sector seeking to improve their social and environmental impact are also welcome. This course is specifically designed for the Francophone Africa region.

For more information, visit Wageningen University & Research.