YALTA Storymap Showcases Youth led Agroecological Businesses across East Africa
The YALTA Initiative has launched an agroecology story map to showcase the youth-led agroecological best practices which have been developed by the young entrepreneurs who’ve been trained through its programme.
Managed by Netherlands Food Partnership and funded through the IKEA Foundation, the YALTA initiative equips young people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda with the fundamental and necessary job skills, to begin a business or career within the field of agroecology. The story map takes visitors on a documented journey using a series of case studies, to highlight some of the success stories, lessons learned and growing pains experienced by the young entrepreneurs whilst in the process of starting up their agroecological initiatives. The story map also enables the young entrepreneurs and other interested actors to connect with each other and share examples of best practice with one another.
The online launch took place on 7 June, which was attended by some of the young entrepreneurs together with a number of the YALTA Initiative stakeholders. Hajarah Nantumwe, one of the young entrepreneurs based in Uganda, explained during the event, how she envisages the Story Map being of benefit to both himself and his peers. "Most of the time, youth cannot afford digital platforms to cover a wide range of markets and opportunities out there, but I am confident that with this platform, we will be able to reach out to masses and identify and focus on the big market within Africa and beyond."
PELUM Uganda's country coordinator acknowledged the product that was released today. "I appreciate YALTA's unique agenda of working with youth to interest them in agroecology, showcasing and providing them with the opportunity to realise that agroecology can have a meaningful impact on their livelihoods, especially when you consider the agro-entrepreneurship arm that comes with it. I see this platform as a tool that will allow us to network not only among youth, but also with those interested in investing in youth-oriented agroecology interventions. We will be able to learn from one another and share our experiences in the field of agroecological businesses” highlighted Josephine Akia.
The Story Map introduces 83 entrepreneurs, each of whom have participated in the YALTA mentorship programme and have subsequently started their own agroecological business. One of the key features of the map is the agroecology dashboard through which users can map the various locations and further information on each of the businesses via a map.
Read the stories here
About YALTA Initiative
The YALTA initiative (Youth in Agroecology and Business Learning Track Africa) is a partnership between the Netherlands Food Partnership and the IKEA Foundation. The initiative follows a market-based approach and convenes a wide range of stakeholders consisting of agripreneurs, practitioners, policy makers and experts. From seed distributors to academia. And from farmers to policy makers. Sharing a wide range of knowledge and experiences to push for collective advancement. By connecting to a broad base of youth networks in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, the initiative ensures the inclusion of youth every step of the way. From identifying the major issues to co-developing solutions.
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