Dr. Paul Van Mele, Access Agriculture Director of International Development, delivering a presentation on “Partnerships and youth entrepreneurs to scale agroecology” at the special webinar marking the 10th anniversary of Access Agriculture titled “How to scale agroecology,” organised jointly by Access Agriculture and the Agroecology Coalition on 25 October 2022. Watch here : https://www.ecoagtube.org/content/how-scale-agroecology-0 Listen to Podcast : https://accessagriculture.podbean.com/e/how-to-scale-agroecology/

1. Partnerships and youth entrepreneurs
to scale agroecology

2. (HLPE, 2019)

3. Access Agriculture supports co-learning among multiple food system actors,
by enabling access to quality farmer-to-farmer videos from the global to the local level.
Farmers
Media
Consumers
Local
authorities
Extension
Education
Input
suppliers
Research
NGOs &
CSOs
Farmer
organisations
Private
sector

4. Strategic partnerships (some examples)

5. Entrepreneurs for Rural Access make a business from
bringing videos to farmers using the smart projector

6. Digital content
Translate at least 100
videos in a local
language
Let farmers decide
what to watch
Delivery tools
Solar-powered
smart projector
Dynamic youth
Identify
entrepreneurs active
in the green economy
Coach youth to
become e-extension
service provider
Entrepreneurs for Rural Access

7. Entrepreneurs for Rural Access – business models
Most combine advisory services with other businesses, e.g.
biogas installation, food processing, selling cassava seed;
selling hydroponic fodder or azolla as animal feed,
mushroom production, running an organic farm or organic
food delivery, managing a youth club, teaching, beekeeping,
veterinary services, promoting millet-based food …

8. • ERAs earn between 40 and 100$ per month from organising video screenings,
from renting the smart projector to organizations, from running workshops and
from selling videos.
• Through the video screening service, some ERAs have enhanced the sales of their
core businesses by 40% through product awareness (e.g. honey, mushrooms,
hydroponic fodder).
Entrepreneurs for Rural Access - revenues

9.  Over the past decade, Access Agriculture has served over 5,000 organisations,
including extension services, farmer organisations, TV and radio stations.
 Through its network, Access Agriculture has reached over 90 million people,
contributing to food sovereignty and agroecological transitioning.
Outreach

10. Video platform – audience
(2013-2021)

11. > 66% of the rural people reached are younger than 35 years and 56% are women
Entrepreneurs for Rural Access – audience
(2020-2022)
19%
47%
34%
0
10
20
30
40
50
0-14 15-35 35+
ERA's audience age

12. Q: How have videos impacted farmers?
10% 30% 50%
10% 30% 50%
Better yield
Improved pest management
Better produce
Better soil
Appreciate local knowledge
Sought more information
Better food & nutrition
Improved group formation
Grew new crop
Diversified farm
Involved youth
Used less chemicals
Higher income
Empower women
Impact
(Global survey; 2021; n ≈ 3,000)

13. PhD results: Chowdhurry (2011); Zossou (2013); and Zoundji (2018)

14.  By investing in quality training videos for farmers,
you can reach and influence many stakeholders in
the food system
 Appropriate ICT tools combined with local social
capital can help to engage more rural women and
youth in agroecological transitioning
 Youth lack land, finance and knowledge, but are
interested in providing services, in producing organic
inputs and niche commodities, in food processing
and in local marketing

15. Dr. Paul Van Mele paul@accessagriculture.org