For many years, Mexico has been challenged by the loss of a valuable segment of the workforce as youth from poor rural areas migrate to the United States in search of economic opportunity. Recently, the Mexican government decided to take a new approach to combating this emigration by adopting an idea initiated by Fundacion E, a Mexican organization that works to generate an entrepreneurial culture in emerging economies. Fundacion E believes that, in poor rural communities where livelihoods depend on income from small farms, training youth leaders to begin approaching farming from an entrepreneurial perspective might help youth to recognize the opportunities in agribusiness, and thereby encourage youth to stay in their home communities.
EcoVentures International (EVI) is working with Fundacion E in this initiative, training lead trainers and youth in very low-income areas in South Mexico in EVI’s AgriPlanner Curriculum. Through this training they learn to understand the business aspects of farming, which encourages approaching their farms from an entrepreneurial perspective. This helps change youth attitudes toward farming, increase farmer incomes, and keep youth on the farms.
The trainings simulate the planning, planting, selling, and contracting processes in agribusiness. Participants learn to understand, among other principles, changing markets, whether and when to invest in their farm, and how to value their own time. They learn to view their farms as businesses and assess the disadvantages and benefits of different contracting and selling options. In times when food security is becoming more of an issue, such training is particularly pertinent for individual and national security.
Margie Brand
margie@eco-ventures.org
