What is YOFCHAN?
Young Farmers Champions Network (YOFCHAN) is a youth-focused organisation working to create decent and sustainable employment opportunities for young people across agricultural food systems. YOFCHAN supports youth to participate meaningfully in agriculture not only as farmers, but also as agripreneurs, processors, service providers, innovators, market actors and leaders.
YOFCHAN works with young people, organised youth groups, communities, government institutions, development partners, financial institutions and private-sector actors to address the barriers that limit youth participation in agricultural economies. Its work focuses on youth agricultural employment and enterprise development, agricultural production, value addition, access to finance, market linkages, climate-smart agriculture, innovation, leadership and policy engagement.
Through its Youth Champion Model, Youth Agricultural Parks, agribusiness development initiatives, value-addition platforms, financial inclusion interventions and market partnerships, YOFCHAN seeks to create practical pathways through which young people can build sustainable livelihoods and businesses while contributing to more inclusive, resilient and prosperous agricultural food systems.
YOFCHAN’s vision is “A generation of empowered youth driving inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous agricultural food systems.” Its mission is “To create decent and sustainable employment opportunities for youth across the agricultural food systems.”
YOFCHAN believes that young people should not be viewed only as beneficiaries of agricultural development, but as drivers, entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders of the agricultural transformation needed to create jobs, strengthen food systems and build shared prosperity.
Vision
A generation of empowered young people driving inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous agricultural food systems
Mission
To create decent and sustainable employment opportunities for youth across the agricultural food systems.
Values
Social Justice and Equity, Diversity. Inclusion and Belonging, Transparency and Accountability. Collective Action and Self-Responsibility. Teamwork and Innovation. Professionalism and Servant Leadership
Our model draws inspiration from the operational strategies of farmers in Uganda.
We’ve structured it to be both realistic and relatable to today’s youth who are exploring business opportunities.
Our aim is to inspire them to consider agriculture as a viable entrepreneurial venture, drawing motivation from successful champions in the field, as elaborated below.
1. YOFCHAN secretariat
Policy research & Advocacy
YOFCHAN engages in policy-making processes by mobilizing its members to generate issues that inform policy and organize high-level advocacy workshops to influence pro-youth policies.
Linkages
YOFCHAN, through the model, links youth champions to better markets, affordable finance and training opportunities and other relevant opportunities.
Capacity Building
YOFCHAN, through the model, extends tailor-made capacity development support to the champions at different levels for example financial literacy, mindset change
2. Sub-regional chapters
Sub-regional chapters support the YOFCHAN secretariat in coordination, mobilization of champions, and information sharing. A sub-regional chapter acts as a link between the YOFCHAN secretariat and the Youth Champion.
3. Youth Champions
A youth champion is a successful young farmer who acts as a young role model in their community. The youth champion is a member of sub-regional chapter groups and shares knowledge and good practices with the young farmers in their community and beyond.
4. Alumni
Alumni are the young farmer champions retained as mentors to the secretariat, sub-regional chapter and the young farmers’ champion.
Our Partners
