Young rural leaders of the Americas visit Nebraska
San Jose, Costa Rica, August 03, 2010 (IICA). Following a selection process conducted by the country offices of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), 56 young people from 34 countries are gathered in Lincoln, Nebraska, to attend the Third Forum for Young Leaders in Agriculture of the Americas.
The campus of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln is serving as the site of the Forum, where the participants, 17 young women and 19 young men, all outstanding in their respective fields and countries, will have the opportunity to share experiences and receive training on leadership and topics related to agricultural management.
The two previous fora were held in Costa Rica at IICA Headquarters. This one was organized by IICA and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
One of the most important activities planned is a panel discussion of opportunities for young people in agriculture in the Americas, with Karen Lezny, IICA Deputy Director General, serving a moderator.
The panel members are former ministers of agriculture: Clayton Yeutter, of the United States; Marigen Hornkohl, of Chile; Joanne Massiah, of Antigua and Barbuda; Manuel Manrique, of Peru; as well as the Vice President of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Ronnie Green.
“We want to increase awareness of the business opportunities that exist in the rural sector. Many people abandon the countryside for the cities because they believe it is the only way they can get ahead. This must change by offering young people a global vision of agriculture,” said Hernan Chiriboga, Coordinator of IICA’s Hemispheric Center for Leadership in Agriculture.
This forum is aimed at outstanding young professionals of the Americas and is intended to strengthen their business leadership skills so that they can promote growth and innovation in agriculture, rural development in the hemisphere and the involvement and participation of other young people.
The goal is to better enable them to understand the new roles they must play at both the national and international levels.
The participants will address a variety of topics such as food security in the Americas, leadership in agriculture, agribusiness and agricultural entrepreneurship, climate change and natural resources in agricultural development, the challenges and opportunities of biotechnology, opportunities to find resources, etc.
In addition to the presentations, there will be group sessions, role playing, visits to model farms and recreational activities.
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