Project profile — Agricultural Training Program and Support of Youth Entrepreneurship in Peru

• Peru (100.00%)

• Education, Level Unspecified: Teacher training (11130) (6.50%)
• Secondary Education: Vocational training (11330) (27.99%)
• Agricultural development:
Agricultural development (31120) (7.00%)
Food crop production (31161) (19.50%)
Agricultural alternative development (31165) (19.50%)
Agricultural education/training (31181) (19.51%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (significant objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (significant objective)
• Climate Change Adaptation (significant objective)
• Youth Issues (significant objective)
• Indigenous Issues (significant objective)
• Nutrition (significant objective)

The aim of the project is to improve the economic conditions and prospects of young farmers, including women in rural and peri-urban communities in nine provinces in the Ancash and Lima regions of Peru. The project provides technical training on sustainable agriculture, animal production and entrepreneurship development. Additional technical guidance helps foster access to key players in commercializing the young farmers’ products. To this end, the project aims to diversify productive agricultural systems and make them more effective, making it possible for farmers to earn an income from their production. It benefits 2,000 young farmers (of which 800 women). Additionally, it is expected that 10,000 people see their living conditions improved thanks to an increase in family income. Eight technical farming education centres and technological institutes offer the training program. Twenty-four (24) business initiatives and 12 strengthened agricultural value chains help stimulate the economy in the two target regions. This project is implemented through a partnership between the Peruvian Ministry of Education and Agriculture and two local non-governmental organizations, the ALLPA Association (Ancash) and the Institutito de Desarrollo y Medio Ambiente.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved access to quality agricultural entrepreneurship training in Andean and peri-urban regions; (2) the increase and diversification of sustainable, cost-effective agricultural production; and (3) improved agrifood processing and commercialization through small entrepreneurial initiatives as part of which women contribute more to the sustainable development of their society.

Results achieved as of the end of the project (March 2021) include: (1) 10,438 people (including 5,453 women) from the targeted communities have transitioned from subsistence production to commercial production; (2) the income of families supported by the project increased, by ab average of 549% and the majority of young producers indicated a high level of satisfaction with the economic opportunities provided by the project; (3) 339 teachers (including 125 women) from 11 rural and peri-urban training centres were trained in agricultural and entrepreneurial development; (4) 17 short-term training modules were developed and offered and 11 training centres and production facilities were strengthened; (5) 2,253 young people (including 1,254 women) were trained and have graduated from agricultural and entrepreneurial training programs. Among the young people trained, 98% apply the knowledge and techniques taught leading to the diversification of their activities, for an average of 18 products per family; (6) 1,066 young people (including 573 women), who had not carried out any commercial activities before, were trained and undertook activities to market their products; 1,506 young people supported by the project (including 828 women) are engaged in commercial and entrepreneurial activities; (7) 23 collective initiatives and 109 individual and family initiatives have been created and strengthened for the commercialization of their products representing a total of 7,136 people (of which 3,672 are women), including young people and members of their families, who are commercializing their products; and (8) 56% of the young people trained and supported are women and 1,015 of them consider that the project has strengthened their financial independence.

• Proactive disclosure