An interview with Sebastian Pedraza, Chair of the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) Board, during the 2024 Annual General Assembly on “Financing Food Systems Transformation and Rural Revitalization: Opportunities and Challenges”.
Sebastian Pedraza is the Chair of the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) Board.
Michelle Tang/GDPRD: What motivated you to work with YPARD to support young professionals in agricultural development in Latin America and the Caribbean?
Sebastian Pedraza: I have been working in the region for many years and have seen the powerful skills that young people possess and the actions they lead to solve global problems. I think I have the power and skills to connect people to each other, and I noticed that YPARD was doing just that.
The talent and the skill of young people around the world are so important to food systems transformation, so as a young professional, I feel a duty to use the skills and information I have. I am driven by my commitment to make the voices of those in rural areas heard. Their decisions and knowledge of the system need to be considered, especially in policymaking and programme design.
The talent and the skill of young people around the world are so important to food systems transformation.
Michelle: Could you describe your role at YPARD? What does a typical day or week look like?
Sebastian: I joined as a member of the Steering Committee to bring attention to the voices of those that are on the ground who are leading amazing initiatives but usually don’t have the chance to showcase them. The recent period has been especially busy since we became a legal entity, so we’ve taken some important decisions.
Day to day, I generally have meetings with the director, staff members, and the team in Latin America and the Caribbean to understand what’s in process. At the moment, we are looking for opportunities to engage with new partners and design new programmes to empower rural youth and young professionals, ensuring their involvement in policymaking spaces.
GDPRD Secretariat interview at IFAD Headquarters in Rome, Italy, during the 2024 Annual General Assembly.
Rural youth already have the solutions [...] together we can build the policies that the rural world and the climate crisis need.
Michelle: How can youth agripreneurship contribute to sustainable and resilient food systems and rural communities, beyond just economic growth?
Sebastian: One of the most important things that we consider in YPARD is advocacy. Many rural youth leaders are already implementing amazing initiatives, such as fighting against climate change. It’s important to bring all these voices to policy spaces. Lately we have been focusing on advocating within global conferences and spaces such as COPs. Rural youth already have the solutions, but we need to bring these voices, showcase their solutions, and connect directly with partners, governments, and private sector. By showcasing these voices, together we can build the policies that the rural world and the climate crisis need.
Michelle: What do you hope to gain at the GDPRD Annual General Assembly, and how will you apply it to your work with YPARD?
Sebastian: The AGA is a perfect space to interact with donors, understand their priorities, and make sure our voices are heard. It's important to co-create these kinds of policies and programmes. As my colleague Genna Tesdall shared, it is crucial for donors to be involved in the whole project cycle from design to implementation, and even through evaluation. The AGA will give us the opportunity to engage with others, create solutions for rural youth and rural areas need, and solve these issues.
The AGA [Annual General Assembly] is a perfect space to interact with donors, understand their priorities, and make sure our voices are heard. It's important to co-create these kinds of policies and programmes.
Michelle: What is one message you would like to bring to the donors?
Sebastian: Often, when young professionals leading organizations are looking for funds, they are told to adapt the solutions they offer to the priorities of donors. But why not turn this around, and encourage donor calls to be adapted to the realities of the communities and their proposed solutions? I think it's time for donors and governments to adapt their requirements to the real context of the population and the young rural professionals.
Learn more about the 2024 Annual General Assembly on "Financing Food Systems Transformation and Rural Revitalization" and the GDPRD Thematic Working Group on Rural Youth Employment.
Photos: ©Flavio Ianniello/IFAD
