ICBA Youth Engagement Society
The ICBA Youth Engagement Society (ICBA YES) is an initiative to facilitate communication and collaboration between young people in the UAE and their peers in other countries. The main goal is to address local and global challenges related to food security and agricultural production in marginal environments and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
ICBA YES is designed to serve as a platform for best practices, innovative solutions, and technologies. It adopts a strategic framework that is based on four pillars: inspiration, communication, biodiversity, and agripreneurship. These pillars support finding innovative solutions to food security and other challenges in marginal environments through youth's collaboration with various stakeholders, including farmers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers.
Vision
To establish a global Youth Engagement Society to be a catalyst for innovative solutions to global food security, agricultural productivity, and sustainability in marginal environments.
Mission
To INSPIRE youth to CONNECT locally and internationally to make an innovative impact focusing on BIODIVERSITY and AGRIPRUNERSHIP.
Objectives
- Raise awareness about ICBA's research areas.
- Engage and empower youth to think of innovative solutions related to marginal environments and food security challenges, supporting a number of the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Facilitate and support youth engagement in scientific research and development.
Engage youth in relevant capacity development.
| MAIN PRINCIPLES | PURPOSE | APPROACH |
|---|---|---|
| INSPIRE | Inform youth of challenges related to food security in marginal environments and inspire them to act | Awareness programs/educational sessions organized by ICBA YES to attract students to agricultural research and development |
| CONNECT | Connect youth with relevant stakeholders, including farmers, markets, entrepreneurs, policymakers, etc., to make a practical change | Events and conferences (virtual or in-person) Volunteering Student clubs Internships |
| BIODIVERSITY | Promote biodiversity to sustain agricultural and food security ecosystems | Research and Development Best practices |
| AGRIPRENEURSHIP | Develop and sustain agribusinesses with tools, capacity development, and opportunities | Training and upscaling Innovation and entrepreneurship in agriculture |