Discover more information
about our work.
On October 20, I had the opportunity to attend some presentations at the Global Gap Tour in Guadalajara, Mexico. I immediately identified with the theme, Building the field of the future, since, at Frutos Guadalajara, it is a current of thought on which we base ourselves to develop our action strategies.
The topic of reflecting on the industry’s future is not limited to technological tools and process innovation. The involvement of the younger population is essential for the sector’s sustainability.
According to data published by the FAO, minor (aging) farmers in developing countries produce most of the world’s food. They tend to have little resilience to adopt new technologies to increase the productivity of fields sustainably. On the other hand, the involvement of young people in agricultural activities has been a matter of interest in the international development plan due to the growing concern that new generations do not feel a connection and interest in agriculture.
About 85% of the world’s youth live in developing countries, where agriculture represents a crucial source of income; that is, the world’s youth are mainly in the third world, where, at the same time, is presenting a lack of interest in living in rural areas.
«Around the world today, we live in an era where rapid urbanization has led to a decline in rural populations and, for the first time, the majority of the world’s population lives in a city. The United Nations World Health Organization predicts that by 2030, 6 out of 10 people will live in a town, and by 2050, this proportion will increase to 7 out of 10 people». FAO, 2014
More young people than ever before are moving to cities in search of job opportunities and to improve their quality of life. With this projected concentration of the world’s population in urban areas, it is easier to understand why the number of young farmers is declining.
At Frutos Guadalajara, we have been committed to the sustainability of the agricultural sector for more than four years. Within this path, we detected that informality within some areas of the value chain is a significant challenge to applying new techniques and technologies that contribute to our goal. Under these two challenges, we saw as part of the solution attracting young talent that shares our principles, is resilient to new processes and technologies, and is open to learning and contributing knowledge to innovate.
Below, I share some specific actions that we have applied in Frutos Guadalajara to attract, train, and develop young talent within the agricultural sector:
In attracting young professional talent, the organizational structure must be up to the aspirations of the new members; there should be order and planning that avoids ambiguity between responsibilities in a way to have a clear path of growth so that they can visualize their growth within the organization.
2. Improve the image of agriculture and involvement in virtual media
The media rarely presents agriculture as a field for young professionals and can be seen as outdated, unprofitable, and arduous. There is a need to generate greater awareness of the benefits of farming as a career among young people, particularly opportunities for greater market participation, innovation, and agriculture as a business.
3. Add curriculum value
Constant training is valuable for younger professionals and links to continuous innovation.
4.Empower the team to share ideas and opinions
In enabling youth to transform agriculture and addressing barriers to participation, The new generations demand spaces where they can apply and develop their knowledge due to their high education.
5. Investment in innovation and development
New technologies are available which can help mitigate the effects of climate change and produce more food with fewer inputs.
A younger generation can help introduce new technologies while learning from traditional methods, maintaining the potential to offer the perfect blend of contemporary and standard solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges.
Reaching the sustainability of the agro-industrial sector requires the involvement of new generations of professionals committed to the technological and process transition. The organizations that intervene are spaces that are up to young talent’s life and professional aspirations.
Sources:
Sources:
https://www.cgap.org/blog/youth-agriculture-new-generation-leverages-technology
https://www.fao.org/3/i3947e/i3947e.pdf
https://www.heifer.org/blog/what-is-the-role-of-youth-in-agriculture.html
https://www.usda.gov/youth
https://www.youthpower.org/youthpower-issues/topics/youth-engagement-agriculture
Agriculture is currently facing numerous challenges that call into question of judgment the sustainability of all activities involved, so innovation within the sector, rather than being an option, is necessary.
La digitalización se ha involucrado, indudablemente, en todas las esferas de nuestra vida y la agricultura no es la excepción. Si bien, podemos tener muchos cuestionamientos respecto a los rápidos avances digitales de estos últimos años, es innegable que en términos de eficiencia no hay otro camino que podamos seguir más que transitar hacia una transformación digital.
El ser disruptivo dentro de uno de los sectores de mayor tradición a través de la historia de la humanidad no es una tarea fácil, requiere de compromiso y constancia, puesto que lo socialmente establecido ha estado arraigado por generaciones. Los puntos que he compartido en este artículo son una mezcla que nos ha ayudado a construir una nueva normalidad y da pie al nuevo modus operandi que dejamos como herencia a este sector.
Despite Mexico’s leadership in producing and exporting avocados, the challenges in production continued due to the international context, especially in political and economic terms, causing the increase in the cost of inputs, logistics fees, and currency exchange
Antes de establecer un cultivo de aguacate, lo principal es considerar algunos factores agroecológicos que serán determinantes a la hora del desarrollo de nuestras plantas.
Los comienzos de 2023 parecen favorecer a las exportaciones mexicanas dentro del mercado europeo del aguacate. De los principales exportadores del fruto en 2022: Chile, España e Israel, se encuentran con poca disponibilidad de fruto, mientras que Perú, África del Sur y Kenya se preparan para cosechar en los próximos meses. El escenario se ha invertido, pasamos de tener una sobre oferta en diciembre pasado a tener escasez.
