Context and Project Objective

Most youth in Papua province are not interested in farming as a career. This is due in part to limited access to farming information, knowledge, and assistance in the field, as well as very little knowledge about the market and market access.

The Empowering Youth, Building Papua project aims to engage Papuan youth in agriculture to expand their economic opportunities. This project will teach young people to apply Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in cultivating vegetables and to properly process agricultural products, enabling Papuan youth to earn a good income from farming. Improving the employment situation for youth will also benefit Papua’s overall economy.

Expected Outcomes

• 2022: 9 key farmers and 100 additional youth trained in Good Agricultural Practices; 2023–2024: 50 key farmers and 300 additional youth trained in Good Agricultural Practices
• Expanded employment options in Papua and reduced unemployment, especially among young people

YBTS Partners

Funding Partners: Kopernik
Local Partners: CV. Binmakmeser; Department of Agriculture and Food Security; Papua Muda Inspiratif; youth groups; Indigenous and village governments

Project Periods

• January 2022 – September 2022
• September 2023 – June 2024

Location

Papua province (Biak Numfor and Jayapura regencies)

Achievment

In 2024, two staff members from the program team trained 155 young farmers. As a result, there was a recorded income increase of 147.3 percent, demonstrating significant achievement after the farmers participated in the mentoring program.