Mechanism for the integration and support of rural youth entrepreneurship in agricultural sectors, Mali

Abstract

To address the issue of integration and employment of young people in rural areas, the government of Mali with the financial support of the International Fund for Agricultural development (IFAD), initiated the Vocational Training Project for Intergation and Support of Rural Youth Entrepreneurship (FIER) in 2014. The FIER project aims to facilitate the access of rural youth to attractive and profitable employment and integration opportunities in agriculture and related economic activities. The economic integration of rural youth goes through a process made up of three main stages, namely (i) support for the identification of the idea of ​​an economic project or choice of project idea, (ii) support for preparation of a bankable business plan and (iii) support for the implementation and consolidation of the economic project. After three (3) years of implementation, the project has inserted 3,216 (FIER, 2018) rural young people, 47% of whom are women in agricultural sectors and related activities. The challenge initially overcome was above all the adhesion of young people to microfinance institutions (IMFs) or decentralized financial systems (SFDs). The adaptation of the financing mechanism of IMFs to the cycle of agricultural sectors chosen by young people and the loyalty of young people to IMFs through the mobilization of their savings remain the challenges to be overcome.