Islamic Development Bank 42nd #Annual #Meeting: Policymakers, experts urge more youth engagement in agriculture to fight unemployment, food insecurity

Leading international policymakers, experts and scientists have called for urgent action to engage more youth in agricultural production to tackle unemployment and food insecurity. More than 100 delegates from different countries gathered on the sidelines of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) 42nd Annual Meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Organized by the IDB and the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), the seminar looked at the challenges and problems facing rural young people. Participants agreed that the focus should be on resource-efficient technologies that work for young people and make agriculture a viable source of income. These technologies can include solar pumps, improved irrigation systems that use sensors to control water flows or automatically adjust fertilizer and pesticide application rates. Greenhouse and net-house technologies make high-value agricultural production possible.