Helping the YOUNG ENTREPREUNER IN
NEW CROPS VARIETY CULTIVATION
AND MECHANIZATION INNOVATION
THROUGH THE WEBPAGE AND APPS.
Chapter-1: Mission and Vision
This platform of Young Entrepreneurs
Group necessity in new crops
cultivation and new mechanization.
Chapter-2: Stakeholder
Chapter-5: Reliability:
Sustainability of this platform and
comparative analysis with other
website, online tools related to this
topic.
Target User or participant group
Chapter-6: Website Management
Chapter-3: User Group
questionnaire and data analysis
Maintenance, Support and Development
Type of interview(FGD) to be
conducted, User’s opinion as well as
questionnaire analysis.
Chapter-4: webpage/apps
design with user centric
content
Content setup in webpage as per
user’s centric response[webpage
display]
4.1 Enhancement of skill through
training
4.2Technical
Assistance
and
feasibility checkup
i. For new crops variety
ii. For modern mechanization
4.3 Financial Assistance and rate of
return analysis
4.4 Marketing and sales, distribution
execution using this platform on 24x7
basis
Presented By: Md.
Nadim Sheikh, ID-2215296650
Chapter-1: Mission and Vision
Globally, the average age of farmers is 60 years old, and young people are increasingly pursuing
non-agricultural careers rather than following in the footsteps of their parents and grandparents
(World Farmers’ Organization, 2017). Worldwide, populations are becoming younger,
particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where 10 of the youngest countries in the world are located
(Hutt, 2016). Youthful populations offer a great opportunity for many countries as the
entrepreneurial and innovative energy of young people can help revitalize and enhance local
economies. This is particularly true in the agricultural sector, where new technologies and
innovative farming practices have the potential to enhance the sector’s productivity and
effectiveness. However, young people do not automatically gravitate to farming. To see
agriculture as a profitable and exciting career path, young people need education, technical
training, and resources (such as land and finance).
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are already bringing new vibrancy and
potential to agricultural practices around the world. Young people are more ready and eager to
master these new technologies and apply them to agriculture to increase productivity and solve
challenges. At the same time, these technologies can help demonstrate to youth that agriculture
can be a viable and profitable business opportunity, increasing the desirability of agriculturerelated career paths.
This case study explores the nexus of youth, technology, and agriculture, highlighting insights
from a meta-analysis of efforts around the world — and particularly in U.S. Government Global
Food Security Strategy (GFSS) countries — to engage youth in agriculture through ICTs. It
begins with an analysis of the challenges hindering youth involvement in agriculture. These
include:





Family and community pressures
Lack of perceived profitability
Access to land
Access to finance
Access to education, technical training, and resource
The case study continues with an analysis of potential opportunities to improve engagement with
youth in agriculture, including:




Shifting the perception of farming within rural families and communities
Exposing youth to agriculture early on, incorporating all aspects of the value chain (rather
than just farming)
Increasing the profitability and productivity of farming and
Introducing agriculture problems to youth to resolve them
2
Source: United Nations, via WEF
This study is part of a series highlighting the integration of digital technologies into agricultural
programs. Over the past 10 years, and particularly over the past five, the use of mobile phones
and Internet-based, digital tools in farming activities has risen dramatically. This is largely due
to the widespread adoption of mobile phones in developing and emerging markets, coupled with
the spread of 3G and 4G connectivity. What has emerged is a broad set of digitally based
applications that have driven greater financial inclusion, more precision in agriculture, better
data collection and analysis, and more effective information dissemination. Agricultural
organizations and programs are increasingly embracing these tools to advance their goals. Each
of the first six case studies highlights specific organizations and their approaches to adoption of
digital tools, including ways that these tools affect organizational culture, operations and
programming. This study takes a slightly different approach, highlighting insights from a metaanalysis of efforts to engage youth in agriculture via information and communication
technologies (ICTs).
Challenges Hindering Youth Involvement in Agriculture:
Globally, several challenges contribute to a shift in the ambitions of rural youth from
agricultural to non-agricultural careers. Some of them are real, including tangible constraints in
access to resources, such as land, finance, and training that prevent youth from pursuing
profitable careers in agriculture. Others are perceived challenges, having more to do with the
way young people think about careers in agriculture. Young people’s perceptions of agriculture
are also influenced by the views and opinions of adults around them, including parents, relatives,
and community members. Some of the most pervasive challenges hindering youth involvement
in agriculture follow:
1. Family and community pressures: In many rural agricultural communities, parents encourage
their children to seek out alternate career paths that will take them away from the difficult,
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subsistence-based lifestyle of working on the family farm. This leads to a perception of
agriculture as a ―backup plan‖ for youth, or something that they will engage in only until
they find their own, alternative, career path.
2. Perceived lack of profitability: Youth do not believe farming is a profitable career path. The
seasonality of planting and harvesting adds to this perception, given that profits from farming
can come many weeks or months after large financial investments in inputs, machinery, or
labor at the beginning of the season.
3. Access to land: In many U.S. Government Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS) countries
GFSS target countries are Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Mali,
Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Uganda. particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, land is a
communal resource and must be passed down within a family, rented, or purchased. Though
youth have opportunities to work on their parent’s land, and family land is often subdivided
among the children, youth are limited in their ability to access new or additional land to
begin or grow their own farms.
4. Access to finance: Financial resources are required for both on- and off-farm pursuits. This is
a challenge for all demographic groups, but particularly so for youth who often lack collateral
or other requirements for accessing credit from a bank. Youth access to finance is thus
typically limited to family or community resources. Financial literacy also plays a role, as
young people may not understand the importance of saving and financial planning or the steps
required to access formal or informal financial services, particularly if the financial literacy of
their parents or caregivers is also limited.
5. Access to training, education, and information: Agricultural knowledge is often passed down
generationally and within communities, but youth particularly demand new knowledge, access to
improved technologies, and an understanding of how to apply advanced techniques or grow new
crops. Without a structured system to provide youth with this knowledge, many seek out other
career paths.
*GFSS target countries are Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya,
Mali, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Uganda.
(Source : ENGAGING YOUTH IN AGRICULTURE through Information and Communication Technologies BY
USAID )
4
Overview of Youth Population in Bangladesh:
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries globally, with a population of over
160 million. This is projected to grow to well over 190 million by 2050 (World Population
Review 2021). Youth constitute about one-third of Bangladesh’s population. The government
recognizes that there is a need to reap the benefits of the country's demographic dividend by
empowering the youth population (Ministry of Youth and Sports, Government of the People’s
Republic of Bangladesh 2017).
According to available data, the share of youth NEET fell from 30.1 percent in 2010 to 26.2
percent in 2019. Similar trends were witnessed for the share of rural and urban youth NEET
(Table ).
Table: Share of youth not in
employment, education, or training
(NEET) (%) Year
2010
2013
2016
2019
Source: ILOSTAT
Total
Rural
Urban
30.1
30.4
28.9
26.2
30.8
31.2
29.8
26.8
28.1
28.4
26.8
24.8
Additionally, according to the Labor Force Survey 2016-17, the share of unemployed youth in
total unemployment was 79.6 percent and unemployment was highest among youth having a
secondary level of education (28 percent). This indicates that education is not empowering youth
with the right set of skills to be employable in the economy and that the country is unable to fully
benefit from its ―demographic dividend‖ (Rahman, Bhattacharya, and Hasan 2018).
Overview of Bangladeshi Youth Employed in the Agriculture Sector:
As per the latest estimates, the agriculture sector employs approximately 38 percent of the
Bangladeshi population and accounts for approximately 13 percent of its gross domestic product
(GDP) (World Bank 2020b). According to the Labor Force Survey 2016-17, the nature of youth
employment is another key issue: at the country level, 89.1 percent of the employed youth
population between the age of 15-29 is engaged in the informal sector, and in rural area 89.7
percent of employed youth between the age of 15-29 is engaged in the informal sector (Labor
Force Survey 2016-17). In addition, an earlier labor force survey stated that a key reason that a
large proportion of working population in the rural area is employed in the informal sector is
because most rural area activity is associated with agriculture and small business-related
services and sales (Labor Force Survey 2013). Thus, it is likely that a majority of rural youth
population working in the informal sector are engaged in agriculture and small business-related
services and sales. According to estimates, the share of Bangladesh’s youth employed in
agriculture sector rose from about 44 percent in 2006 to approximately 52 percent in 2010
(Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies 2014; ILO 2013).
5
In recent years, several steps were taken to stimulate youth interest in agriculture and
encourage entrepreneurial activities in the country. These steps include the focus on youth
employment in agriculture through the 2017 National Youth Policy (NYP), skills-based
initiatives by the government organization Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), and other
organizations such as Gram Bikash Kendra Enterprise (GBK-E) and Syngenta Foundation for
Sustainable Agriculture Bangladesh (SFSA).
1) Policy and Regulatory Environment:
Some key policy initiatives focusing on youth employment, entrepreneurship, and the overall
agriculture sector are discussed below.
National Youth Policy (NYP), 2017
One of the key drivers identified for successful youth entrepreneurship is the presence of a
national youth policy. In Bangladesh, such a policy exists – the 2017 NYP. The policy targets all
young people in Bangladesh, including unemployed youth, youth in agriculture, rural youth, and
YEs ((Ministry of Youth and Sports, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
2017)). Some of the key strategies discussed in the policy document include:
i. Make the necessary investment and provide incentives for youth to engage in the development
of agriculture.
ii. Ensure food security for the present and future generations by investing in education and
research on agriculture.
iii. Motivate youth toward innovative use of natural resources in the country.
iv. Engage youth in building social awareness about the best and most efficient use of minerals
and all other natural resources.
v. Provide comprehensive entrepreneurship training for youth who are so intending.
vi. Create opportunities for youth to grow as drivers of the rural economy by utilizing their
endeavor and skill and give them priority in sanction of the lease of Khaas (belonging to the
government) agricultural land, ponds and ―Jolmohal (natural large water body)‖.
vii. Establish a Youth Bank.
viii. Bring all young men and women under the banking and insurance system.
ix. Establish business incubators for giving practical advice to YEs.
x. Take special measures to showcase and market products by YEs at home and abroad.
The 2017 NYP also focuses on other key policy drivers such as access to credit by creating a
youth bank and covering the youth under the banking and insurance system. There is also a focus
on creating opportunities for export promotion (Ministry of Youth and Sports, Government of
the People’s Republic of Bangladesh 2017). It is worth noting that for several domains, including
providing incentives to engage in agriculture, access to credit, export promotion, and skills
development, the policy does not outline any specific strategies for implementation, nor does it
specify any targets for the aspects it covers.
6

Import expenditure for Agricultural & Horticulture Products:
2020-2021
Commodities
Cocoa beans
Coffee
Soyabeans oilseeds
Asparagus
Carrots
Cashewnuts
Cinnamon
(daruchini)
Cloves (labanga)
Cumin (Zira)
Dried fruits
Fresh fruits
Garlic
Ginger
Mushrooms
Nutmeg
Pepper (all sorts)
Sweet peppers
Tomato
Turmeric

2019-2020
Taka' 000
1077
29317
88535881
12145
257723
319624
978698
USD' 000
13
346
1043972
143
3039
3769
11541
Taka' 000
24
32958
65518521
3034
154617
133855
1205499
USD' 000
0
389
772462
36
1827
1578
14224
583213
6596607
688959
37409154
5766021
7334122
741
95,627
9,826,904
822,233
479,544
3,669,118
6877
77782
8124
441126
67990
86479
9
1,128
115,874
9,696
5,655
43,263
405631
5103866
585239
25517811
7978158
9055828
98
52,884
6,080,279
142,133
304,660
2,354,789
4783
60197
6902
300922
94087
106829
1
624
71,696
1,679
3,598
27,765
Import expenditure for Machineries :
2020-2021
Machineries
Agricultural tractors
Agricultural water
pump and parts
Combine
harvesters-threshers
Harrows, scarifiers,
cultivators, weeders
and hoes, other
machinery & parts
Milking machines
& dairy machinery
& parts
Other agricultural,
hoticultural, etc &
poultry etc equip,
2019-2020
Taka' 000
4,972,836
8,158,405
USD' 000
58,639
96,200
Taka' 000
5,241,960
9,117,694
USD' 000
61,827
107,485
3,778,323
44,554
1,582,587
18,661
3,887,579
45,841
3,821,479
45,100
150,870
1,779
2,918,884
34,453
10,640,603
125,466
13,111,253
154,451
7
2020-2021
Machineries
inc incubators, pts
Other harvesting or
threshing
machinery, cleaning
eggs etc nesoi and
parts
2019-2020
Taka' 000
USD' 000
Taka' 000
USD' 000
2,114,735
24,936
2,239,638
26,415
[Source: Bangladesh Bank Annual Report]
Chapter-2: Stakeholder
 Target User or Participant group:
Youth in agriculture, rural youth, and YEs in diversified crops production such as given
below
 Fruit Gardener like Malta,Orange, Promgranate and Dragon fruits etc.
 Youth engaged in Strawberry, Grape, Casewnut, Almond cultivation
etc
 Youth engaged in coffee beans,Cocoa production.
 Youth engaged in capsicum, asparagus and diversified vegetable
grower.
 Youth engaged in agriculture technology innovation like organic
process quality management like organic fertilizer production.
 Youth engaged in machinery like MiniTructor, weeder, polytunnel to
modern greenhouse technology etc.
 Youth engaged in faces with climate changes etc.
 Youth willing to engage in to diversified cultivation and technology
innovation etc.
 Institutional stakeholder include Govt. related agriculture Department, NGO,
international agency like IFAD, FAO etc and local association body.
8
Chapter-3: User Group questionnaire and data analysis
To design a web based platform the following Type of interview (FGD basis ) is
conducted and collecting the data. These data is presented in tabular form for
questionnaire analysis.
3.1 In case of new crops variety cultivation young group response:
Questionnaire
Name of Young agrientrepreneur
1.Sohan , Chuadanga
sadar
(Malta,Orange and Veg
gardener)
2.Sakhawat Hossen,
vagirothpur,Chuadanga
,(malta )
3.Mobarak
Hossain,Pomegranate
grower, Darsona
4.moklesur
rahman,mixed fruit
gardener,sarojganj
5.Doliluddin
Mollah,Veg grower,
6.Haris Chowdhury,veg
grower,chuadanga
1.How Do
you
think
this type of
new
crop
variety
is
prospective?
2.What
kind
of
cooperation
is
required for your
initiative?
3.Could
you tell the
reason
choosing
this type of
your new
crops?
4.What
is
your
assumption
regarding
crops
cultivation
process?
5.How
do
you
feel
about your
profit
earning
strategy
through
marketing?
Due to high from
Govt/other
demand
sources
seed
and price
collection
and
technology/financial
help
and
agri
insurance/certificati
on
like
Halal
certification
local
variety is
lower
rearing
and
quality
not upto
mark.
learned
from family
based agri
knowledge
by
own
manageme
nt
do
do
do
do
marketing
through
online and
reliable
distribution
network
setup and
export
purpose a
online
platform is
necessary
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
9
Questionnaire
Name of Young agrientrepreneur
1.How Do
you
think
this type of
new
crop
variety
is
prospective?
2.What
kind
of
cooperation
is
required for your
initiative?
3.Could
you tell the
reason
choosing
this type of
your new
crops?
4.What
is
your
assumption
regarding
crops
cultivation
process?
5.How
do
you
feel
about your
profit
earning
strategy
through
marketing?
do
do
do
do
do
,jinnotpur
7.Md. Sanoar
Hossen,Cofee bean
grower,modhupur,Tan
gail
3.2 In case of Mechanization innovation in agriculture young group
response:
1.How do you
think
mechanization
will improve
the
agricultural
system?
2.How do
you know
about this
type of
technology?
3.In What
kind of sector
of agriculture
this
machinery
will be used?
4.What is the
main benefits
and drawback of
this machinery?
How could
minimize this
drawback?
5.How do you
expect return
through your
marketing
strategy?
1.Md. Rabiul,
al madina engineering,
minitractor,weeder
machine maker
reduction on
physical
labor and
accuracy in
cultivation
from
imported
machinery
and
necessity
for Gardener
and
vegetable
grower
need
financial and
strong buy
sell
platform.
2. Janata Engineering
,chuadanga
do
do
do
low invest high
return on
cultivation.
seed money is
high so need
financial
support
do
Questionnaire
Name of Young agrientrepreneur
10
do
3.3 The above Data analysis of need based cooperation for YE:
technical assistance
financial assistance
assistance in marketing and
distribution
others
11
Chapter-4: webpage/apps design with user centric content
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) including mobile phones and Internet-based
digital tools are bringing new vibrancy and potential to agricultural practices worldwide. These
tools and approaches can help address a number of challenges to the future of our food supply,
including limited arable land, increased unpredictability of weather patterns, and food losses
(both on- and off-farm). However, leveraging these tools to their fullest potential requires a new
set of skills and technical expertise. Young people are often more ready and eager to master
these new technologies and apply them to agriculture to increase productivity and solve
challenges (World Farmers’ Organization, 2017). At the same time, these technologies can help
demonstrate to youth how agriculture can be a viable and profitable business opportunity,
increasing the desirably of agriculture-related career paths, in lieu of alternatives youth might
otherwise be seeking.
Using above user requirement and data analysis the following webpage is designed to support
YE’s.
As per user’s centric response this platform provide
 Marketing and sales, distribution execution using this platform on 24x7 basis


Financial Assistance and rate of return analysis
Technical Assistance and feasibility checkup
12



 For new crops variety and For modern mechanization
Enhancement of skill through online training
Through Classified Advertisement
Through accreditation, donor group and expert panel certification etc.
Chapter-5: Reliability:
This platform provide accreditation through expert group certification and all
assistance are provided by strong supervision of quality controller so there is a
realiable qualitatitve assurance. Also in case of buy/sell this platform deal with
software tools from market place to delivery destination.
Similar apps is found namely PLANTIX to help diagnosis plant disease only but
not other specification found like cause and effect.
Chapter-6: Website/Virtual Management
When designing programs or projects that incorporate digital and mobile
technologies to engage youth in agricultural pursuits, it is important to consider the
Principles for Digital Development, a set of nine simple concepts to guide
organizations in their use of digital tools for maximum impact and sustainability. It
is intended to be an illustrative, rather than comprehensive, portrayal of how the
Digital Principles apply in practice.
 Design With the User. ...
 Understand the Existing Ecosystem. ...
 Design for Scale. ...
 Build for Sustainability. ...
 Be Data Driven. ...
 Use Open Standards, Open Data, Open Source, and Open Innovation. ...
 Reuse and Improve. ...
 Address Privacy & Security.
 Be Collaborative…
With considering the above principle and proper Maintenance, Support and
Development this platform will be operated.
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