Deadline; Unspecified | Mastercard Foundation Enterprise For Youth In Agriculture Programme Nigeria
The Enterprise for Youth in Agriculture through Technology-enabled Vegetable production (EYiA) project, in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, aims to increase economic opportunity for Nigerian youth, particularly young women, through premium vegetable production as a source of respectable and fulfilling entrepreneurship on small plots of land.
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Work, Learn, and Earn is a chance to use technology to teach unemployed women and young people how to grow vegetables (olericulture). The following technologies will be used:
- A climate-smart growing technique that provides producers control over both biotic and abiotic elements is greenhouse farming.
- With hydroponics, a growing technique that does not require soil, growers may produce crops year-round, regardless of the season.
- ML and AI techniques will be utilised to monitor plant irrigation and the right combination of nutrients for the plants.
- Integrated pest management – To achieve effective pest management, a combination of physical and biological control will be applied throughout the project.
- 1000 students will be accepted into the initiative on a quarterly basis, and they will be divided into groups of 50. There will be 4 admissions per year, so:
- Annual enrollment is 4000.
- 1,000 students are admitted in a batch each quarter.
- Each batch has 20 groups.
- An organisation has 50 team members.
- Work:
- A group of 50 students share ownership of a hydroponic farm with three plots.
- The technical team (16), agronomy team (12), packaging/branding team (8), logistics (6), and account/management team (8 each) will be present in each group.
Learn
- Every student will receive training on how to put up a greenhouse.
- All pupils will receive basic instruction in soilless farm setup.
- The fundamentals of ML and AI will be taught to all students.
- All pupils will receive instruction in fundamental olericulture production.
- Students will receive training based on their units, such as technical or agronomy, so they can run the business independently.
Earn
- In exchange for their three months of training, the students will receive a stipend.
- Learn to build up and operate greenhouses and hydroponic systems.
- From the fourth month of business, earn salary from crop sales.
- Application Methodology:
Pre-Hub
Application and Selection:
- The application portal includes an assessment based on the project’s description and a 3-minute video that explains it. This is done to make sure the students are aware of what the assignment comprises and that they are prepared to complete it.
- Interviewing readiness:
- Once your application has been submitted successfully, you will receive a link to a brief introduction video on soilless farming (hydroponics) technology. You may learn how to put up a hydroponics system for usage at home from the video as well.
Practical instruction
- This lasts over the entire 12-week training period and includes topics including farm setup, planting, and management. It also covers additional non-farming talents that the applicants must develop.
- Establishing cooperative groups and an online store:
- The applicants are divided into 50 groups, and businesses are set up based on these groups. Each batch also has a cooperative.
Post-hub Mastercard Foundation Enterprise For Youth In Agriculture Programme Nigeria
- Mentoring: As advisors, we keep an eye on the farms and other company operations to guarantee that they prosper and generate revenue over the course of the next two years after the hub.
For more information, visit the Mastercard Foundation Enterprise for Youth in Agriculture Programme 2023 official website.
