Goal:
The pilot project “Young Innovation Agricultural Center (YIAC)” aims to create employment opportunities in the agricultural value chain, primarily for young people in small communities, in order to contribute to food and job security. Furthermore, we want to support surrounding small farmers to generate higher yields and serve as buyers of their products. The goal by 2030 is to steadily increase the number of farm managers and farm assistants we employ. We want to train 138 young people, hire 76 farm assistants and 21 farm managers by 2030.  

Structure:

• • Training (from 2025 to 2030) 
    

    The trainees are trained in all areas of maize and rice cultivation. They gain a deep understanding of cultivation methods, fertilization and irrigation techniques and become experts in botany. We are also building classrooms for theory and an outdoor area for the practical acquisition of the necessary skills. 21 farmers will be trained at the same time. A total of 21 plots will be made available. The training lasts 12 months with three cultivation periods and runs on a rotation model of three groups accompanied by IITA (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture). The costs for the training, land and the necessary materials are covered by the center. All graduates receive a share of the yield at the end of the program. The three best participants are employed as farm managers and are given the land previously used for the training. In return, these farm managers make contributions to the training center. In addition, each of the three farm managers receives four farm assistants to support them in their daily work. The assistants receive an above-average salary. 

  • As part of the training, we offer courses in various areas that are important for the career of every farmer. In the business course, participants are taught yield/profit/fertilizer and irrigation calculations. Surrounding farmers can also take part in this course. 

• • Production/processing (from 2026)
    We are planning an animal feed processing plant on the site. Corn is processed into chicken feed there, and graduates can also find a job here. In production, there is the feed course, where everything to do with the production of animal feed is taught. Each farm manager receives a percentage of the profit generated from the bagged goods sold.