Impact story

Karim Yere is one of the beneficiaries of the NEYAT (Renforcement de Capacités des Jeunes en Entrepreneuriat Agricole) program, designed to stimulate entrepreneurship among young farmers. It is financed by the Islamic Development Bank and implemented by CORAF. Based in Bobo Dioulasso, a town some 350 km south of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, Karim is today considered one of the most successful young farmers. After graduating in agronomy, he began working for an NGO, but kept an eye on the family farm. His work has enabled him to gain experience and access to agricultural equipment, which he will then use on his farm. "It wasn't easy. I started with two traditional dabas that I bought for 750 FCFA each (2 USD). It's something I'll never forget," says Karim. Juggling his NGO work and the farm became increasingly difficult, to the point where the farm was neglected. Then the NEYAT program came along and changed everything. "A friend of mine told me about this program that recruits young people to train them in agricultural entrepreneurship. I applied. But I wasn't expecting anything. I was surprised and delighted when I received the e-mail announcing that I had been chosen from among thousands of young people in the region," explains Karim. Run by CORAF and financed by the Islamic Development Bank, the NEYAT program was designed to combat unemployment by building the capacities of young people and helping them to develop their businesses, particularly in the agricultural sector. The aim of the program was to identify and train young entrepreneurs with promising projects, to help them launch and develop their agricultural businesses. Karim and the other mentees received online training, then met in Dakar in December 2017 for training on business plans and other critical aspects of agribusiness. "It was an eye-opening experience. I was able to meet fellow entrepreneurs who faced the same challenges, found ways to overcome them and succeeded. It gave me renewed confidence in myself and my project," he says. As soon as he returned home, Karim went back to work on his farm. Armed with new knowledge and skills, he decided to take action. Karim began using one hectare on his father's land, planting bananas using the PIF technique he learned with NEYAT. He added papayas the first year and has since expanded. Today, he farms over 2.5 ha and earns 10 million FCFA (18,000 USD) in profits every year. His plan is to make five times more, by farming the rest of the land his father left him. "I'd like to thank CORAF because it gave me confidence and helped me return to my farm. I ask CORAF to continue its good work in helping young people. The training and follow-up of mentees is so important, and I think CORAF has done an excellent job with our cohort." Like Karim, 22 other young agro-entrepreneurs have benefited from the NEYAT program, and the majority of them have gone on to develop their businesses.