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Starting April 1, everyone who buys a smartphone or hard drive in Latvia will have to pay a one-off media fee of a few euros. The Latvian Ministry of Culture initiated this legal amendment in December to generate additional income for the music industry, which has been hard hit by the pandemic. Commentators take a dim view of the move.

The European Union activated an ambitious plan on two of the most fundamental subjects for the life of its citizens, namely the Green Deal and the Digital Strategy. Global climate change can put at risk the quality of life of the people,...

Une pétition a été lancée, avant-hier, par l’association « Ensemble pour notre régularisation et intégration ». Cette association compte parmi ses militants des centaines d’Algériens sans-papiers. Cette pétition qui a été lancée par l’association « Ensemble pour notre régularisation et intégration », souligne que les autorités Françaises doivent s’investir un peu plus dans la question des sans-papiers. D’après cette association, […]

L’article France : des sans-papiers Algériens à la conquête de leurs droits est apparu en premier sur .

Des pluies, parfois sous forme d’averses orageuses, sont attendues, à partir de ce mercredi après-midi, dans plusieurs wilayas du pays, indique un bulletin météorologique spécial (BMS) émis par l’Office national de la météorologie. Les pluies s’abattront sur les wilayas de Bechar, Beni Abbes, et El Bayadh, et ce, à partir de 13h 00 jusqu’à  18h00, […]

L’article Alerte météo : Averses orageuses sur plusieurs wilayas est apparu en premier sur .

Un jeune homme âgé de 17 ans a été retrouvé mort, samedi 06 mars 2021, dans la piscine d'un hôtel au quartier Gbéra, à Parakou. Le corps a été retiré de la piscine grâce aux sapeurs-pompieurs. Il s'agit d'un apprenti carreleur.
M. M.

Riots shook an Athens suburb late on Tuesday (9 March) as police officers clashed with demonstrators protesting against alleged police brutality, with the government and opposition accusing each other of exploiting the worsening pandemic for political gain.

Die EU und die USA müssen sich bei der Bekämpfung des Klimawandels annähern und besser abstimmen, forderte der US-Klimabeauftragte John Kerry am Dienstag in Brüssel.

Élections locales en Bosnie-Herzégovine : sursaut citoyen imprévu
Municipales en Bosnie-Herzégovine : un énorme désir de changement
La Bulgarie menace (encore) de bloquer l'adhésion de la Macédoine du Nord à l'UE
Macédoine : le « vol du siècle » dans les caisses de retraite

/ Bosnie-Herzégovine, Politique intérieure, Radio Slobodna Evropa, Défense, police et justice, RS sécession

Élections locales en Bosnie-Herzégovine : sursaut citoyen imprévu
Municipales en Bosnie-Herzégovine : un énorme désir de changement
La Bulgarie menace (encore) de bloquer l'adhésion de la Macédoine du Nord à l'UE
Macédoine : le « vol du siècle » dans les caisses de retraite

/ Bosnie-Herzégovine, Politique intérieure, Radio Slobodna Evropa, Défense, police et justice

Meghalt 179, többségében idős, krónikus beteg, és újabb 5653 magyar állampolgárnál mutatták ki a koronavírus-fertőzést - közölte a koronavirus.gov.hu szerdán.

De nouveaux éléments viennent d’être dévoilés dans le cadre de l’affaire « de corruption et de fraude lors des élections législatives de 2017 » concernant la vente des places dans les listes du FLN. Les instructions complémentaires menées au niveau du tribunal militaire de Blida dans le cadre de cette affaire ont abouti à la mise en […]

L’article Du nouveau dans l’affaire de vente des sièges de députés est apparu en premier sur .

Youths like Feston Zale from Chileka area in Blantyre district of Malawi’s Southern Region are finding employment and a source of income in agribusiness. Credit: Esmie Komwa Eneya/IPS

By Esmie Komwa Eneya
BLANTYRE, Malawi , Mar 10 2021 (IPS)

After getting tired of searching for employment for seven years, Feston Zale from Chileka area in Malawi’s Southern Region decided to venture into agribusiness.

He started thinking of how to change the wetland he inherited from his parents into a horticultural farm. So he joined the Chileka Horticultural Cooperative to learn the basics.

“I started cultivating the piece of land tirelessly hoping that one day the proceeds from it would wipe away my tears of unemployment.

“The money I got from the first harvest was so satisfying and it gave me the courage to  expand my farming business,” Zale, who grows cabbage, onions and tomatoes, told IPS.

Zale has been able to make more than $4,000 per year. With the profit from his agribusiness he has managed to open a shop and buy a car. In comparison, most small family farms in generate a gross annual income of about $1,840, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

“I have received several awards for producing very quality horticultural crops such as cabbage, onions and tomatoes,” he said.

Master Kapalamula is an agri-entrepreneur from Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe. He told IPS that venturing into agribusiness has provided him with a way to support himself since he completed his studies two years ago.

“Mainly, I’m into tomato production and my last crop has fetched me around $550.

“I have used some of the money to buy a sewing machine for fashion and design business,” he told IPS.

Though Kapalamula is still searching for employment, he says he will not give up his agribusiness once he finds a job and instead wants to balance both. He also has plans to expand his agribusiness.

Zale and Kapalamula were fortunate to find a means of income through agribuisness. This southern African nation’s youth unemployment is currently at 23 percent, according to the ministry of labour. Malawi, has a population of 16.8 million.

Though Zale and Kapalamula point out that the industry has its share of challenges.

One major problem, they say, is the low prices they get for their produce due to the smuggling of similar commodities from neighbouring countries and a lack of market regulations.

Because there are no policies that help safeguard the prices and sale of agricultural commodities in the country, people practice free trade and the market is flooded. This means that farmers are forced to reduce their prices in order to make some sales.

“If we force ourselves to lower our prices further, we end up making losses hence we do not benefit a lot from the business as we were supposed to,” said Kapalamula.

“To remain in the business, one needs to be courageous enough otherwise I have seen other youths quitting the business,” said Kapalamula.

Feston Zale from Chileka area in Blantyre district of Malawi’s Southern Region has changed the wetland he inherited from his parents into a horticultural farm. He is pictured here withsome of his prize-winning cabbages. Credit: Esmie Komwa Eneya/IPS

According to experts at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), policy making processes must be supported by research.

It is one of the reasons why the Enhancing Capacity to Apply Research Evidence (CARE) in Policy for Youth Engagement in Agribusiness and Rural Economic Activities in Africa project was established. The CARE project seeks to enhance the understanding of the poverty reduction and employment impact, and the factors influencing youth engagement in agribusiness and rural farm and non-farm economy. The project is sponsored by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and managed by IITA.

According to findings of a CARE study in Malawi conducted by CARE awardee Dingase Kanchu Mkandawire, finding reliable markets for agricultural commodities is one of the deterrents of youth employment in agribusiness. 

“Youth agri-entrepreneurs face lack of access to the market and poor road networks worsen the situation,” Mkandawire told IPS.

Indeed, during the launch of the 2019/2020 annual review and planning meeting conducted by the Department of Agriculture Research Services (DARS) at Bvumbwe Research Station in Thyolo District, Malawi’s Minister of Agriculture Lobin Lowe pointed that research in agriculture has a gap if it only focuses on production.

“The habit of focusing research on how to increase productivity only has left farmers stranded since after producing, marketing [their products] becomes a bigger challenge for them,” said Lowe.

Aubrey Jolex is another CARE awardee who conducted research on the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in agribusiness. He found that intensifying the use of ICT helped youth in agribusiness find reliable markets, among other benefits.

“Since the youth are heavy users of the ICT tools, they use those tools they use for communication to market their produce which in turn helps them to identify reliable markets,” he told IPS.

 

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The post Malawian Youth Wipe Away Unemployment Tears with Agribusiness appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Mardi 9 mars, le secrétaire d’État adjoint portugais au Travail et à la Formation professionnelle, Miguel Cabrita, a exhorté les États membres à accélérer les procédures visant à réglementer le télétravail.

Csaknem 680 ezer reszpirátort osztott szét az év eleje óta az iskolákban az oktatásügyi minisztérium – tájékoztatott a tárca a közösségi hálón.

Our overarching contribution in this chapter is the claim that a shared “moral topography” (Taylor, 1994) of lower classes can create forms of collective ‘consciousness’ which may lead to collective action. In order to establish that a shared moral topography is an incremental prerequisite for creating practical spaces for self-organisation, the chapter outlines Charles Taylor’s concept of morality, “moral topography”, “moral space and actions” as well as the concept of “identity”. Empirical data show that the moral topography of domestic workers in Chennai (Tamil Nadu, India) is characterized by a shared meaning and collective experiences of injustice. Further empirical evidence demonstrates that due to this common understanding of injustice, domestic workers in Chennai start organising themselves informally and establishing trade unions. Through self-organisation, domestic workers meet a demand for social security which the state fails to provide.

Our overarching contribution in this chapter is the claim that a shared “moral topography” (Taylor, 1994) of lower classes can create forms of collective ‘consciousness’ which may lead to collective action. In order to establish that a shared moral topography is an incremental prerequisite for creating practical spaces for self-organisation, the chapter outlines Charles Taylor’s concept of morality, “moral topography”, “moral space and actions” as well as the concept of “identity”. Empirical data show that the moral topography of domestic workers in Chennai (Tamil Nadu, India) is characterized by a shared meaning and collective experiences of injustice. Further empirical evidence demonstrates that due to this common understanding of injustice, domestic workers in Chennai start organising themselves informally and establishing trade unions. Through self-organisation, domestic workers meet a demand for social security which the state fails to provide.