The article describes two innovative initiatives in Niger (West Africa) and in Malawi (Southern Africa) in which youth was placed at the centre of agricultural innovation systems approaches. The PIIP approach developed by a rural development project in Aguie (Niger) became a partnership framework for knowledge crossing between local populations backstopped by the PPILDA Project and students and their academic supervisors.
 
In Malawi, an initiative based on a farmer learning resource centre allowed the bringing together of university students and their supervisors with primary and secondary schools and school leavers to form a partnership for poverty alleviation and income generation.
 
Dr Aissétou Dramé Yayé
Executive Secretary
African Network for Agriculture,
Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education (ANAFE)
Nairobi, Kenya
A.yaye@cgiar.org
 
Dr Sebastian Chakeredza
ANAFE Network Manager for Kenya
Nairobi, Kenya
S.Chakeredza@cgiar.org