Developing and assessing quantifiable engagement of knowledge driven agroforestry farmers, Natural Resource Management (NRM) value chain employees, and value chain actors including the service providers at the national and regional levels is critical for a harmonized knowledge driven agro-forestry perspective. In a region heavily challenged in its adoption of forestation, new approaches of reaching the land-resource owners must be created. A livelihoods model that focuses on natural resources as a vehicle for creating wealth and using the same to promote the formation of natural resource driven collectives; that can engage with the market for smallhoder natural resource produce is not just necessary but is critical.

Engaging the youth to support NRM activities helps develop young talent, which then means that the capacity building model adopted must focus on the dynamics that attract youthful talent. VACID Africa uses a digital model that is driven by a Knowledge Management (KM) framework. When superimposed on a selected natural resource value chain, the opportunities to engage the youth and their family gets clear and lines of engagement and resource management and livelihoods is certain.

The Resources, Aquaculture, Value Addition, Agribusiness and Knowledge (RAVAAK) Centres provide the physical space to create relevant knowledge on the value of the natural resource. The critical aspect of this model is that it links natural resource with other environmental initiatives, thereby creating the potential to make capacity building multifaceted thereby presenting an opportunity to digitally integrate the concept of Nature Wealth and Power (NWP) with agriculture, agroforestry and climate smart initiatives.

VACID Africa’s knowledge driven model is piloting in the CAADP/ATVET Programme so that land and crop based natural resources are used as the basis of early learning within TVET initiatives. RAVAAKs facilitate data mining to form knowledge at the ATVET educational institution.