Food & Business Knowledge PlatformYouth and (rural) employment - Food & Business Knowledge Platform

Climate adaptation and job prospects for young people in agriculture

F&BKP Office — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 09:44:43 +0000

This brief (PDF) by IFPRI aims for a better understanding of the intersection between climate resilience and youth employment, and where it may be stronger geographically, which is necessary to generate better policy and adaptation options for the future of agriculture and of young people. The world’s population is increasing, creating a pressing need for jobs in places where the youth cohort is growing rapidly. Sub-sahara African economies remain highly reliant on agriculture and structural transformation is slow, but have the most rapid expansion of the youth population. African youth will look to the agriculture sector for both food security and job security. In the coming years, the difference between poverty and a course toward prosperity will depend on successful agricultural adaptation to climate change. Low-income, agriculture-dependent countries with rapidly growing cohorts of young people needing jobs must make significant investments in agricultural science and technology, rural infrastructure, and human capital to generate employment and adapt to climate change. Only if agricultural productivity and output grow rapidly can agriculture-dependent countries outpace the downward pressure that climate change and a growing labor force will exert on wages and earnings. Depending on the magnitude of local climate impacts, higher prices may offer economic opportunities for farmers who have access to resources, information, and technology. A workforce abounding in young people may offer potential in terms of technology and innovation, without adequate support for those young workers, it may still be one that is disadvantaged in terms of adaptive capacity. Success is therefore not a given. It hinges on the realization of the role that agriculture will have to play and a willingness of policymakers to commit to investments and reforms. The number of young job seekers is already high and continues to grow. Considering the time lag in reaping the benefits of agricultural research, the time to act is now.

Hard work and hazard: Young people and agricultural commercialisation in Africa

F&BKP Office — Wed, 29 Jul 2020 13:36:36 +0000

This article (full article available) in Journal of Rural Studies reports findings on the steps and pathways thorugh with young people construct livelihoods in hotspots of agricultural commercialisation. Overall what emergers from a diversity of backgrounds, experiences and pathways is that the commercialised rural economy within which the operate offer them a variety of income earning opportunities. Family and broader social relations are key in enabling young people to access the needed resources (land, capital and inputs). Between family and rental markets, there is little evidence that young people’s engagement with crop production is limited by their inability to access land. There is also evidence of asset accumulation by young people in the form of housing, furniture and savings, which reflects the combination of relatively dynamic rural economies, enabling social relations and hard work. However, for many it is a struggle to stay afloat, requiring effort, persistence, and an ability to navigate setbacks and hazards. There is little evidence that young people are not interested in agriculture or the rural economy, but seek to build livelihoods in the rural areas. This calls into question the most common proposals for youth-specific interventions in rural areas. However, the findings draw attention to a new potential area for intervention: the use of social protection measures to help minimise downside risks associated with hazards, so that the young people’s hard-earned assets are less vulnerable to loss. A new focus on preventative social protection could help align public and policy.

Youth employment challenge and rural transformation in Africa

F&BKP Office — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 13:35:04 +0000

This study (PDF) of Springer investigated youth employment challenge and rural transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa for 54 independent African countries from 2010 to 2017. The results suggest that youth employment (rural and urban) to population ratio has a great positive influence on rural transformation in African countries. However, an increase in unemployed rural population has an inverse effect on rural transformation. Youth literacy rate has an inverse relationship with youth unemployment rate. The results also suggest that an increase in employment in the agricultural sector would lead to a decline in youth unemployment rate in Africa, on the other hand, an increase in rural population would aggravate the youth unemployment rate in Africa. The new interest in young people as economic agents within Africa’s agrifood systems is to be welcomed. However, discourses, policy, and programs that construct and focus on youth-specific constraints and opportunities, and privilege entrepreneurship and imaginaries of millions of rural youth “pulling themselves up by the bootstraps” are likely to fail. They ignore structural constraints and processes and the importance of social structures as enablers and constrainers. International agricultural research should rather root its engagement with young people in an analysis of rural transformation and its dynamic interplay with rural social structures within Sub-Saharan Africa and national contexts. Empowering the youth (through actions to facilitate youth skills development and matching rural youth to jobs; facilitate rural youth access to land; improve access to affordable finance by rural youth; promote MSME development; support social protection and safety net programs; and access to social services) is developing Africa through rural transformation. This may come quickly if youth employment becomes the litmus test of Africa’s development policies.

This study is part of the book ‘The Palgrave Handbook of Agricultural and Rural Development in Africa‘.

Proudly Agripreneurs! Learning from 24 young African business leaders

F&BKP Office — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 15:25:02 +0000

This booklet (PDF) by CTA and Agribusiness TV introduces 24 young entrepreneurs and explains how they are addressing the key youth agripreneurship challenges they are facing. The stories published in this book show that it has helped to promote young entrepreneurs and enable them to reach new clients and establish themselves in markets that were still unexplored, while at the same time reaching other young Africans. Key challenges of young agripreneurs are: 1) Negative image of agriculture: farming has a very poor image and education systems do not encourge young people to take risks. 2) A lack of understanding: family and friends do not understand the potential of agriculture and convince youth to give up on farming. 3) Gender barriers: women agripreneurs face an additional problem in crossing very significant cultural barriers. 4) Lack of profitability: profitability can be affected by various factors, including the need for investment to expand or scale, poor management, targeted category of consumers and more. 5) Financing for scaling up: the agripreneurs found that it is not so much the initial capital that is important, but the investment needed once the company has proved its technical ability,market demand is well established and the time has come to scale up. 6) Shortage of well-trained motivated human resources: Finding available, skilled and motivated human resources is a major challenge. 7) Technical and technological challanges: there is a lack of technical expertise in the sector. 8) Poor uptake of products and market access problems: convincing consumers to ‘eat local’ is challenging. Imported goods are cheaper, better presented, and often perceived to be better quality. 9) Climate change: For a sector that relies so heavily on the weather, the impacts of climate change are a real risk for agripreneurs. 10) Poor public policies on entrepreneurship and agriculture: business policy environments, notably administrative and fiscal frameworks, present a number of challenges for entrepreneurs.

Inclusive finance and rural youth

F&BKP Office — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 10:20:10 +0000

This study (PDF) by IFAD analyses inclusive finance and rural youth through cutting-age research with new insights and approaches that have emerged over the years in the field. The overall narrative clearly documents the ways in which rural youth engage with the economy, policy and institutions and identifies the rapid changes occurring across the globe as well as the opportunities and challenges that young people living in rural areas encounter in their different livelihoods. Within this context, financial inclusion has gained attention as a key contributing factor to unlock the potential of rural youth in driving sustainable and inclusive rural transformation. Although evidence is still limited, a market system approach appears to be a viable solution to advance financial inclusion for rural youth and to ensure systemic change in the long term. The proposed approach is intended to provide guidance, best practices and investment opportunities. At the micro level, funders and practitioners can support innovative service providers to develop products adapted for segments (e.g. rural youth) that otherwise would not be served. Donors, investors and development agencies can play the critical role of facilitator in the effort to build a financial system and sound market infrastructure through subsidized funding aimed at promoting innovation, competition and evidence-based research. The opportunity to strengthen the market system at the macro level is evident and imperative. Although it requires a long-term perspective, funders and the development community must engage with policymakers and regulators to craft regulation and supervision that spur innovation and inclusion by balancing youth financial inclusion, stability, integrity and consumer protection. These interventions are likely to benefit the entire population. This premise is particularly relevant to interventions that address rural barriers, such as insufficient infrastructure and dispersed population. Finally, it is important to note that a market system approach may be difficult to implement by any stakeholder alone, as it requires coordination of multiple actors across the entire ecosystem.

Youth opportunity spaces in low-emission dairy development in Kenya

F&BKP Office — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 10:51:13 +0000

This note (PDF) by CCAFS-CGIAR aimed to understand how intensification in the dairy sector, in combination with changing urban-rural dynamics, influences young women and men’s employment opportunities in Kenya. Total national production of dairy fails to meet demand in Kenya, thereby is Kenya developing a Green Climate Fund (GCF) to promote low-emission development in the dairy challenge. The findings of the research are : 1) Youth participation in dairy value chains is heavily contingent upon a variety of geographic factors. 2) The work opportunities and possibilities are heavily gendered. 3) Current norms and social relations in the community and household mediate youth’s acquisition of capitcal, assets and knowledge. 4) Intergenerational tensions limit youth empowerment and voice in dairy cooperatives. 5) There are four common youth pathways in dairy: youth who enter as laboreres to earn money during a phase of uncertainty – youth with intention to explore whether dairy can be stapping stone into more remunerative positions in the value chain – youth with a vision of dairy as a core livelihood strategy – youth in later stages. 6) Youth are agents of change who alter social norms through their personal practices and relations. The research resulted in a number of policy recommendations. Firstly, there should be invested in both formal and informal dairy value chains to support more inclusive youth employment opportunities. Entry in the informal sector can be a gateway to more formalized work opportunities. Secondly, diverse youth interests and multiple ways that youth engage in the dairy sector should be supported. Thirdly, investments should be in youth-specific collective action initiatives through inclusive financial mechanisms. Lastly, strategic attention should be given to social and rural development outcomes in the design of low emission development interventions and specific focus on how to increase the potential of intensification to support youth employment and youth equitable outcomes.

Investing in rural youth in the Near East, North Africa, Europe and Central Asia

F&BKP Office — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 10:12:37 +0000

This study (PDF) by IFAD reviews the opportunities and challenges facing rural youth in the Near East, North Africa, Europe and Central Asia (NEN) region and suggests a number of programmes and policy priorities that governments can take into consideration. Countries of the NEN region face a myriad of social, economic and political challenges that have stalled their structural and rural transformation processes. The region has the highest youth unemployment rates in the world. Weak education systems are failing to provide youth, especially in rural areas, with the skills they need to compete in a global economy. Rural youth face dwindling opportunities in both the farm and non-farm sectors. The resulting high rates of joblessness, unemployment and informal work have encouraged rural youth to migrate to urban areas and abroad in search of better opportunities. Arguably, the most important issue facing rural youth in the NEN region today is weak job creation. In the context of healthy structural and rural transformation processes, new jobs must be created in order to absorb labour released from agricultural activities. The agricultural business climate remains uncompetitive. This is a problem given that the NEN region is among the most water-scarce in the world and will be adversely affected by global warming. Many countries of the NEN region have introduced national youth policies or strategies that provide an integrated framework for addressing youth issues. Most of these cover agriculture and rural areas.

Youth and jobs in rural Africa: Beyond stylized facts

F&BKP Office — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 13:47:46 +0000

This book (PDF) by Oxford University Press uses survey data to build a nuanced understanding of the constraints and opportunities facing rural youth in Africa. The prospect of widespread youth unemployment in Sub-Saharan Africa (henceforth ‘Africa’) is a serious concern for governments today. Africa’s ‘youth bulge’ is an unprecedented global challenge, and African economies will struggle to absorb enough young job seekers in the coming decades. This book finds that a balance between alarm and optimism is warranted. Addressing youth employment in Africa is a global challenge, but it is one that was overcome by other developing regions when they underwent similar demographic transitions three decades ago. The pressure to create jobs in rural areas is acute, given that Africa’s rural population is growing, and its rural economy is underdeveloped. Yet evidence also suggests that agriculture is transforming in many countries, albeit slowly, and that youth are often participating in this process. Unfortunately, the idea that youth are better positioned than adults to adopt new farm technologies or run successful nonfarm businesses is not borne out in most of the book’s case study countries. Even where there is evidence that youth are leading agricultural transformation, the differences between adults and youth are small or the transformation process itself is modest. More needs to be done by governments to help youth in rural Africa. However, while youth employment is a major policy goal today, policies themselves often fall short of addressing the constraints facing young job seekers. This partly reflects a lack of understanding about country-specific constraints and opportunities. Fortunately, while the policy reforms and actions needed to address Africa’s youth bulge are daunting, there is increasing alignment between African governments, who have made youth employment a policy priority, and African youth, who are demanding policies to improve their job prospects.

PDF documents of each chapter seperately can be found here.

A blog related to the book can be found here.

Transaction costs, land rental markets, and their impact on youth access to agriculture in Tanzania

F&BKP Office — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 14:48:06 +0000

This study (PDF) in the Land Economics journal estimates the extent to which land rental markets provide a pathway for youth to enter into agriculture, and how transaction costs may impede youth access to renting land in Tanzania. The article provides evidence that, while rental markets are important avenues for the acquisition of farmland by young farmers, the transaction costs faced by younger farmers attempting to access land rental markets appear to be higher than those faced by older farmers. One reason for this may be that weak contract enforcement could make rental arrangements contingent upon reputation, which may take many years to develop. Results also showed that younger farmers pay higher prices for rented land and are somewhat less likely to belong to village savings groups than are their older counterparts. In order to address the looming rural “youth bulge” and overcome the challenges associated with increased land pressure, it is important for policy makers to recognize the importance that land rental markets can play in facilitating land transfer and land access by new generations of farmers. This is particularly the case in countries like Tanzania, where the nonfarm and urban sectors are still too underdeveloped to absorb surplus labor that might wish to leave rural areas. In order to better understand and redress transaction costs and transaction cost asymmetries that may disproportionately affect younger farmers who are in greatest need of access to farmland, this study makes the following policy recommendations: 1) Consider setting up a willing tenant/willing landlord program that matches younger potential tenants with older potential landlords; 2) Second, governments should consider means of collecting and disseminating representative land rental rates for different areas, in order to provide a reference for rental negotiations.

2019 Rural Development Report: Creating opportunities for rural youth

F&BKP Office — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 09:59:09 +0000

This report (PDF) by IFAD attempts to inform policies, programmes, and investments to promote a rural transformation that is inclusive of rural youth. Rural youth development is powered by improvements in three mutually-reinforcing factors: 1) Productivity of rural young people is needs to be ensured by social structures and attitutes to help rural youth progress, especially for young rural women. 2) Connectivity – to people, markets, services, ideas and information – to create opportunities for rural youth to become more fully integrated with their transforming economies. 3) Agency: to become more productive and connected, youth must have the power to make decisions in their own best interest. Understanding the national, local and family settings in which young people live entails understanding the concept of rural transformation. There are a number of issues that can hinder the transition from dependence to independence. First, youth need certain capacities, skills, financial resources and key assets. Further, social norms and local circumstances also determine how rural youth “read” opportunities. This is double true for women, who often face additional constraint that hinder them from gaining the agency and thus the extent of productive engagement they need to prosper in the new economy. Many of the changes accompanying structural and rural transformations are unfolding at a faster pace or in different ways than in the past. These demographic, economic, environmental and technological changes are simultaneously opening up some opportunities for rural youth and closing off others. Investments, policies and programmes centred on rural youth need to take these differences into account. Two mistakes that could be made in rural youth investments are to invest in old solutions that are no longer effective and focussing solely on youth while the proble is broad-ranging lack of economic opportunity. In the end, to improve opportunities for rural youth policies and investments have to be integrated into national and local strategies, policies and programmes.

Empowering youth to engage in responsible investment in agricultural and food systems: Challenges, opportunities and lessons learned from six African countries

F&BKP Office — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 13:29:41 +0000

This report (PDF) by FAO aims to enhance understanding on the main challenges and opportunities to empower youth to carry out and benefit from responible agricultural investment by giving voice to those most concerned (young farmers, agri-entrepreneurs and workers) an those who support them in Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Uganda. Engaing young women and men in an agricultural sector characterized by an ageing labour force is crucial to ensure sustainable food security, reduce youth unemployment and combat unplanned migration. By harnessing their innvative potential, utilizing new technologies and techniques and taking advantage of new opportunities in emerging value chains, young agri-entrepreneurs could create thriving business and tackle the challenge of feeding a growing population. However, youth are often unable to carry out the investments needed to ensure that their own farming or processig activities can be successfully launced or expanded. Conversely, neither may they be able to benefit from opportunities in agricultural supply chains provided by larger-scale investors. Promoting investment in the agricultural sector by and with youth in these countries could have positive socio-economic impacts because of several inter-related factors. Enhancing the inclusiveness and efficiency of policy processes was one of the main priorities. In particular the need to encourage and strengthen the participation of youth in coordination mechanisms. Further, the policy, legal and regularoty frameworks need to be enhance to empower the youth. At another level, more needs to be done to strengthen acces to some of the servicess and products, such as financial products. Lastely, there are a number of challenges concerning the access to education programmes and opportunities that strengthen agribusiness skills of youth.

Role of land access in youth migration and youth employment decisions: Empirical evidence from rural Nigeria

F&BKP Office — Tue, 28 May 2019 10:20:36 +0000

The paper (PDF) by IFPRI examines the role of land access in youth migration and employment decisions in Nigeria. Overall, the findings show that the size of expected land inheritance is significantly and negatively associated with long distance migration and migration to urban areas, while a similar impact is negligible when a broader definition of migration is adopted and when migration is deemed as temporary. A more disaggregated analysis by considering individual characteristics of the youth shows that results are more elastic for older youth and those that are less educated, while we find no difference when comparisons are made by gender. Similar analysis on the influence of land access on youth employment choices shows strong evidence that the larger the size of the expected land inheritance the lower the likelihood of the youth being involved in non-agricultural activities and a higher chance of staying in agriculture or the dual sector. The results further reveal that youth in areas with a high level of agricultural commercialization and modernization seem to be more responsive to land access considerations in making migration and employment decisions than are youth residing in less commercialized areas. Finally, the results from the differential analysis suggest that rural-to-urban migration and the likelihood of youth involvement in the dual economy is more responsive to the size of the expected land inheritance for less educated youth as compared to more educated ones. From a policy perspective, this result may also suggest that providing land access to youth, for example, by establishing youth land banks, will guarantee more success in avoiding unrewarding spatial and occupational mobility decisions of less educated youth, while having a minimal impact on those with relatively higher education.

Facilitating next-generation African, Caribbean and Pacific agriculture through youth entrepreneurship, job creation and digitalisation

F&BKP Office — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 13:47:14 +0000

The workshop ‘Facilitating next-generation African, Caribbean and Pacific agriculture through youth entrepreneurship, job creation and digitalisation’ was organised by CTA. It identified seven critical success factors for rural entrepreneurship and job creation: 1) access by youth to investment and finance; 2) scalable approaches and models that can be taken up; 3) enabling policy environments for youth; 4) agriculture that is attractive to youth; 5) access by youth to markets; 6) business models that work; and 7) access to appropriate skills, capacities and knowledge.

Based on this workshop, two briefs were written. The first one (PDF) argues that youth-inclusive investments to modernise the agricultural sector will unleash its huge potential, offer attractive employment opportunities and create a level playing field for rural youth. It sets out different youth-inclusive approaches that will help agricultural value chain development programmes meet the needs of young people. Continued growth in demand for value added food and agricultural products a strong case to invest in the development of agri-food value chains. This requires focused attention on what young people want, and better provision of infrastructure and services and skills provision, through integrated development frameworks. Agricultural value chain development programmes need to apply a youth-employment lens and youth-sensitive approaches and purposefully set rural youth inclusion and decent employment as objectives.

The second brief (PDF) explores the challenges and opportunities facing young people trying to enter the agricultural and agribusiness sector. It focuses on actions that governments and other development actors can take to make the sector more attractive to young people, with an emphasis on those that can increase productivity, strengthen the value chain and increase the participation of young people in policy dialgue. Agricultural transformation is contingent on approaches that address youth and the youth ecosystem (the policy environment and support systems). This is predicated on the fact that rural youth face challenges that are either related to their age or are generated by the policies and systems in the environments in which they live.

We’re ready, the system’s not: Youth perspectives on agricultural careers in South Africa

F&BKP Office — Thu, 07 Mar 2019 13:27:30 +0000

This research (PDF) in Agrekon was undertaken to better understand the paradox of young people turning away from agricultural employment in spite of such high levels of unemployment in the country. The research brings to light new evidence of youth perspectives on contemporary attitudes, experiences and expectations of work in the agricultural sector in South Africa. Findings show that attitudes towards careers in agriculture vary greatly. While a set of negative perceptions emerged from the narratives as anticipated, approximately one third of the respondents expressed a clear interest in and passion for agriculture. This interest persisted in spite of a range of pervasive social norms and stigmas. This raises the need to begin questioning the commonly accepted truth that youth are not interested in agriculture. From a youth perspective, the results suggest that the interests and expectations of youth are more than sufficient to warrant substantial investment into engaging them as active co-creators in the re-design of the food system based on the principles of accumulation from below. However, these positive aspirations tended to be at odds with the kinds of jobs created by an increasingly corporatised food regime, since currently 90% of jobs within the “advanced’ commercial agriculture sector comprise low-skilled minimum wage positions. Accordingly, if the agricultural sector remains a source of disappointment, uncertainty and humiliation for bright-eyed youth who attempt to engage in the sector, the turn away from the sector in the face of high unemployment is likely to continue. Given the scale of the youth crisis in South Africa and the need for a structural transition within the food system, failing to engage the passion and energy of today’s youth in this challenge would be a great loss and one which society can ill afford.

Digital pathways for youth in agriculture: AFA Case Study

F&BKP Office — Tue, 26 Feb 2019 16:14:38 +0000

This case study (PDF) by Mercy Corps and the Mastercard Foundation aimed to identify successful pathways for youth livelihoods in agriculture. By 2030, youth will be 34% of Africa’s total population. Thus there is a strategic opportunity to engage those currently involved in agriculture. Rising education levels of young farmers seems to be tied to shifting preferences toward high-value commodities on minimal land. Moreover, digital trends suggest key entry points to engage young farmers who are seeking more meaningful livelihoods in agriculture. Mobile money offers a key delivery channel for digital financial solutions for smallholders, in addition to the existing youth usage of digital services for agronomic and market information. For this study, 23 young farmers across 10 villages in two Kenyan counties were interviewed, to more fully understand their financial and agricultural portfolios, needs, and outlooks. The study defines 4 youth personas that vary along key demographic, behavioural and attitudinal criteria, which reveals unique pathways to success in agriculture. The Determined Builders have achieved success by progressively and intentionally growing their agricultural business activities. Opportunistic Movers take big risks and have a strong belief in their own ability. Static Planners put family first and see agriculture as a means of achieving stability for their dependents. Rootless Climbers are ambitious for success in agribusiness but struggle to make their aspirations real. The study comes with recommendations for private sector and development actors to serve and support youth: 1) Design for the full range of youth personas and pathways; 2) Customize value chain approaches to address key youth constraints; 3) Use digital solutions to reach youth affordability and at scale, with high potential for impact; 4) Capture opportunities beyond production as enablers.

Generation Africa – A landscape study: Youth enterprise in Africa’s agri-food sector

F&BKP Office — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 11:04:25 +0000

This landscape study (PDF) by YARA International and Econet seeks to answer the question: “What can we do today to inspire and propel the “agri-food stars” of tomorrow?” The study reveals a window of opportunity to strengthen the ecosystem of support around young entrepreneurs, helping them to build successful enterprises, including high-growth businesses, spurring job creation and a vibrant agri-food economy. The study recommends a joint action agenda with five priorities: 1) Create a new narrative that inspires African youth to pursue entrepreneurship in the agri-food sector. Over time, efforts of creating new narratives will crowd new talent and ideas, bolstering creativity and opportunity. 2) Curate the entrepreneur’s journey to help youth access the education, technology, support and capital needed to move from idea to scale. By clustering resources to support the entrepreneur’s journey, organisations, governments and investors can provide a more coherent path for young businesses. 3) Highlight opportunities for innovation and disruption to address unmet needs through commercial activity in the agri-food sector. By expanding focus from “agriculture” to “agri-business innovation” and bridging market research with business incubation, entrepreneurs can position to create new types of value in the sector. 4) Facilitate Small and Growing Businesses (SGB’s) access to finance. A dual effort can be put on improving the business model, value proposition and team capacities of the enterprise team, while simultaneously encouraging investors’ attention and development of financing vehicles that can reach smaller, high-potential SGBs. 5) Champion a new agenda that connects leadership, learning and resources. Strengthening the ecosystem for entrepreneurship across Africa’s agri-food sector will require a sustained, multi-year effort from diverse actors. A “Champions Group” is needed, inclusive of youth, to inspire and encourage the contribution of a new generation of young African entrepreneurs in driving innovation and growth in the agri-food sector.

A video of the launch of the report can be found here.

Stimulating agribusiness entrepreneurship to solve youth unemployment in Kenya

F&BKP Office — Tue, 15 Jan 2019 09:37:05 +0000

This policy brief (PDF) by IDS analyses the potential of agribusiness to address youth unemployment in Kenya and calls for increased collaboration between agribusiness owners, government and educationalists through entrepreneurship development. Currently, 65 per cent of Kenyan youth are unemployed. With a growing number of youth looking for jobs, the agricultural sector is likely to continue to be the dominant source of employment in Kenya. There has been minimal collaboration between the public and private sectors in reinforcing agricultural development in these initiatives, even though the private sector is the major employer. This is problematic because the agricultural sector has the capacity to provide entry-level jobs for the growing number of lower skilled and basically educated young people. In addition, Kenya is already seeing increased domestic demand for agricultural produce due to rural–urban migration. While agriculture obviously presents a great employment opportunity for young people, the majority of Kenya’s youth remain disinterested in traditional farming and lack the necessary skills to venture into innovative technological agro-entrepreneurial activities and the social capital to enter into agro-processing value chains. The theoretically driven basic education curriculum in Kenya, which does not focus on practical skills, leaves the majority of youth without the entrepreneurial skills to transition from traditional farming into agribusiness. Therefore, entrepreneurship education and training is vital in preparing young people for the job opportunities that could be available to them and for the evolving nature of the agricultural sector. Policy recommendations are: 1) Reinforce business-led collaborations among key government institutions; 2) Promote partnerships secondary schools and medium-sized agricultural enterprises; 3) Involve the private sector in the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development’s (KICD) curricula reforms.

Youth employment and the private sector in Africa

F&BKP Office — Wed, 12 Dec 2018 15:42:01 +0000

This issue of the IDS Bulletin focuses on youth employment and the role of the private sector. Around the world, policy actors worry about youth unemployment and underemployment. A dominant policy approach to youth unemployment and underemployment has been the funding of skills-building programmes that seek to enhance the employability of young jobseekers. This approach implies that Africa’s youth employment challenge is primarily a problem stemming from the unemployability of young people, rather than a problem of too few jobs. Economic growth to date has, however, not contributed significantly to the creation of formal jobs in the private sector. In the low- and lower-middle-income countries of sub-Saharan Africa, 50 per cent of formal wage jobs are still in the public sector. Therefore, the private sector has an important role to play in economic transformation and in addressing youth unemployment. Policy actors are becoming more aware of the shortcomings of skills-building interventions, and attention is shifting to focus on how to promote productivity, boost the private sector, and generate the kind of growth that could create jobs. While policymakers have endorsed the role of the private sector as a job generator, it remains unclear whether, and under what conditions, the formal private sector generates enough and decent jobs. Empirical research on youth employment in the private sector is sparse. This IDS Bulletin begins to fill that gap. The articles here have been authored by young African scholars from the Matasa Fellows Network, convened by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in collaboration with Mastercard Foundation. These early-career academics from Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zimbabwe were selected to consider the role that could be played by the formal private sector in job creation in Africa. Case studies come from their respective countries. While some aspects of the youth employment challenge are common to all six countries, the local contexts and situations are unique and sectoral. This IDS Bulletin explores the scope of research and policy challenges in three specific areas: agribusiness and youth employment; skills gaps and youth employability; and youth employment in fragile and conflict-affected settings. The articles demonstrate the importance of effective policy measures to ensure that private sector growth creates sufficient numbers of decent, secure jobs to provide employment to African youth. Overall, the articles in this IDS Bulletin underline the complexities of each country, reminding us that claims about the private sector’s role in job creation are never straightforward, and that discussions need to be based on specific and contextualised understandings of what the private sector is, the nature of the jobs it creates, and its potential contribution to the economy and the livelihood opportunities of young people.

Three of the articles deal with agribusinesses and agricultural value chains:

Ethiopia’s agricultural transformation: agribusiness’ contribution to reducing youth unemployment. The article tracks the movement of labour from subsistence or small-scale family farming into agribusiness enterprises, as well as into the manufacturing and service sectors.

Labour casualisation and youth employment in Ghana’s formal private sector. This article uses a case study of the Blue Skies company, a processor and exporter of fruit products, to consider
the connections between private sector growth, youth employment, and labour casualisation in Ghana.

Uganda’s national youth policy and job creation for youth. The article scrutinises Uganda’s Youth Livelihood Programme and Youth Livelihood Fund, which are intended to support youth enterprise and job creation by extending grants to small groups of young entrepreneurs, to start small businesses that are expected to grow and provide employment, particularly focused on the maize value chain in Uganda.

Getting ahead and getting by: Exploring outcomes of youth livelihoods programs

F&BKP Office — Wed, 05 Dec 2018 14:05:40 +0000

This report (PDF) by the Mastercard Foundation examines factors that influence young people’s earning opportunities and well-being. The research is based on the experiences of 130 young people participating in two programs supported by Learn, Earn and Save (LES), a Mastercard Foundation initiative that was established to test models for market-level training and opportunities. With few demographic factors, and no apparent programmatic or employment experiences that differentiated youth, two main pathways were identified: One group of youth — those categorized as ‘getting ahead’ — made steady progress in their employment or self-employment and in attaining other goals. A second group of youth — those categorized as ‘getting by’ — struggled to leverage work or learning opportunities to improve their (or their families’) well-being or achieve other goals or aspirations. These two distinct pathways suggest key mediating factors are at play in the lives of youth, including employment sector, certification, livelihood strategies, financial inclusion and social networks. Gender was the most consistent and striking factor that influenced youth’s trajectories. Male youth were more likely to ‘get ahead’, while female youth were more likely to ‘get by’. Another key finding: Family, community, and program-based networks played a complicated role in youth’s livelihoods. Social networks not only offered supports, financial and otherwise, but in turn became an avenue for youth to demonstrate their changing status within their family or community as they attempted to support others within their networks. A significantly higher proportion of youth who were ‘getting ahead’ also reported having agricultural enterprises over five years, reinforcing the observation that pursuing multiple livelihoods was necessary for most youth to meet their present needs and future economic goals. The report indicates that a consistent and effective approach to evaluating youth livelihoods programs is lacking, and much of the research focuses on the gaps and weaknesses in existing studies. Results highlight the merits of an integrated approach to planning and implementation that will support youth in their transition to work. An important recommendation of the report is when implementing and evaluating holistic youth livelihoods programs, development practitioners and evaluators should be attuned not only to varied youth livelihoods trajectories, but also to the factors that influence youth’s earning, opportunities and well-being.

Youth in Food: Opportunities for education and employment

F&BKP Office — Thu, 22 Nov 2018 15:54:11 +0000

This issue (PDF) of the Urban Agriculture Magazine of the RUAF Foundation explores challenges and solutions raised by migration pressures with a focus on youth employment in city region food systems. One blog by the Food and Business Knowledge Platform, highlights the eclectic relation between jobs, skills and youth migration (PDF) and was based on this Community of Practice Youth meet-up in September. Discussions often focus on developing rural agriculture or rural food value chains to keep youth from moving. This is not only a limited vision of the nature of migration and the potential of rural agriculture; it also leaves out city region food system opportunities in larger cities, and especially in smaller ones. Urban, periurban and rural agriculture, as part of broader food systems, offer place-based, practice-centred solutions to common problems in the face of globalisation. This article (PDF) highlights the role of agricultural cooperatives to efficiently commercialise the agricultural sector in order to enhance food security and create employment for youth . Engaging youth in agribusiness could provide a win-win solution, and agricultural cooperatives could play an important role. Youths would benefit from cooperative membership by accessing opportunities not available to them as individuals; access to knowledge and training, and access to land and financial services. This article was based on the explorative study by KIT, WCDI and YPARD on agricultural cooperatives. Another article (PDF) focuses on dynamics of Sub-Saharan Africa’s agriculture sector, challenges faced by entrepreneurs and outlines promising approaches for spurring job creation for youth in agriculture. Making use of more context-sensitive and high-potential business concepts facilitates support of better, more profitable businesses in agriculture; over the long term this changes the mindset of youth regarding agriculture as a business and career. The articles in this issue underscore the importance of valuing youth input into multi-stakeholder processes, to make space for youth to be leaders and active participants and to foster informed risk-taking. The collection of articles in the magazine explore opportunities for and barriers to youth employment along the entire food system. The complete magazine and each of the chapters can be found here.

Gendered aspirations and occupations among rural youth, in agriculture and beyond: A cross-regional perspective

F&BKP Office — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 08:43:25 +0000

This paper (PDF) in the Journal of Gender, Agriculture and Food Security, explores rural young women’s and men’s occupational aspirations and trajectories in India, Mali, Malawi, Morocco, Mexico, Nigeria, and the Philippines. Across the study’s regional contexts, young rural women and men predominantly aspire for formal blue and white-collar jobs. Yet, they experience an aspiration-achievement gap, as the promise of their education for securing the formal employment they seek is unfulfilled. Various gender norms that discriminate against women in agriculture limit women’s ability to learn about and try out new practices, restrict their agricultural opportunities, and orient their aspirations away from agriculture. Youth and gender issues are inextricably intertwined and cannot be understood in isolation one from the other. These findings have important implications for agricultural policy and research for development. Opening up pathways for young women in agriculture will require addressing the intersecting inequalities they face on the basis of age and gender. This will require working not only with women, but also with men and masculinities, and publicly valorizing agriculture, women and supportive men. Laying the structural foundations for a knowledge-intensive and ‘modern’ agriculture is also needed to enable bright young women and men to shine in the sector. The authors propose a shift towards supporting young people to achieve their aspirations. These aspirations can be pursued while catalyzing innovation in agriculture and natural resource management. Young people’s power to catalyze agricultural innovation should be re-conceptualized to better reflect their aspirations, knowledge, resources, and the enthusiasm they bring. To include youth in agriculture, a productive approach seeks to expand the range of options and space for this diverse generational group to gain a sense of agency, security, and fulfillment in the rural and urban areas where they experience life and make a living.

Drivers and patterns of rural youth migration and its impact on food security and rural livelihoods in Tunisia

F&BKP Office — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 11:25:06 +0000

This report (PDF) by the FAO and the European University Institute addresses the determinants of migration and mobility, the patterns and types of rural youth outmigration and the impact of rural youth migration on rural livelihoods, food security, agriculture and development in rural areas in Tunisia. The majority of migrants are men, especially among international migrants. International migrants often have higher educational levels than non-migrants. At the same time, migration can be driven by an increase in study-related reasons. Recent migrants are likely to perform agricultural production and livestock farming as main activities. A possible explanation is the reduction in income from agricultural activities. Key reasons for internal migration in general are connected to the search for better job opportunities and the improvement of living conditions. A significant process of feminization of migration is seen from rural areas moving to other regions, which is associated with an increase in highly educated women. Women’s migration can have critical impact on household’s food security since rural women are largely responsible for the secondary farming activities. Migration seems to be rewarding for both internal and international migrants in terms of occupation. The main effect is on female labour market participation and access to employment. Only one out of four migrants sends remittance, which is more likely for international migrants. There is little evidence about the determinants of youth migration from rural areas and its potential impact on food security and rural poverty. Given the key role of agriculture as preferred sector or transnational engagement of migrant and as targeted domain of activity and investment upon future return, policies focusing on migration and rural development could address both these forms of diaspora mobilisation. Measures to favour the return of migrants could include the offer of tailored training opportunities, access to targeted financial products start-up grants and equipment at subsidized prices.

Key findings of the report can be found here.

How digital apps and services are boosting rural youth employment

F&BKP Office — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 09:57:22 +0000

In this blog by FAO, several digitial innovations examples are mentioned that are stimulating youth back to agriculture. There are already new ways of working in agriculture that harnesses digital and technological innovations, rendering it more efficient and, not as a small byproduct, providing new opportunities and services for young entrepreneurs. The first innovation discussed is working with drones. See also this recent podcast on this subject: Drones, data, food security: How UAVs offer new perspectives on agriculture. Furthermore, several mobile apps are developed by FAO to assist farmers in their practices, such as the FAMEWS app and the Nuru app to monitor effects of the Fall Armyworm (a devastating pest destroying maize and other important crops across parts of the Americas, Africa and Asia). New ideas from youth and from organizations, universities and companies all over the world are helping to unlock the potential of food and agriculture for reducing poverty, to bridge the rural divide, to employ and empower youth and to give equal access to information, technology and markets. FAO is creating and promoting these innovative solutions to address the ever-dire challenges facing our future of food and agriculture. In the recent FAO regional conference on youth, FAO and its partners are engaging young people from different countries in Africa to find innovative solutions that address challenges in food and agriculture through Hackathons.

Realising the potential of agribusiness to reduce youth unemployment in Ethiopia

F&BKP Office — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 12:03:17 +0000

This policy brief (PDF) by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) highlights the potential of agribusiness for youth in Ethiopia and highlights the gaps that need to be addressed for further success. Agribusiness in Ethiopia has grown significantly in the last 20 years, and this growth is set to continue. This transition presents opportunities to address the country’s high youth unemployment and for agribusinesses to participate in global, regional, and local markets. In Ethiopia, youth (15–29 years old) are four times more likely to be unemployed compared to adults. While there are many jobs being created in the agribusiness sector, there are significant skill and pay gaps. Potential jobs are also being lost because of poor infrastructure and lack of access to suitable land. As Ethiopia moves towards further privatisation, the government needs to launch a strategy to create an efficient and competitive agribusiness sector to fuel ‘decent’ job creation for youth. This brief concerns several policy recommendations regarding investment in infrastructure, improvement of productivity of existing and new agribusiness, addressing the wage and skills gaps and improvement of youth’s access to land through policy reforms, to support them to be drivers of agribusiness.

The future of rural youth in developing countries

F&BKP Office — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 13:04:45 +0000

This study (online version) of OECD aims to shed light on the potential of local value chains to create more, better and sustainable jobs for rural youth in developing countries. Rural youth are turning their backs on small-scale agriculture, yet a growing local and regional demand for food represents a unique untapped opportunity. The question for policy makers is therefore how to make rural youth the drivers of more productive and environmentally sustainable agri-food activities that respond to changing consumption needs and provide them with decent jobs aligned with their expectations. Rural youth constitute a socially and spatially diverse group that often faces the double challenge of age-specific vulnerabilities and underdevelopment of rural areas. Agriculture and food processing represent an untapped reservoir of opportunities for rural youth. Local and regional food demand is rising, but integrating rural youth into local value chains remains largely unexploited. Most youth in agriculture are in production, not downstream activities of the value chain. Investing in local agri-food value chain development could become an engine for job creation and food security. Local food processing is compatible with relatively low level of skills possessed by rural youth and is more likely to remain located in rural areas. Additionally, it can create strong linkages with other (non)food system activities. There are a number of policy priorities to create and enabling environment to harness the potential of rural youth through food systems anchored in local value chains: 1) Promoting local value chains as engine for job creation and food security; 2) Linking rural and urban development using a territorial approach; 3) Adopting comprehensive approach to rural development; 4) Exploiting opportunities in markets; 5) Investing in agriculture and rural infrastructure; 6) Greening and diversifying rural economies; 7) Applying social and environmental safeguards; 8) Raising voices of rural youth in policy dialogue; 9) Providing skills development for rural youth.

Can sustainable agriculture mitigate massive youth migration in Africa?

F&BKP Office — Thu, 26 Jul 2018 09:37:17 +0000

This article by the Impakter is on sustainable agriculture lever to mitigate youth migration in Africa. Youth migration has always been an important component of rural or structural transformation. Globally, rural-urban migration has accelerated in the last decades. Both the destination as the migration origin can benefit from migration. In general, people migrate due to political economy, demographic shift, environmental reasons and socioeconomic considerations. There is a strong historical link between migration and agriculture. Many youth, the landless and marginalized tend to migrate from rural areas. However, rural-urban migration is not the solution to reducing poverty. The article describes eight different food- and agriculture related levers to exert on migration. Sustainable agricultural transformation in an approach that offers one of the most robust and immediate opportunities for addressing several of the drivers of migration in Africa. This can be achieved through improved efficiency of resource use, natural resources restoration and management, value chain development, transforming urban agriculture and food systems, and building resilience against climate change and market fluctuations. All this can help create job opportunities for young people. There is a need for conducive and responsive policy that incentivizes diaspora remittances in as win-win manner. African cities can become engine of sustainable development that puts sustainable agriculture transformation as part of the solution to migration, urbanization and youth unemployment. However, there is no ‘one-size fits all’ solution, it requires a holistic approach. This includes long-term investment in inclusive capacity development, building infrastructure, developing the value chain and creating market opportunities.

Agricultural policy, employment opportunities and social mobility in rural Malawi

F&BKP Office — Mon, 02 Jul 2018 08:53:28 +0000

This article in the Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy investigates the question of how the youth and policy-makers view agricultural development as a means of social mobility for youth in Malawi. The paper argues that even though agricultural production is the main occupation in Malawi, young people do not value agriculture as a means of upward social mobility. Furthermore, youth and agriculture policy frameworks provide little support to youth in terms of access to affordable farm inputs, land, extension services, value addition initiatives, and markets. It is argued that Malawi is missing the strategic policy direction by not implementing non-traditional agriculture interventions that would engage the youth in a bid to reduce massive youth unemployment.

Rural migration in Tunisia: Drivers and patterns of rural youth migration and its impact on food security and rural livelihoods in Tunisia

F&BKP Office — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 12:40:56 +0000

This report (PDF) by The Migration Policy Centre and FAO, addresses the determinants of migration and mobility, the patterns and types of rural youth outmigration and the impact of rural youth migration on food security and rural livelihoods and societies in origin regions in Tunisia. The research used a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods, providing comparative insights into: international and internal migrants and non-migrants; pre- and post-2011 migrants; households with and without migrants. Main results show that migrants from rural areas are increasingly highly educated and leaving to pursue their studies abroad. This particularly applies to women, who also register a decrease in marriage-related migration. Migration proves to be rewarding for both internal and international migrants, in terms of occupational and social security outcomes. While incomes from remittances tend not to be invested in productive activities, evidence shows that one internal migrant out of four and one international migrant out of three has an economic activity in the areas of origin, which in most of the cases is connected with agricultural or animal production. Given the key role of agriculture both as a preferred sector for transnational engagement of migrants and as a targeted domain of activity and investment upon future return, policies focusing on migration and rural development could address both these forms of diaspora mobilisation. In particular, measures fostering the return migration of potential agro-entrepreneurs and the reintegration of returnees into local labour markets should take full account of the scope (retirement or productive return, intention to enter the labour market as an employee or as an entrepreneur, area of return, etc.) and nature of return migration (demographic and socio-economic characteristics, educational level, skills acquired abroad, availability of capital to be invested, etc. of returnees). The Rural Migration in Tunisia (RuMiT) research project was undertaken in the framework of the FAO project “Youth mobility, food security and rural poverty reduction: Fostering rural diversification through enhanced youth employment and better mobility” (GCP/INT/240/ITA) – in brief, the Rural Youth Migration (RYM) project – implemented in Tunisia and Ethiopia between 2015 and 2017, and funded by the Italian Development Cooperation. Please find also this earlier report of the project here.

Development for youths in agribusiness in Uganda

F&BKP Office — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 14:42:35 +0000

These two working papers from IITA focus on youth in agribusiness in Uganda. The first paper (PDF) by Turolla, M. et al., studies the most efficient strategy to tackle constraints and provide opportunities for Ugandan youth in agribusiness. Results revealed that the main concepts of youth, agribusiness and agripreneurship are defined in very different ways by development organisations and youths. Development organisations adopt either a public- or private- drive approach, which have very different social impacts on beneficiaries. Furthermore, youth is not a homogenous group and there are numerous barriers for youth to access productive resources. The development programmes revealed limited efficiency. Therefore, programmes should account for variability and understanding is needed on youth’s needs, capacities and constraints. The second paper (PDF) by Turolla, M. et al. aims to explore the different ways in which development agencies design and implement their programmes, and how these are perceived by the youth. Main lessons learned are that youth is a heterogeneous group with different potential for agribusiness. Furthermore, Uganda is a diverse country which influences the agribusiness traditions and women are discriminated on accessibility to assets and household relations that do not allow them to earn and retain an income. Advise for development organisations is to set feasible and consequent objectives, place youth in context by designing a tailor-made programme, scaling results, create and enabling environment and have a household approach whereby the whole household in engaged.

Promoting youth employment and reducing child labour in agriculture

F&BKP Office — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 09:43:37 +0000

This online course by FAO presents strategies to strengthen the impact of child labour reduction and youth employment policies and programmes by considering the two issues together. First, it builds an understanding of the differences as well as linkages between child labour and youth employment. Then, it highlights concrete measures to improve policy and programme coherence and support for young people to access decent opportunities in agriculture. The course is intended for: agricultural producers and their organizations; small and large-scale agribusinesses; agricultural policy makers and advisors; those working in NGOs, and public or private sector working on agricultural value chains or with rural youth. This course was created by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO). It was co-funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Please find more information in this factsheet.

Youth mobility, food security and rural poverty reduction

F&BKP Office — Mon, 21 May 2018 15:13:08 +0000

The FAO project Youth mobility, food security and rural poverty reduction(abbreviated as “RYM” – Rural Youth Mobility) was successfully completed in February 2018. With funding from the Italian Development Cooperation, RYM was launched in 2015 to address the main drivers of rural migration of youth in Tunisia and Ethiopia, while at the same time harnessing the development potential of migratory movements. The Project aimed at improving the understanding of rural migration by filling evidence gaps on the determinants and impacts of migration in rural areas and at promoting better policy integration between migration, agriculture and rural development. At grassroots level, RYM provided unemployed rural youth from migration-prone areas of Tunisia and Ethiopia with the necessary training and equipment to launch their small agri-enterprises and economic activities, which are expected to benefit the entire community by generating additional direct and indirect job opportunities. Although Tunisia and Ethiopia present structural differences in terms of agricultural employment, poverty rates and food insecurity, in both countries rural outmigration, especially of youth, is a reality challenging rural development and transformation. More can be found in this report “Promoting alternatives to migration for rural youth in Tunisia and Ethiopia or this video. Furthermore, the RYM Project contributed to conceptualise and raise awareness on the nexus between migration and rural development. As such, it supported the development of the FAO corporate conceptual framework on migration: Addressing rural youth migration at its root causes: A conceptual framework.

The effect of land access on youth employment and migration decisions: Evidence from rural Ethiopia

F&BKP Office — Wed, 16 May 2018 09:41:17 +0000

This article (PDF) by the American Journal of Agricultural Economics explores how the amount of land that youth expects to inherit affect their migration and employment decisions using cross-sectional data of rural Ethiopia. It finds that larger expected land inheritances significantly lower the likelihood of long-distance permanent migration and of permanent migration to urban areas. Inheriting more land also leads to a significantly higher likelihood of employment in agriculture and a lower likelihood of employment in the non-agricultural sector. Conversely, the decision to attend school is unaffected. These results appear to be most heavily-driven by males and by the older half of the youth sample. Furthermore, there is suggestive evidence that several mediating factors matter. Land inheritance is a much stronger predictor of rural-to-urban permanent migration and non-agricultural-sector employment in areas with less vibrant land markets, in relatively remote areas (those far from major urban centers), and in areas with lower soil quality. Overall, these results affirm the importance of push factors in dictating occupation and migration decisions in Ethiopia.

Migration, youth and decent work

F&BKP Office — Thu, 03 May 2018 09:59:38 +0000

Youth account for a large percentage of the rural population, and they are often particularly disadvantaged. About one-third of all international migrants are aged 15-34. The majority of young poor working people are employed in the rural economy, where they face many hurdles trying to earn a livelihood, such as poor access to land, credit and information. Agriculture is often not perceived as a remunerative or prestigious employment. In addition, lack of decent work conditions make youth living in rural areas particularly prone to migration. This online course by FAO focuses on migration, youth and decent work. Migration is an intrinsic part of rural development. Yet, there are major knowledge gaps regarding its drivers, dynamics and effects on rural areas. This e-learning will help professionals to understand the linkages between migration and rural development with a particular focus on youth. It will also provide policy recommendations on how to maximize the positive impacts of rural migration and minimize the negative ones. The target audience for this course includes: UN Country teams and FAO staff; planners, policy formulators and advisors on migration, agriculture and rural development; managers and technical staff in the ministries responsible for agriculture, rural development, migration, employment and others, as well as general public. Duration of the online course is 45 minutes. Please find more information in this factsheet.

Building inclusive agricultural technologies for young people

F&BKP Office — Wed, 25 Apr 2018 10:24:10 +0000

The report (PDF) by the Mastercard Foundation Youth Think Tank, investigates how well technological innovation is supported and how well technologies have reached agricultural communities in Africa. Policymakers and development practitioners have become increasingly enthusiastic about the ability of emerging technologies to unlock the potential for agriculture in Africa. While these technologies are both creative and compelling, few sector experts have explored both sides of this promise. This research captures the experience of young people in the agrifood system — both those who innovate and those they design solutions for. Instead of looking separately at these groups, the research sees innovators and adopters as part of a larger interconnected landscape, supported by those who contribute to building the enabling environments that help get technologies to communities. The research finds areas where the community of practice could do better to help improve collaboration: 1) Agricultural technologies should be tailored to optimize opportunities for young people — particularly rural young people — to maximize their on-farm activities and facilitate their entry into off-farm activities; 2) To ideate, young people need a resourced space where they can share ideas and access mentorship; 3) The dissemination of information through inappropriate channels, such as social media, is a barrier to the uptake of technologies at scale; 4) Young people have unaddressed gaps in the skills required to operate agricultural technologies; and 5) Both adopters and innovators are constrained by inadequate accessible financial products to invest specifically in agricultural technologies — with respect to both ideation and uptake.

Want to make agriculture attractive for Africa’s youth? More bitumen please

F&BKP Office — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 09:40:28 +0000

This blog by the The Chicago Council on Global Affairs explores unconventional solutions to make agriculture “sexy” for Africa’s young people. Currently, making agriculture sexy for youth is focused on increasing the profitabiltity of the sector. However, for youth it’s not just about money. Youth now has to make a choice between farmers or giving up the joys of youth. Sex, money and fun are inseparable throughout any and all youth activities. A positive deviant story in agriculture cannot simply be about a wealthy young farmer. It needs to be about young people having fun and being able to live the good life. Rather than trying to make rural areas more exciting, focus should be on making it possible for young people in rural areas to have access to urban pleasures. Investment in infrastructure is needed, like in roads and railways that connect rural and urban spaces. Young people in rural areas must not be faced with an untenable choice between giving up their youth or being farmers. Furthermore, African youth is engaged differently in agriculture, using social networks to buid vibrant communities. Unfortunately, because most agricultural support services were built on assumptions of an older demographic of farmers, they have not adjusted to adequately meet the needs and priorities of Africa’s growing crop of young digital farmers. African governments hold the true but untapped potential to take digital farmer support services to scale. So making agriculture sexy to youth should be part of a larger conversation about an inclusive agricultural sector in Africa.

Youth migration and labour constraints in African agrarian households

F&BKP Office — Thu, 05 Apr 2018 15:07:35 +0000

This article in The Journal of Development Studies studies how youth migration affects household labour, hired labour demand, and income, and whether these effects vary by migrant sex and destination. Panel data is used from Ethiopia and Malawi. Labour shortages arise from the migration of a head’s child. However, the migration of the head’s sons produces a greater burden, particularly on female heads/spouses (in Ethiopia) and brothers (in Malawi). Gains from migration in the form of increased total net income justify the increased labour efforts in Ethiopia. Weaker evidence suggests households in Malawi substitute hired for migrant family labour at the expense of total household net income.

Youth for growth: Transforming economies through agriculture

F&BKP Office — Fri, 30 Mar 2018 14:23:13 +0000

This report (PDF) by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs provides a framework for the joint objective of global youth engagement and global food security. The rise in youth populations in low- and middle-income countries in the next 30 years will have a fundamental impact on the economic, political, and social stability. The degree to which young people are equipped for participation in the workforce in their home countries will also have profound impacts on every region of the world. A prosperous, employed workforce will generate economic growth and continue to build a growing middle class, which creates demand for more and higher-quality food. Youth are also poised to generate innovations for the benefit of an increasingly connected world. If young people can be integrated into the fast-growing agrifood system, they will also play a vital role in helping to end poverty and hunger. For this to happen, policymakers must adopt a youth-inclusive agricultural development agenda aimed at transforming the agrifood system. This includes investments in the fundamentals of such a food system. If agricultural transformation is blind to the unique features of a young workforce, it will be challenged to reach its full potential. This failure may mean a lack of opportunity for all young people entering the workforce in rural areas and beyond. The focus of governments on a youth-inclusive agenda and leadership is urgent. Governments will need robust partnerships with the private sector and civil society to achieve the twin goals of securing rural youth livelihoods and achieving global food security through agricultural transformation. Through sound policymaking and dedicated leadership, along with the engagement of young people in nurturing their own potential, threats can be transformed into opportunities, allowing the largest generation of young people in history to become the problem-solving producers, creators, entrepreneurs, change agents, and leaders of the coming decades.

Predicting youth participation in urban agriculture in Malaysia: insights from the theory of planned behavior and the functional approach to volunteer motivation

F&BKP Office — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 15:02:09 +0000

This study in the Agriculture and Human Values Journal examines factors associated with the decision of Malaysian youth to participate in a voluntary urban agriculture program. Urban agriculture has generated significant interest in developing countries to address concerns over food security, growing urbanization and employment. While an abundance of data shows attracting the participation of young people in traditional agriculture has become a challenge for many countries, few empirical studies have been conducted on youth motivation to participate in urban agriculture programs, particularly in non-Western settings. Drawing on the theories of planned behavior and the functional approach to volunteer motivation, the authors surveyed 890 students from a public university in Malaysia about their intention to join a new urban agriculture program. Hierarchical regression findings indicated that the strongest predictor of participation was students’ attitude toward urban agriculture, followed by subjective norms, career motives and perceived barriers to participation.

Performance of emerging dairy services agri-enterprises: A case study of youth-led service provider enterprises

F&BKP Office — Mon, 05 Mar 2018 14:03:00 +0000

This study (PDF) by Wageningen Livestock Research and 3R Kenya assessed the performance of Service Provider Enterprise (SPE) to establish the extent to which the model offers business options for youth in agriculture. SPE is an innovative youth-led business model in which young men and women form groups to offer commercial support services to entrepreneurial smallholders and medium-scale farmers in the vibrant Kenyan dairy value chain. SPEs services are provided to members of dairy farmer cooperative societies (DFCSs). The main services provided by the SPEs are silage making and fodder establishment. Results reveal that general SPE services have contributed positively to the dairy supply chain by increasing silage and thereby production. Thereby, higher daily income from milk and reduced milk volume fluctuations were reported. Main challenges included equipment problems, poor quality of silage-making material and fodder seeds. Furthermore, SPEs have reached farmers, though most of the interactions seemed to be for promotional and demonstration purpose. SPEs have not yet reached their market potential, of which the reason could be that most SPE members offered services individually. A few of the SPEs have made various investments to enhance their business, the high costs of machinery prevented the others from investing. The main business challenge for SPEs are the limited financial capacity of farmers to pay for services and the payment delays after service. Recommendations for policy makers and NGOs include the support of broader training, to publicly invest in SPE and to consider needs of women and men to promote inclusiveness. Recommendations for DFCSs are to facilitate SPE creation and strengthen business partnerships, increase sustainability of the SPE model and coaching of SPEs. SPEs are recommended to broaden the service offer to become a more viable business. Moreover, SPEs need to improve their skills and seek business support in developing their businesses.

Youth involvement in agribusiness: Examples from Africa

F&BKP Office — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 09:46:29 +0000

This blog by The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) suggests that agribusiness can provide jobs for young people and help African countries achieve development goals. The blog highlights several successful youth-owned agribusinesses examples. It also builds on this online discussion: Engaging African Youth in Agribusiness in a Changing Climate, a platform to discuss critical issues facing African youths. It is argued that in order to accelerate the involvement of African youth in agriculture and agri-business, the current gaps in youth engagement must be addressed. First, governments must be held responsible for investing in youth through a commitment to providing financial support, including increased spending on youth initiatives along agricultural value chains. Second, youth must be empowered through opportunities to engage in agribusiness enterprises and linkages to private sector and development agencies. Africa’s youth need new climate-smart agricultural technologies (high yielding and more resilient food crops, irrigation and machinery). The youth also need energy, communication and transport infrastructure that links them to lucrative regional and global food markets. Finally, the youth need gender responsive policies that will enable women and girls to access climate services, credit, agricultural inputs and equipment and insurance.

Future of food : shaping the food system to deliver jobs

F&BKP Office — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 09:19:41 +0000

This paper (PDF) from the World Bank focuses on how the food system can deliver jobs and provides a framework for understanding the factors that determine the number and quality of jobs in the sector. The paper also highlights a set of actions that countries can adopt, adapt, and apply to their own circumstances to strengthen the food system’s contribution to employment. The food system extends beyond farm production to include food storage, processing, distribution, transport, retailing, restaurants and other services. The paper finds that the food system employs the most people in many developing countries in both self and wage employment, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. In many countries the off-farm aspect of the food system accounts for a large share of the economy’s manufacturing and services sectors. While the employment share in farming tends to decline as per capita incomes rise, the share in food manufacturing and services tends to increase. The authors find that more can be done to strengthen the food system’s contribution to jobs by supporting growth in food value chains, ensuring that policies and investments improve the quality and quantity of jobs, and facilitating the inclusion of more women and youth. Increasing the number and inclusiveness of jobs will require attention to food system growth, employment intensity, and inclusion of youth and women. Urbanization and per capita income growth offers significant new opportunities in non-cereal products and in new jobs in the food system beyond the farm. Inclusion of women and the growing number of youth into food system jobs can raise productivity and improve social harmony. Priorities vary by country and context. Different combinations of interventions will be needed in agriculture-dependent economies compared to transforming or urbanized economies; in land abundant compared to land scarce environments; whether “pull” or “push” factors are leading to movement of people out of farming in particular areas; and on the initial nature of skills deficits. Creating jobs for a new generation of workers while sustaining and improving the quality of employment of the billions of people already working will be a significant challenge for all sectors.

How should youth employment programs in low-income countries be designed?

Ati van der Honing — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 15:26:16 +0000

This paper (PDF) by USAID outlines the economic development challenges that constrain youth’s transition into employment, and it parses the evidence on which programs and policies appear to speed that transition. It concludes that it may be time for a fundamental reassessment of approaches for addressing youth employment and the youth transition in low-income countries. Employment opportunities in low-income countries reflect the pace of economic and structural transformation. In designing strategies, policies, and programs to meet the entry-into-employment challenge for youth, the starting point is to diagnose the economy and current/future employment opportunities. Combined with the analysis of youth employment problems from a structural transformation perspective, evidence from rigorous evaluations of youth employment interventions provides new insight into which kinds of interventions are more likely to help youth succeed in certain contexts. The evidence reviewed here casts serious doubt on the efficacy and value of training interventions to help youth enter formal wage employment. The case is stronger for interventions that speed the transition to self-employment in farming or non-farm household enterprises. Support for development of transferable character skills and social integration among youth through Positive Youth Development (PYD) programs should be tested further for employment and earnings impacts, perhaps along with cash transfers to youth or access to finance. In reviewing the evidence on cost-effectiveness and sustainability of youth employment impacts, the paper also notes the need for better measures of displacement and general equilibrium effects.

Attracting the youth to agribusiness

Ati van der Honing — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 12:48:41 +0000

This insight paper (PDF) provides examples of how 2SCALE tackled youth inclusion in its partnerships in Benin, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali and Nigeria. A youth-oriented approach involves asking practical questions to develop tailored services for youth in the agribusiness sector. 2SCALE has been experimenting with various options to support young producers and entrepreneurs. Making agriculture interesting to youth requires making it attractive and remunerative by having access to land, finance and technologies in order to modernize. Tailor-made loans for youth were developed, which do not require material collateral, but instead required the loan user to be part of a professional cooperative with good access to markets. Besides production another alternative for youth inclusion was explored: specialized service delivery to value chain actors. As service providers, young people can establish a clientele to which they can offer specialized services for a fee, such as spraying pesticide, tractor rental, transport services and quality control management. They are simple options, which do not require many resources, but require a certain level of education. Specific training to perform these activities can easily be provided and the necessary skills acquired. Opening up such positions to youth is a viable option for improving services in agricultural value chains, which is key to developing the agricultural sector. By harnessing the potential of youth, a positive impact on the productivity, efficiency and quality of value chain operations can be achieved.

Rural Africa in motion. Dynamics and drivers of migration south of the Sahara

F&BKP Office — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 08:18:24 +0000

This atlas (PDF) by FAO and CIRAD offers a comprehensive analysis of the existing migration patterns as well as the diverse and multifaceted factors that impact on migration practices. Sub-Saharan Africa has a long history of internal and international migratory movements. Migration patterns and dynamics from, to and between rural areas are profoundly differentiated across regions, and flows have considerably evolved over time. Yet, more recently, rural migration takes place in the unique situation of a major rural and urban demographic increase. SSA’s population is expected to increase by 1.4 billion by 2050 which is an unprecedented demographic push. This unique population dynamic translates into a massive increase of the labour force. This represents both an opportunity for growth but also a challenge for SSA countries which will need a conducive economic and institutional environment to foster economic diversification, boost job creation and absorb new labour market entrants in the next decades. Both urban and rural areas are affected but, due to a delayed and stabilized pace of urbanization, population in rural areas continues to grow steadily. Based on the existing distribution of population and estimated trends in migration to cities, nearly 60% of these new workers (about 220 million) are likely to be in rural areas. This results in a challenging densification of rural areas, with direct impacts on rural livelihoods, increased mobility and diversification of activities. Rural migrants are mostly young people with limited education and employable skills, and the majority of them come from households relying on agriculture. These population dynamics will place a huge pressure on rural economies. Due to their limited diversification and to the recurring importance of agriculture in activities and incomes, the evolution of the sector will be decisive and the possible pathways will depend on the pressure on natural resources and their management, as well as on technical and organizational innovations that would be facilitated by a conducive economic and institutional environment. The complexity of rural migration calls for better policy coherence between migration and sectoral policies. It calls for strategies for inclusive growth that create conditions to live in peace and prosperity, by fostering rural-urban linkages, creating income generating opportunities and diversification to off-farm activities in rural areas, promoting investments in agriculture and rural development, increasing resilience of rural livelihoods, fostering climate change adaptation, and promoting territorial and integrated approaches to develop sustainable food systems. It also requires a political commitment to look at migration as an opportunity for the development of both countries of origin and destination and to promote a better management of migratory flows, through regular and safe migration channels. New rural livelihoods are contributing to intensifying rural-urban linkages and are part of the reshaping of regional dynamics and territorial development. Supporting these new dynamics with adequate public policies and multi-stakeholder strategies is of critical importance for the future of the continent.

Can agriculture create job opportunities for youth?

Ati van der Honing — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 14:13:31 +0000

This blog by the World Bank reviews whether agriculture can provide job opportunities for youth. First, undoubtedly, the share of farming jobs is shrinking. As countries urbanize and incomes rise, food expenditures decline as a share of total spending and farmers take up jobs off the farm. Yet the process can only be sustained if labor productivity in farming increases, through innovation in production as well as better access to markets to sell the surplus. ICT is helping with both. Some opportunities are further emerging within the urban areas themselves. Many farming jobs, have been created in urban centers and even megacities maintain their urban farming as an important part of the economic system. But most new and good jobs are to be generated down and up agricultural stream. With the demand for aggregation, storage, processing, logistics, food preparation, restaurants and other related services becoming increasingly important, many employment opportunities will emerge off the farm, in the larger agri-food systems. While the majority of youth expresses to see its future outside agriculture, many good job opportunities on and off the farm remain in agriculture. The challenge is to make the agricultural sector and its up and downstream activities competitive through innovation, public investment in supportive rural public goods and services, and secondary town development to make them sufficiently attractive to young and older farmers alike. More suggestions on how to do so can be found here.

Invisible lives: Understanding youth livelihoods in Ghana and Uganda

Ati van der Honing — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 15:22:53 +0000

This report (PDF) by the Mastercard Foundation creates an understanding of livelihoods, cash flows, and the nature of rural work of young people (18-24 years) in Uganda and Ghana. It was found that young people have diverse livelihoods. Both young Ghanaians and Ugandans undertake a mix of informal sector employment, self-employment and agriculture-related activities to sustain their livelihoods. Agricultural production is central to rural young people’s livelihoods, but agricultural incomes were meager. Both formal and informal wage employment is rare and sporadic, or elusive. Entrepreneurship and self-employment remains an important economic activity in both countries. The businesses that young people did engage in were characterized as patchwork, and pursued in reaction to various immediate opportunities. This research confirmed that support networks play an extensive role in young people’s lives, not only providing support in the form of advice, but also proving instrumental in accessing financial resources needed. The research found that mixed livelihoods allow for risk mitigation and help to maximize young people’s economic opportunities within vulnerable geographic areas. Mixed livelihoods are therefore a logical choice and may be the most economically viable course of action for many disadvantaged rural young people in Africa. The report suggests that the reality of young people’s mixed livelihoods may have implications for programmatic approaches that emphasize or encourage specialization in a particular skill or crop.

Examining the non-participation of some youth in agriculture in the midst of acute unemployment in Ghana

F&BKP Office — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 09:21:16 +0000

This article in the International Journal of Modern Social Sciences, sought to fill the knowledge gap by examining the puzzle of unemployed youth non-participation in agriculture in the Bawku Municipality, Ghana. There is a historic trend of growing unemployment problem in Ghana. The effect is even multiplied for graduates whose hope after school is to secure decent jobs to start their lives. The formal sector has proven over the years to be incapable of absorbing the existing job seekers and expectation is that these unemployed youth will like to grasp any legal and available job opportunity. In the contrary, it is amazing that these unemployed youth do not find it as a necessity to undertake agriculture as a source of livelihood in the midst of the acute unemployment. This study engaged the case study research design within a mixed research methodological paradigm to scrutinize the problem. Primary data was gathered from a sample of 200 unemployed youth respondents using questionnaires and from stakeholders using interview guides. The analysis revealed that the unemployed youth are not involved in agriculture because of lack of interest and passion for agriculture; they are busily looking for other ‘better’ jobs; historical losses by youth and family members in agriculture; land access challenges; and financial constraints. It was however identified that majority of the youth 144(72%) had plans of going into agriculture in the future. The study recommended that effort should be made to address the identified challenges and further participatory empirical research should be conducted on how to incite and sustain youth interest in agriculture.

Are prospects of rural youth employment in Africa a mirage?

Ati van der Honing — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 16:20:22 +0000

This article on the Inter Press Service (IPS) discusses the dismissal of productive employment of youth in rural areas in Africa as a mirage largely because they exhibit strong resistance to eking out a bare subsistence in dismal working and living conditions. The authors argue on recent evidence of agricultural transformation that this view is overly pessimistic, if not largely mistaken. There will be vast opportunities for the innovative young people in agricultural systems as they adapt to a range of challenges in the near future. To create opportunities commensurate with the number of young people who will need employment, constraints on the acquisition of capital, land, and skills must be removed or relaxed. Allowing alternative forms of collateral can ease the credit constraints-especially for young farmers. The two aspects of land administration that matter most to young entrants to the labor force are the need to improve security of tenure and the need to relax controls on rental. Land redistribution will also enhance young people’s access to land. In order to enable young people to respond to the environmental, economic and nutrition challenges of the future, they must develop suitable capacities. A case in point is ICTs which can develop young people’s capacities, while improving communication and easing access to information and decision-making processes. In sum, there is an abundance of remunerative employment opportunities for the youth in rural areas that could dispel the mirage through imaginative government policies.

Rural transformation, cereals and youth in Africa: What role for international agricultural research?

Ati van der Honing — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 11:06:04 +0000

This article (PDF) in the journal Outlook on Agriculture examines the argument that the combination of agricultural value chains, technology and entrepreneurship will unlock a sweet spot for youth employment in Africa. This is done from a rural transformations perspective. The authors argue that there is a need to step back from the premise that research needs to explain whether, or how, rural young people can be enticed into agriculture. Using cereal agri-food systems as an example, the article identifies two new research areas that address important knowledge gaps: how young rural people in Africa engage with these systems and what pathways they use to become engaged. To address these questions, an analytical framework is proposed built around key contextual factors that constrain or enable young people’s economic activity. This framework analyzes young people’s economic room to manoeuvre in different rural contexts and the differential abilities of young people to exploit associated opportunities. Finally, the authors caution against attempts to introduce ‘youth mainstreaming’ in international agricultural research. Rather than constructing youth as a new and supposedly homogeneous target group whose concerns can be addressed independently of the rest of society, there is an important opportunity to use the interest in young people to resocialize understandings of, and attempts to influence, African rural transformation.

Just farming? Neoliberal subjectivities and agricultural livelihoods among educated youth in Kenya

Ati van der Honing — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 09:08:05 +0000

This article in the journal Development and Change examines how and with what impacts educated youth in Kenya construct and perform new identities as farmers. This is distinct from the stigmatized smallholder farmers and keeps with their status as elite, urbanized, social change makers. Given the precariousness of graduate employment in most African countries, coupled with intersecting challenges of food insecurity, urbanization and population growth, educated youth are increasingly being encouraged to seek alternative livelihood opportunities in agriculture. Agriculture is a sector traditionally associated with the uneducated rural poor but which has received considerable developmental attention. The article analyses how educated young farmers construct themselves as productive and socially respectable through different and locally understood neoliberal subjectivities. This is done by developing the concepts of neoliberal youth subjectivities and opportunity space, and examining their life and work histories. The author argues that the performances of educated youth who identify themselves as diversified selves, as members of the elite, and as social change makers challenge the normative notions of protracted youth-hood and, instead, illuminate the neoliberal lives of these young people, facilitated by a liberalized economy and their social positioning in society.

Tapping the potential of rural youth

Ati van der Honing — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 09:49:50 +0000

This issue of Rural 21 discusses the need for action in the area of creating employment and income opportunities for young people (see this article). Initiatives addressing these issues from a wide range of countries throughout the world are demonstrated in this issue. The global trend of increased youth under- and unemployment has led many governments and international organisations to develop and support youth-targeted strategies, policies and programmes. One of these programmes, discussed in this article, works on Green Colleges in India. This skill-building programme aims to increase the number and effectiveness of vocational training facilities, training, counselling and professional development in rural areas. Another article introduces back-office business operations carried out by third party service providers in rural areas in India, which have emerged as successful social enterprises. The idea was to create jobs for educated rural youth so they won’t migrate but contribute to the local economy and development. In Benin a project combines local expertise and international networks, youth-tailored ICT solutions and a demand-driven, results-based business model, explained in this article. Unemployed young people are trained and can get jobs in agricultural extension, and new technologies are reaching poor farmers who would otherwise have no access to them. Next to these initiatives, also representatives of development co-operation, politics, the private sector and rural youth give their views. This article for example, shows results from an SMS survey among young Africans in rural regions.

Creating opportunities for young people in Ghana’s cocoa sector

F&BKP Office — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 09:56:26 +0000

This paper (PDF) is published by the Youth Forward Learning Partnership, a partnership led by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), The MasterCard Foundation, Global Communities, Solidaridad, NCBA-CLUSA and GOAL. It presents young people’s experiences of growing up in Ghana’s cocoa belt, and identifies key barriers to their involvement in the sector and highlights opportunities to promote their participation in cocoa farming. Based on findings from focus group discussions with youth aged 15-25 in the cocoa-growing belt and from key informant interviews, the key issues raised are access to land, finance, and skills development, as well as perceptions of the cocoa sector, particularly among women. There is currently insufficient agro-economic education or skills training for young farmers. Without education, youth are limited to working as unskilled labourers. Formal accreditation of skills and training would allow young farmers to command better wages, seek credit and investment, develop a business plan and, ultimately, increase yields. Furthermore, opportunities for young people in cocoa are not limited to the production of cocoa. The opportunity to provide services to the sector might offer an additional source of income to young people who are unable to access land or who are in the process of establishing a cocoa farm and cannot yet fund their livelihoods through the sale of cocoa beans alone. Nevertheless, young people will need sustained support from the Ghana Cocoa Board, non-governmental actors and their communities – particularly chiefs – if they are to be able to take advantage of the opportunities in the sector.

Rural youth employment

Ati van der Honing — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 08:07:43 +0000

This report (PDF) by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank Group was prepared as an input to discussions on rural youth employment in the G20 Development Working Group. This focus on rural youth employment is essential, since youth are more likely than adults to be unemployed and a large share of youth live in rural areas. The need to feed a growing population and shifting consumption patterns offers prospects for income gains and jobs in both farming and the broader food system as economies transform. The ‘youth bulge’ is an opportunity for countries to reap a demographic dividend. However, actions on both the demand and supply side are needed to increase jobs for youth in rural areas. General demand side actions include, among others, actions to invest in complementary infrastructure; raise agricultural productivity growth and climate resilience to stimulate demand for non-farm goods and services; and promote high value agriculture and value addition while protecting healthy diets. Specific supply side actions include actions to facilitate youth skills development and matching rural youth to jobs, facilitate rural youth access to land and affordable finance. Priorities vary by country context reflecting the variance in binding constraints across countries. Prioritization should be guided by consideration of the number of young people reached, urgency in particular areas, and potential effects on livelihoods of young people.

Is ‘mind-set change’ the new frontier for Africa’s youth?

Ati van der Honing — Tue, 08 Aug 2017 13:14:55 +0000

This expert opinion by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) refutes the notion that the mind-set change of young people towards a more ‘entrepreneurial mind-set’ is the solution. First, surely it is right that we are very cautious about any analysis that defines the views, perspectives, attitudes and imagined futures of a whole generation as problematic. It is interesting to note that the idea that young people’s mind-set tightly constrains their actions and responses, sits in tension with another common example of essentialist discourse – that Africa’s young people are highly innovative and creative. Presumably they can’t be both constrained by their mind-set and innovative at the same time. But perhaps the more important objection to framing the problem as mind-set, is that this framing unambiguously places the problem of youth employment in Africa at the feet – or rather in the mind – of the young people themselves. And as such, they themselves have the power and responsibility – with a little help from development agencies – to create and open the door that will allow them to leave their current predicament behind. A final objection is that the mind-set framing tends toward a clean-cut, closed analysis that leaves little if any room for doubt or alternative explanations, and which requires no supporting research or continuing interrogation.

Youth in agribusiness in Africa: turning knowledge into action

Ati van der Honing — Tue, 08 Aug 2017 09:01:19 +0000

This blog by Rural 21 highlights the potential for fostering entrepreneurship and creating role models to persuade youth not to relocate to cities. The author states that a supporting environment should be provided for young people to thrive in agriculture and agribusiness. There are many challenges now confronting rural youth, like limited access to information, land and financial services. But there are also many examples of young people, in various African countries, who are determined to shine in the face of these challenges. These “agripreneurs” are taking giant strides in all fields of the industry – from farming and processing to savings management, communication and smart data collection platforms. The young often lack experience in business development, so they may need mentorship, leadership and business development training. Also a conscious and sustained global campaign is needed on agriculture to enhance the image of the profession. Moreover, a lot more consideration should go into giving recognition to those young people who are doing amazing work in rural areas, for example through awards. The entrepreneurial youth in Africa who have taken action in agriculture and its value chains are paving the way for others to follow. They are gradually becoming the role models and mentors they never had. The author encourages other young people to use their knowledge to take action in this sector.

Agricultural commercialisation: Where it’s hot and where it’s not

Nynke — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 09:50:56 +0000

This blog by Jim Sumberg from IDS scrutinizes the link between the level of commercialization of a local economy and youth inclusiveness. Greater agricultural commercialization, through engagement with value chains, is seen by many as the only viable way forward for small-scale farmers in Africa. In this view, increased commercialization has the potential to deliver significant income and livelihoods benefits to rural people, including young people. However, how this commercialization is influencing the opportunities of rural young people is hardly investigated. The author therefore looks at agricultural commercialization from a local economy perspective (as opposed, e.g. to an individual, farm, crop or commodity perspective). A local economy perspective starts with economic and employment opportunities associated with the commercialization of agricultural production itself. But it also encompasses the activities that support (e.g. seed and fertilizer sales) and/or add value (e.g. marketing processing and transportation) to this production, and all the other economic activities that are enabled by or linked to agricultural commercialization. Agricultural commercialization as an economic and rural development phenomenon is about much more than producing and selling agricultural products. Through identifying ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ spots for commercialization. In a hotspot more opportunities for youth tend to be available, however, the fact that there are additional economic opportunities for young people in the hotspot does not necessarily mean that the resulting jobs are particularly remunerative, secure or desirable, or that they satisfy the basic criteria for decent work.

A spatial analysis of youth livelihoods and rural transformation in Ghana

Ati van der Honing — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 07:51:33 +0000

This policy note by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) gives a spatial analysis of youth livelihoods and rural transformation for Ghana. It discusses the shift away from agriculture, occurring throughout rural Ghana, which is much more pronounced for youth. Participation in rural non-farm employment is more pronounced in the south than in the north and in rural areas closer to cities. Despite the rapid shift to the rural non-farm economy, over half of total rural households and around 40 percent of rural youth-headed households are still primarily engaged in agriculture. Urbanization and rural non-farm economic growth are often expected to have a major impact on agricultural intensification. However, overall it seems that it has not prompted significant intensification and technology adaption even among youth farmers in Ghana. It appears that youth, like other farmers, continue to face binding constraints to technology adoption, like lack of technologies and credit. There is a need for government policies and public investments that aim at promoting modern technology and agricultural commercialization to make agriculture more profitable and attractive to youth. Next to this, it would be worthwhile to further explore agricultural growth opportunities through agricultural and non-agricultural geographic linkages in predominantly rural areas. Policies that strengthen the rural non-farm economy and its linkages to agriculture could directly increase the attractiveness of agriculture for youth.

Africa’s youth employment challenge: New perspectives

Ati van der Honing — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 07:57:36 +0000

This issue of the IDS Bulletin reflects on challenges to youth employment in Africa and demonstrates how political context shapes youth-related policy. It illustrates the need for critical reflection on the multiple and divergent meanings of work and highlights an urgent need to rethink interventions that promote entrepreneurship. One article (PDF) discusses how social norms and micropolitics enable or constrain participation of particular groups of young people in smallholder livestock production and marketing. This analysis indicates a disconnect between Kenya’s youth policy which advocates for equitable distribution of employment opportunities, and the reality at community level. Interventions should therefore adopt strategies that recognise these norms as a first step to addressing social exclusion. Next, the potential of the rural non-farm economy to generate a significant number of jobs for young people is critically reflected (PDF). Evidence from Ghana shows that currently these enterprises have little potential for growth or employment creation. In order to harness their full potential, it is imperative for policymakers to identify specific sub-sectors that lend themselves to growth and have the capacity to offer sustainable employment avenues. Additionally, the links between young people, migration and work with a particular focus on migrants’ social networks are discussed (PDF). The author concludes that provision of financial support for rural young people to further their education, enforcement of laws within the informal sector and support for migrants’ networks would help improve the situation.

Realities, perceptions, challenges and aspirations of rural youth in dryland agriculture in Morocco

Ati van der Honing — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 13:29:29 +0000

This article (PDF) in the Sustainability journal analyses rural youth’s realities, perspectives and aspirations in dryland Agricultural Livelihood Systems in Morocco, with a particular focus on gender. Active involvement of youth in agriculture is necessary for sustainable agricultural systems but is currently a challenge in many areas. According to the authors the data collected are an important first step in understanding the target group and working with youth to identify and develop appropriate programmatic interventions to improve their livelihoods and rural futures. Prior to expressing their aspirations for their rural life and career, the youth first raised the issue of unfulfilled primary needs: access to education, potable water, heath care, and lack of infrastructure in their villages. The issue of outmigration from rural areas is controversial and not so widespread. The youth’s dream village is envisioned as a rural place where people have a more comfortable life with their own families, farming better and more sustainably rather than seeking a job in urban areas. However, agriculture does not seem to play a very important role in the desired future life of rural young women. To support the youth’s aspirations and their willingness to stay in agriculture, there is a need for infrastructural and regulatory interventions and specific training in agricultural practices targeting and engaging youth.

Changing the norm, making agriculture “cool” for young people

Ati van der Honing — Tue, 06 Jun 2017 10:25:20 +0000

This opinion paper (PDF) by the Participatory Development Associates Limited (PDA) discusses the perception of people on agriculture as a profession and ways to give it a more positive image. The challenge to attract the youth to the agriculture sector has been exacerbated by the image problem agriculture as a profession faces. Findings indicate that most respondents perceive agriculture as a rural activity for the poor which involves a lot of hard work with little profit. Others saw agriculture as a very profitable venture in developed countries but not worthwhile and associated with poverty in the developing countries. Attracting the youth to agriculture requires a shift in the perception of agriculture as a subsistence activity to a viable business enterprise. Additionally it is needed to create the enabling environment, which employs a modern approach to farming that raises productivity, making agriculture an attractive venture. Amongst the recommendations suggested to give agriculture a positive image are social media for agriculture promotion, making farmer role models visible to the youth, and strengthening the teaching of agriculture in schools, including field practicals. It is also recommended to use ICT to solve challenges in the agriculture sector, like mobile platforms. On top of that, participation of youth in agriculture policy discussions is advocated. Lastly, it is important that access to information, land and credit are improved.

Boosting youth employment in Africa: What works and why?

Ati van der Honing — Wed, 31 May 2017 11:53:16 +0000

This synthesis report (PDF) by the Knowledge Platform on Inclusive Development Policies (INCLUDE) reviews the latest knowledge on youth employment in Africa and the role of agriculture in combating youth unemployment. For most African youth (aged 15–24 years) the key employment issue is underemployment. They do work, but part-time and in low-skilled jobs in the informal sector. By 2020, most new jobs will be created in informal sectors like agriculture and household enterprises. A focus on enhancing productivity in these two currently low-productive sectors is, therefore, crucial in the short term. Raising productivity and, thus, creating employment in agriculture implies a need to invest in irrigation technology to ensure all-year round farming, as well as in training of farmers on the use of improved seeds and fertilizer. Also farm diversification will enhance agricultural productivity as it reduces seasonal underemployment in agriculture. Local economic conditions determine the (sub) sectors to prioritize. Possible priority sectors that could be targeted include staples, cash crops, horticultural products and livestock. Different actors have different roles to play in creating employment opportunities for youth. The conclusion is that a policy shift is needed to create employment for youth in the short term. Tackling un- and underemployment among African youth requires a local focus on multiple interventions that increase productivity in potential growth sectors, as well as tailor-made interventions that equip youth to exploit these opportunities.

An ICT agripreneurship guide: A path to success for young ACP entrepreneurs

Nynke — Mon, 15 May 2017 14:47:20 +0000

This practical handbook (PDF) published by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) provides a guide for young aspiring information and communication technologies (ICTs) entrepreneurs to help them set-up businesses that address challenges in the agricultural sector. Governments, private sector, non-governmental organisations, and especially young people, are increasingly viewing the intersection of ICTs and agriculture as a way to tackle global youth unemployment. This guide sets out to provide young people with the business skills and knowledge needed to launch successful start-ups. The handbook is also aimed at incubators and institutions that support young entrepreneurs to develop their skills. Taking a hands-on approach, the guide provides a number of case studies, as well as practical advice from young entrepreneurs. One of the case studies highlights a successful initiative to improve food and income security in Africa by pairing the owners of low-cost ‘smart tractors’ with farmers via an innovative SMS-based service. The report also presents common mistakes and ways to avoid them, and recommendations on how to scale up successful cases. A selection of business and product development tools and references for further reading are included. Topics covered include ICT business challenges and how to solve them, creating effective business plans and developing strategies to attract funding and capital.

Making creativity a job engine for rural Africa: Panel discussion highlights role of young entrepreneurs

Ati van der Honing — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 12:27:23 +0000

This article in the Rural21 Journal describes main messages of a panel discussion with the topic, “Jobs, jobs, jobs – Innovation and young entrepreneurship in rural Africa” in Bonn on 27 March. One of the important challenge for Africa will be to make the rural economy a place of opportunity for the young. According to the young Africans who attended the discussion, one of the reasons that this is not yet happening is the lack of investment. Investors and NGOs are reluctant to invest in new ventures or new ideas. Panellist Nana Amponsah’s general advice to young entrepreneurs was to seize the initiative and build networks rather than wait for a big loan or rely on donors. There were, she said, creative ways of getting started and raising finance as a business expands. Whether the appeal to entrepreneurial initiative and creativity can meet the enormous employment and developmental challenge facing rural Africa remains to be seen. However, steps also have to be taken by governments and international agencies to effect major change. The overall message that came out of the discussion is that the young must be enabled to make the “population dividend” count, to ensure young people across the continent become job creators.

Innovate for agriculture: Young ICT entrepreneurs overcoming challenges and transforming agriculture

F&BKP Office — Fri, 14 Apr 2017 15:26:54 +0000

This booklet (PDF) by CTA and Ashoka presents 20 ICT-enable entrepreneurial ventures created by young innovators form African and Carribean countries. Increasing the productivity and sustainability of agriculture depends, to a large degree, on engaging young people in the sector, drawing on their energy and innovations. The innovations by the young entrepreneurs feature the use of mobile phones, social media, websites and a new generation of tractors. Services offered target various segments and facilities along the agricultural value chain, from pre-production to production, financing, marketing, trade and consumption. The case studies offer analyses by the young entrepreneurs themselves of the factors that triggered them to start the initiatives, challenges faced and strategies to overcome them. Hereby they provide useful advice to other young people interested in ICT-enable agro-entrepreneurship. Although the ventures presented are still in early stages of development, they already demonstrate successes. Many innovators have launched their companies after winning competitions, or have been acknowledged as successful endeavours and benefited from programmes. A key message that comes out from these stories is the need for all stakeholders to develop holistic strategies that can build youth agribusiness capacities and advance this novel type of agro-entrepreneurship. Advise for aspiring entrepreneurs is: 1) Understand your user; 2) Find the right team; 3) Just get started; 4) Talk about your initiative and get feedback; 5) Read business books; 6) Be creative with the business model; 7) Stay focused; and 8) Practice self-care. Starting a venture is stressful.

Foresight Africa viewpoint: Science and the farm

Ati van der Honing — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 09:11:40 +0000

This blog by The Brookings Institution argues that Africa’s youth employment issue is fundamentally one of agricultural modernization and investment in science. Farming remains the dominant occupation of most young Africans; this despite the fact that few respond “I want to be a farmer” when asked about their aspirations. More youths remain on farms than leave, although the movement away is very visible and has raised concern about food security, aging of the countryside, and excessive dependence on food imports. Concerns would be best directed toward understanding the needs of young people who stay on farms. The author argues that the agriculture that will allow young farmers to prosper will have to draw on the best of modern agricultural science—and at present it does not. Current levels of investment in Africa’s agricultural science cannot support modernization. The prevailing paradigm of “closing yield gaps” has created the erroneous view that known science can be applied to great effect without investing in new science. Agricultural science that does keep up can deliver; and multiple examples like new bean varieties, orange sweet potato and improved backyard chicken show how efforts to strengthen the scientific foundations of Africa’s agriculture are essential for creating jobs for youn people as well as for improving nutrition. The author states that the challenges of youth employment and agricultural modernization are often seen and addressed in isolation. However, according to her these are inseparable — either mutually reinforcing problems that jeopardize the future of an entire continent, or mutually reinforcing solutions, each to the problem of the other.

Addressing rural youth migration at its root causes: A conceptual framework

F&BKP Office — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 15:06:55 +0000

This paper (PDF) by FAO develops a conceptual framework about how agricultural and rural development policies can reduce the need for distress migration of rural youth; and how rural youth migration and remittances can contribute to sustainable agriculture and rural development, poverty reduction and food security in the areas of origin. The conceptual framework recognizes that distress migration is a complex phenomenon requiring integrated approaches which both address the root causes of distress migration and emphasize the positive impacts of migration for rural areas. Indeed, a wide range of issues and situations determine the decision to migrate, including local factors and stages of structural transformation, as well as household and individual characteristics. Likewise, the impacts of migration on the rural areas of origin can vary enormously. Based on available evidence, it may be concluded that within the ongoing processes of sustainable agricultural intensification and structural rural transformation in SSA and North Africa, the root causes of distress migration of rural youth need to be addressed by offering more and better on-farm and off-farm employment opportunities. The subsequent reduction in rural poverty and improvement of food security can contribute to ease migratory pressures. This conceptual framework identifies a number of key areas for intervention at policy and programme levels: First, obtain a better understanding of the drivers and impacts of distress migration of rural youth, through improved data and increased evidence to subsequently inform policies and programmes. Second, ensure that agriculture and rural development (ARD) policies and strategic planning processes account for migration, labour mobility and remittances, while ensuring policy coherence. Third, implement ARD programmes explicitly targeting rural youth to create viable on-farm and off-farm employment opportunities, which are productive, decent and in line with youth aspirations.

Equipping young people to make a change in agriculture

F&BKP Office — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 14:46:32 +0000

This YPARD report (PDF) provides one of the first comprehensive explorations of the impact mentoring can have both on young and senior agricultural professionals. A diversity of mentoring models were studied and in early 2015, YPARD decided that to understand how mentoring can best benefit its diverse global network, a number of different approaches to mentoring should be piloted – namely face to face, virtual, blended and group/peer mentoring. This report explores the outcomes, strengths and limitations of each approach. As this report demonstrates, young people in agriculture who have received mentoring are likely to see and promote agriculture as a viable career, have increased opportunities to access funding, from seed funds to loans to scholarships, become more business savvy and are invited to meaningfully participate in important conferences and events. They are seen as role models in their communities, enabling community resilience and better farming practices, leading to more secure and diverse food supplies. The report presents case studies and data exploring the impact mentoring is having in the lives of young people. Recommendations discussed include: 1. Face to face meetings enhance mentoring relationships and require investment; 2. Relationships must have an anchor/focus but this must be flexible; 3. Take steps to address time poverty; 4. Help mentees ask for help; 5. Set a nurturing, patient and supportive group culture in all projects; 6. Training and checking in is crucial; 7. Mentees need access to funding and practical opportunities; 8. Future program management and coordination is decentralised; 9. Expand M&E design to capture longer term lessons and successes; and 10. Operate from a comprehensive and realistic budget.

Unlocking the potential of non-farm enterprises to reduce rural unemployment in Ghana

F&BKP Office — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 10:55:42 +0000

This policy briefing (PDF) by IDS highlights the role of non-farm enterprise sector in the rural economy in Ghana. This sector constitutes about 35 per cent of rural incomes and engages around 21.2 per cent of the national labour force. In rural areas it employs about 13.8 per cent. Non-farm enterprises have been viewed as one of the surest ways of reducing rural youth unemployment in the country. However, despite their potential, limited understanding of the diverse nature of the non-farm enterprise sector has led to policies that do not fully exploit its potential to reduce rural unemployment in Ghana. The sector is characterised by a large degree of differentiation which makes it relatively difficult for a one-size-fits-all policy to address the issues and perhaps adequately take advantage of the potential the sector offers to reducing unemployment. Recognising the motive for young people to be involved in non-farm enterprises, whether as a coping mechanism or a livelihood strategy, is imperative to ensure effective and coherent policymaking across all the relevant players in the industry. An important recommendation is that non-farm sector programmes and policies designed by the government, NGOs, regional and international organisations on non-farm enterprises should be more focused and targeted, based on identified features, growth potential and employment capacities of the manufacturing and agro-processing sub-sectors which have the greatest capacities of absorbing the rural youth.

Agricultural value chains and their potential for youth employment in fragile and conflict-affected contexts

F&BKP Office — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 12:53:56 +0000

This GREAT Insights Magazine edition of February/March 2017 has a thematic focus on youth employment in fragile countries. It brings together a range of perspectives on the pressing question of how better to promote youth employment in fragile and conflict-affected countries. As agriculture is one of the most promising sectors in most fragile and conflict-affected environments, this article explores some of the key challenges and obstacles agricultural value chain development poses for youth employment. This article summarizes the main findings from the Agrifood Youth Employment and Engagement Study, highlighting the most promising opportunities and needed policy and programme changes in Nigeria, Rwanda, and Tanzania. The magazine highlight that the complex environment in fragile countries means that there is no simple, let alone unique, solution towards sustainable peace and prosperity. Instead, it is more about intertwined processes and inter-connected factors.

Increasing youth participation in livestock production in Kenya

F&BKP Office — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 10:48:40 +0000

This policy briefing (PDF) by IDS focuses on the increasing of youth participation in livestock production in Kenya. Agriculture is a primary source of employment in Kenya. Most employment takes the form of smallholder crop and livestock farming, either as a main or supplementary livelihood activity. In recent years, youth have been found to prefer employment in non-farm livelihood activities to farming, in part due to lack of markets, market information, affordable credit facilities, and land, and a preference for jobs that offer financial security, prestige, comforts of urban life and which avoid the drudgery associated with farming. In order to encourage young people back into livestock production, programmes led by the Ministry of Agriculture and partners need to avoid entrenching existing gender inequalities. Focus also needs to be placed on how the adoption of an agri-business model of smallholder livestock farming could improve profitability and attract young people into this type of employment.

Addressing the challenges faced by rural youth aged 15 to 17 in preparing for and accessing decent work

Ati van der Honing — Sat, 18 Feb 2017 07:45:44 +0000

This meeting report (PDF) by FAO features the results of the expert meeting on Addressing the Challenges Faced by Rural Youth Aged 15-17 in Preparing for and Accessing Decent Work in 2016. The expert meeting contributed to the identification of feasible and effective policies and actions to enable rural youth in this age group to prepare for and access decent work. Through working groups, 45 participants from 30 different countries collectively discussed and drafted problem statements and recommendations. These are compiled in this report. The agenda was organized around three main phases to reach three overarching objectives: 1) preparation for decent employment through education, skills development and life skills; 2) assessment of decent work opportunities in the rural economy, in particular related to agriculture; and 3) factors that enable youth to access decent work in agriculture and rural areas. The expert meeting recommends that awareness raising be carried out with the inclusion of youth, consulting with them and including their voice. Also, the promotion of community involvement is recommended. The high level of vulnerability of this age group requires multi sectoral partnerships, cooperation and dialogue. Additionally human capital should be increased through formal and informal education, including emphasize on agricultural topics in school curricula. Lastly, resources should be channeled towards rural youth aged 15-17 in order to enable them to equally access opportunities including education, information, power, infrastructure, markets, decent jobs, social protection and producers’ organizations.

Learning and entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector: building social entrepreneurial capabilities in young farmers

F&BKP Office — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 09:38:01 +0000

This article in the International Journal of Work Innovation, highlights public programs that promote the improvement of the technical and productive conditions of the agriculture sector in Mexico through organisations such as Produce Foundation Puebla (FUPPUE). This organisation has implemented diverse mechanisms oriented to promoting young farmers’ technological and productive capabilities. However in some cases when the FUPPUE leaves them, farmers’ capabilities and performance decrease within a short period of time. This paper explores the learning mechanisms intended to develop new knowledge and capabilities that are expressed in the adoption of entrepreneurial behaviour by young farmers. The argument is that FUPPUE triggers learning. This organisation helps farmers identify their learning needs and coordinates the process of knowledge transfer to develop lasting technological, entrepreneurial and relational capabilities. The methodology consists of an exploratory case study. The case is the project of ‘ranch eggs’ and the unit of analysis is the relationships and activities developed within the project.

The effect of land inheritance on youth employment and migration decisions

Ati van der Honing — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 09:11:16 +0000

This discussion paper (PDF) by IFPRI explores how the amount of land that youth expect to inherit affects their migration and employment decisions in rural Ethiopia. By using panel data from 2010 and 2014 it is found that larger expected land inheritance significantly lowers the likelihood of long-distance permanent migration and of permanent migration to urban areas. Inheriting more land is also associated with a significantly higher likelihood of employment in agriculture and a lower likelihood of employment in the non-agricultural sector. Overall, the results suggest that inheritance strongly influences the spatial location and strategic employment decisions of youth, especially in areas with less vibrant land markets and in relatively remote areas. It also shows that migration or non-agricultural employment is a last resort after exhausting all means of access to land. Furthermore, rural inhabitants tend to diversify sectorally, particularly in areas constrained by land availability, rather than exit agriculture altogether. The findings have broader implications for the development strategies available to Ethiopia. Absent government intervention, the decline in arable land over time may increase youth unemployment and urbanization. In this regard, relaxing policy-induced frictions in the land rental market in the country or otherwise freeing up land for individual use can reduce youth unemployment. Educational campaigns will be crucial to absorb the fraction of youth with limited opportunities for land ownership. Finally, there is a growing need to initiate modernization in the agricultural sector. Agricultural growth will increase rural household welfare, generating the demand for auxiliary services and goods, which landless rural youth can provide.

Failing young people? Addressing the supply-side bias and individualisation in youth employment programming

F&BKP Office — Fri, 16 Dec 2016 08:24:21 +0000

This report (PDF) by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), problematises and critiques some of the currently predominant models for getting young people into work. International development actors increasingly focus on youth employment as a key development challenge. The recognition of high rates of unemployment, underemployment and job insecurity among young people around the world has led to a plethora of youth employment interventions, as well as often problematic discourses about youth ‘dividends’ and ‘bulges’, which instrumentalise young people and paint them as security threats. Examining the current state of play of donor policies, the report critiques the supply-side bias built into the majority of approaches, and aims to advance an understanding of the demand-side and structural constraints. If supply-side approaches are not matched by measures to address these constraints, it argues, interventions risk adversely incorporating young people into the economy. The report also develops a critique of the overall narrow economic and individualistic approach currently adopted, building on the concept of social navigation to understand how young people’s decisions and trajectories regarding work are shaped in reality. Young people are socially embedded: their agency and aspirations are shaped by social values, positions and expectations, as well as by their social relationships and immediate political contexts. Consequently, the report argues that policies need to be de-individualised, both conceptually and practically, to better reflect the real constraints, opportunities and forces that will shape young people’s engagement with work.

Structural transformation to boost youth labour demand in sub-Saharan Africa: The role of agriculture, rural areas and territorial development

F&BKP Office — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 16:00:15 +0000

This paper (PDF) by the International Labour Organization (ILO), explores the opportunities that economic diversification offers to foster structural transformation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) while absorbing the growing youth labour force and providing them with the requisite skills. The paper focuses on structural transformation and the identification of possible building blocks for boosting youth employment in SSA. The first section details past processes of structural transformation and new challenges. The second section addresses the unique structural situation of SSA, its employment challenges and the enduring importance of the rural labour force. The third section reviews the existing policy options for speeding up SSA’s structural transformation, the limitations of segmented sector-based policies and the importance of reinvesting in multi-sectoral and place-based development strategies. The fourth section considers the rural economy and the need for renewed public policies adapted to the current realities of the region, notably the fading rural–urban divide. This new context requires a better understanding of the underlying processes of change – in particular, the growing pressure on land and natural resources and the consequences for viable agricultural systems. Section 5 concludes with policy recommendations for an inclusive growth process for youth employment. The paper considers that African youth are the key to the “African equation” and represent a major opportunity for SSA’s structural transformation. Because the replication of past transformation pathways is impossible, African civil societies, governments, entrepreneurs and youth have to invent a new development model, based on an inclusive and green development process for sustainable cities and rural areas. Achieving this new model will require political leadership, strong stakeholder engagement, and continuous research and evidence building to better understand what works to improve the labour market outcomes of youth.

Smallholder rural youth farming in Kiambu County, Kenya

F&BKP Office — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 13:58:03 +0000

This study (PDF) in the Journal of Culture, Society and Development aimed at highlighting age, gender participation and the role of literacy in small scale farming among the trained youth in Kiambu County, Kenya. The study population comprised trained agri-business young rural farmers aged 21 to 35 years who farmed on no more than 0.75 acres of land resident in Kabete Constituency. The authors show that a large majority (53%) of the trained youthful rural farmers had attained at least form four level of education compared to 40% of them who had college or University levels of education. These findings confirmed that guaranteed literacy among trained rural youthful famers in Kiambu County, Kenya was high (93%), an indicator for the likelihood of effective and successful farming. Over two-thirds (67.4%) of the rural youthful small-scale farmers in Kabete Constituency in Kiambu County, Kenya, has access to financial credit services compared 26.7% who did not have access and 5.9% who had not made up their mind about access to credit services. The rural youthful farmers had above average access to credit services in the study area, further the study established that slightly less than half (46.5%) of the farmers accessed their capital from their families through inheritance, 36% made savings and 17.5% accessed loans. Post-harvest challenge was the most prone challenge among youth framers and smallholder farming in Kabete constituency had improved lives of youths. To concluded, smallholder farming was offering a wide potential for rural youths by creating employment, encouraging savings, reducing food expenses and encouraged self-reliance among the youth. The study recommended review of agricultural policies that will accommodate the youth’s representation and protection of environment that supports farm. Also recommended is adoption of ICT in agricultural practice in Kenya.

Farming for the Future: three ways to rethink youth livelihoods in the agriculture sector

F&BKP Office — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 15:13:54 +0000

In this blog, Grace Mwaura questions the nature of livelihood opportunities that young people are being encouraged to pursue and their implications for the future. Increasing the number of (young/new) farmers will address an immediate need for employment and food security in Africa; but it will also illuminate the systemic challenge concerning the future of farming. In this blog, she highlights three key issues around the narrative of enticing young people into agriculture: the ecological footprint, the markets, and the policy incentives. Her argument is that, in addition to real incomes and enhanced capabilities, youth opportunities in the agriculture sector must also contribute to ensuring that the agricultural landscapes remain resilient to the changing environment. At the heart of national and regional policy reforms to achieve the needed transformations, is the need to prioritise safeguarding the sovereignty of local farmers, their seeds, and their land resources; establishing agricultural processing and manufacturing industries so that more young people are absorbed across the agriculture value chains; and enhancing rural infrastructure to facilitate distribution, access and affordability even in the most remote areas of Africa. According to Mwaura, our attention should focus then on whether indeed our efforts to increase employment opportunities in agriculture align with our overall vision of sustainable development.

Young people and agriculture in Africa: A review of research evidence and EU documentation

Ati van der Honing — Wed, 19 Oct 2016 08:50:54 +0000

This report (PDF) by IDS presents the results of a desk-based study to assess the available research evidence in relation to African young people’s engagement with agriculture, and to analyse how this evidence is reflected in current European Union (EU) policy and programming in Malawi, Ethiopia and Kenya, three of the 89 countries in which Alliance2015 members work. With the aim of stimulating constructive dialogue and debate with the EU and member states in Europe and in countries in Africa, the study sought to address four main questions: 1) Are rural young people in Africa turning their backs on agriculture?; 2) What does the research evidence say about young people’s attitudes toward and engagement with agriculture?; 3) How is this evidence reflected in Europe’s current policies and programming in the selected A2015 countries?; and 4) What alternative approaches to policy and programming are suggested by the evidence? The research finds that young people do not figure prominently in the EU’s policy and programmes in Malawi, Ethiopia and Kenya. It will be important to reflect on whether, how and in what situations the EU’s strong orientation toward economic growth, market-based approaches and broadly applicable principles and frameworks are appropriate in relation to the structural transformation agenda. Furthermore, the authors state that the available evidence provides no clear answer to the question of whether an increasing proportion of young people is turning their back on agriculture. Although, many studies point towards the opposite direction. They suggest that further research along these lines should be a high priority as it would be very beneficial to understand much more about how different groups of young people in different rural areas imagine their futures, and their strategies for moving toward those imagined futures. The relatively strong evidence around the research–technology–productivity nexus and issues around access to land suggest that youth should continue to be a central focus, even though they cannot (and should not) be framed or justified as a ‘youth specific’ policy or programme focus. There is a strong argument that until and unless the deep structural issues that are at the heart of these chains are addressed successfully, much of the more youth-specific programming will remain largely irrelevant.

Agrifood youth employment and engagement study

F&BKP Office — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 08:45:15 +0000

This report (PDF) by the Michigan State University examines the potential of Sub-Saharan Africa’s agrifood systems to provide new jobs for unemployed, underemployed and disadvantaged youth. It identifies constraints affecting the capacity of youth to take up economic opportunities. According to the report, Sub-Saharan Africa’s agricultural sector is rapidly changing and can be a key driver of youth employment and economic transformation. Two analytical tracks generate insights and guidance on cost-effective strategies and programmatic entry points most likely to improve employment options and livelihoods for disadvantaged African men and women. Chapters 2 and 3 analyze economic mega-trends for Rwanda, Tanzania and Nigeria and projects how economic changes, specifically farm structure and dietary transformations, will affect future job prospects for rural and urban African youth. Chapters 4 and 5 examine the economic and policy environment affecting youth engagement with the agrifood system, assesses the supply and demand for related workforce training and perceived gaps, and distills best practices and lessons learned related to youth economic programming. Based on the results of this study, the authors offer recommendations for youth-related programming in Rwanda, Tanzania and Nigeria, such the development of youth employment programming that focuses on the food manufacturing and horticulture sectors, which are expected to generate high quality jobs for youth and women. A policy brief can be found here.

This article by ECDPM summarizes some of the insights of this report.

Assessing the future of agriculture in the hands of rural youth in Nigeria

F&BKP Office — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 09:12:51 +0000

This study (PDF) in the International Journal of Agricultural Extension examined the perception of rural youths toward Agriculture as a profession in Nigeria. Data for the study were obtained through interview and structured questionnaires administered to one hundred and twenty respondents. Findings revealed that majority of the respondents (81.7%) were between 15 – 25 years. However, only 2.5% of the respondents were into farming while many of them engage in various types of business. The findings further showed that majority of the respondents were secondary school leavers and this accounts for 40%. Although 80.8% of the respondents were of the opinion that farming can be considered as business but still have a negative perception about farming as a profession. Many considered that farming work is tedious and does not bring daily income, agriculture is for old people, making a choice of career in agriculture is tantamount to choosing to be poor. Access to loans, land, infrastructures, etc. also indicated negative perception of respondents in the study area. Based on these findings, it is recommended that land should be made available to rural youths; it will still be of good advantage if the government can help in the provision of farm machineries and basic social amenities like adequate water supply, good electricity, good road network linking rural-urban areas so as to facilitate efficient marketing of agricultural products.

Can better technology lure Asia’s youth back to farming

Ati van der Honing — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 09:40:17 +0000

This Article is about the Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s Food Security Forum from June 22 to 24 at the ADB headquarters. There, food and agriculture experts said that farming and agriculture may not seem cool to young people, but if they can learn the thrill of nurturing plants to produce food, and are provided with their favourite apps and communications software on agriculture, food insecurity will not be an issue. According to the experts youth can make a great impact on the agricultural sector as many young people today are educated and will appreciate the future of food and the environment. With 750 million young people aged 15 to 24, Asia and the Pacific offer a huge potential of youth. However, as the study: ‘A Viable Future: Attracting the Youth to Agriculture’ (PDF) of the Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) shows, at this moment most youth is stimulated to migrate to cities or overseas as most families associate farming with poverty. To make the agricultural sector more attractive, emphasis at the forum was also put on the plight of farmers. They are mostly older in age, dwindling in numbers and remain one of the most marginalised sectors in every society. Globally, farmers have been neglected, and in the Asia Pacific region, they are the poorest.

Effects of rural-urban youth migration on farm families in Benue state, Nigeria

F&BKP Office — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 08:08:01 +0000

The study (PDF) in the International Journal of Agricultural Research, Innovation and Technology aimed to determine the effects of rural-urban youth migration on farm families in Benue state, Nigeria. Data was collected trough interviews from a sample of 80 respondents. Results indicate that majority (76.3%) of the respondents were males, middle aged and married. Major causes of rural-urban youth migration indicated by the respondents include inadequate employment opportunities in rural areas, search for better education, inadequate social infrastructure such as schools, poor medical care services in rural areas, looking for money through labour, apprenticeship programme, etc. Findings of the study also indicate that reduction of agricultural labour force, low agricultural productivity, high cost of labour, reduction on demand for locally grown foods, decrease in dependency ratio in the rural areas, reduction on number of mouths to feed, among others were major effects of ruralurban youth migration among farm families. The study recommends that Nigerian government should provide adequate physical and social infrastructure in rural areas in order to encourage youths to remain in agriculture, reduce rural-urban youth migration as well as sustain agriculture for enhanced food security.

Africa’s structural challenges can’t be solved by “youth innovation”

F&BKP Office — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 14:49:35 +0000

Discussions around young people in Africa often hold them to be particularly innovative. The hope is that the next generation, if supported properly, will solve the continent’s problems through innovation and entrepreneurship. Ideally, such claims, which play an important part in policy, should be supported by solid evidence. In this blog, IDS experts challenge the current discourse around youth employment challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, as it is commonly stated that young people are innovative, and in some respects, more innovative than older people. The authors suggest that the centrality of the claim that youth and innovation are tightly linked reflects how dominant ways of thinking have painted development policy into a very tight corner. They challenge policy makers to step away from assumptions and to build up young people’s capabilities.

Agricultural transformation and agribusiness in Africa: how can jobs for women and youth be created?

F&BKP Office — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 11:50:41 +0000

In preparation for a side-event on the African Development Bank (ADB) annual meetings, the INCLUDE Platform launched a series of one pagers on Africa’s agricultural transformation and how it can be made inclusive for women and youth. This one pager introduces the concepts of agricultural transformation and agribusiness and identifies the key challenges in making both inclusive. The series of one pagers assess how an inclusiveness lens can best be applied. It does so in the form of four briefs on the most pressing issues of inclusive agribusiness: 1) Job opportunities for youth in Africa’s agricultural transformation (in collaboration with the F&BKP); 2) What works to empower women in agriculture; 3) The role of inclusive value chains for women and youth in Africa’s agricultural transformation; 4) The importance of social protection for Africa’s agricultural transformation. The series concludes with the one pager ‘A policy agenda for inclusive agricultural transformation in Africa’, containing INCLUDE’s recommendations for an inclusive policy agenda on Africa’s agricultural transformation. Important conclusion from the one pager is that it remains to be seen if agribusiness will be the panacea for Africa’s agricultural transformation. More importantly, can agribusiness lead to inclusive transformation, as structural transformation and inclusive development do not always go hand-in-hand, particularly if a lens of inclusiveness is not applied. Inclusive development and wellbeing need to be incorporated into goals for agricultural transformation, particularly as agricultural transformation is more likely to be successful when focused on inclusiveness.

Should we stop talking about “youth”?

F&BKP Office — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 07:39:33 +0000

Youth and young people are becoming a hot topic among development donors and actors. But who exactly do these “labels” apply to, and are they too broad for effective policies? Or do they create too narrow a focus which is blind to larger structural issues? In this blog by IDS, Philip Mader argues that the term “youth” implies a homogeneity which could lead to misinformed policy decisions. Focusing on “youth” rather than the bigger structural or systemic issues which affect everyone – such as climate change, adverse markets or class-based exploitation could exacerbate problems. Mader argues that it would be good if development policymakers and practitioners develop a keener eye for the variegated issues which diverse young people in different countries face. Furthermore, the youth lens on development problems also entails risks, thus good policies will involve not just employing the concept of “youth”, but will also disentangling and problematize it.

Determinants of changes in youth and women agricultural labor participation in selected African countries

F&BKP Office — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 12:36:09 +0000

This paper by Eugenie W. H. Maiga was prepared for presentation at the 2016 Agricultural & Applied Economics Association Annual Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, July 31-August 2016. This paper investigates the determinants of changes in youth and women participation in agriculture by using data from the Living Standards Measurement Surveys-Integrated Surveys of Agriculture (LSMS-ISA). Participation in the agricultural labor force is measured using hours per week in agriculture and change in hours worked per week in agriculture between two survey waves for Nigeria and Uganda. Ordinary Least Squares and Tobit methods are used to estimate the model. The findings suggest that age is a strong determinant in hours worked per week in agriculture in Nigeria but not in Uganda. For both countries, age does not seem to have an impact on changes in hours worked per week in agriculture by the youth or by women. Nigerian men work more hours per week in agriculture than women while the opposite is true for Uganda. Education, gender, rural residence, and non-agricultural wage income strongly affect hours worked per week in agriculture.

Innovative and inclusive finance for youth in agriculture

F&BKP Office — Mon, 23 May 2016 14:30:45 +0000

This chapter “Innovative and inclusive finance for youth in agriculture” (PDF), was contributed by CTA as part of the 2015 Africa Agriculture Status Report. This chapter focused on analysing youth access to credit, savings, insurance or other forms of financing to promote their entrepreneurship drive. It starts with a brief review of the challenges preventing young agripreneurs from accessing needed finance. It went further to assess the current state of financing available to youth in agriculture, observing that financing youth in agriculture is already happening. Authors summarized their analyses and recommendations into five key points: 1)Links between young entrepreneurs in agriculture and formal financial institutions need to be strengthened by improving youth’s financial literacy and the capability of institutions to assess agricultural sector opportunities; 2) Better metrics can drive better policy – African governments should produce and share reliable statistics on youth employment in agriculture and their financial inclusion; 3) Young agripreneurs, having fewer assets, will benefit from forms of finance that do not require fixed collateral, such as contract farming, leasing, warehouse receipt finance or factoring. Governments and international development organizations should encourage such forms of finance through blending and guarantee schemes; 4) Crowdfunding platforms offer opportunities to young African entrepreneurs, including in agriculture, and governments should remove all barriers that prevent them from operating properly, including for equity and loan financing; and 5) A scarcity of venture capital firms (including the mentoring services that they provide) hampers African young entrepreneurs, including in agriculture, in developing and scaling up their businesses. Development organizations should continue to scale up their support for challenge funds and impact investing to fill this critical gap in the market. Leveraging on these recommendations could help governments and development organisations working with young people in agriculture to facilitate increased youth engagement in agriculture and unleash their entrepreneurship drive.

Delving deeper into the agricultural transformation and youth employment nexus: The Nigerian case

Babs — Mon, 16 May 2016 10:39:51 +0000

This working paper by IFPRI aims to critically analyze the youth unemployment situation in sub-Saharan Africa as a whole and in Nigeria in particular and to delve deeper into the potential that agriculture has for job creation for youth. In Section 2 the authors provide an overview of the youth unemployment situation globally and in Africa, followed in Section 3 by a review of the literature on the role agriculture plays in job creation. In Section 4, the dynamics of unemployment and job creation in Nigeria are reviewed. In Section 5 recent initiatives in Nigeria on this front are discussed. The concluding section of the paper discusses some policy recommendations emanating from the analysis for Nigeria of youth employment in agriculture. One of these recommendations is that in order to transform the agricultural sector to create jobs that youth aspire to engage in, there is a need to incorporate well-structured training appropriate for imparting the skills needed by youth employed along agricultural value chains.

Innovate for agriculture: Young ICT entrepreneurs overcoming challenges and transforming agriculture

Nynke — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 15:52:59 +0000

This report (PDF) from CTA demonstrates how young agro-entrepreneurs across the developing world are tackling some of the value chain’s most substantial challenges through using information communication technologies (ICT). The authors argue that when it comes to building a more efficient and equitable value chain, the potential impact of ICTs is more than incremental; it is catalytic. One reason for this is that through having better access to information, farmers can save time and faster access the information they need to support their work. An increasing number of young innovative entrepreneurs in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries are developing ICTs for agriculture solutions to support agricultural value chains. In this way they are providing employment and livelihood opportunities. The report showcases different initiatives that use ICT to improve production, access to finance and access to markets. In the whole report 30 young innovators are introduced from countries including Barbados, Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Jamaica, Senegal, Tanzania. The publication presents a multidimensional picture of the emerging field of ICT entrepreneurship in agriculture in developing countries. It describes challenges, successes stories and presents recommendations from youth on how to start and maintain ventures.

Is agriculture the answer to the Africa youth unemployment challenge?

F&BKP Office — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 07:37:25 +0000

Is agriculture the sector of opportunity for youth in sub-Saharan Africa? That was the question that was asked as part of a debate for the Mastercard Young Africa Works Summit in November 2015. Dr. Nteranya Sanginga – Director General International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Jim Sumberg from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), highlighted the pro’s and cons of this debate. Jim Sumberg presented four reasons to be cautious:

There is a significant gap between, on the one hand, the characteristics of the agricultural sector that a recent book – “Youth Employment in Sub-Saharan Africa” (pdf) – indicates would be required to support high levels of young employment; and on the other hand, the actual characteristics of African smallholder farming today.
The discourse, and much of the programming meant to encourage young people into agriculture, fails to acknowledge the diversity that is evident between rural young people and rural areas.
In the enthusiasm to promote agriculture as a sector of entrepreneurial opportunity for young people, it is not altogether clear that sufficient attention is being given to the qualities of the work and employment that are likely to be on offer.
There is evidence that suggests that the futures that rural young people imagine for themselves are not the same as the vision of futures that are embedded in the policy and programmes that promote youth employment in agriculture

Other sessions of the Summit focused on private sector engagement, multistakeholder involvement and the including of the entire value chain as well as science, innovation and ICT. Key takeaways from the Summit included that agriculture can be more than a subsistence activity for young people, providing they have access to training, financial services and access to markets. It was reasoned that it is the conditions that determine whether young people will be able to establish and maintain sustainable livelihoods in the sector.

Unleashing potential: gender and youth inclusive agri-food chains

Babs — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 14:08:17 +0000

SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) have partnered to address youth- and gender-inclusive value chain development. This working paper provides a basis for SNV-KIT collaboration on gender and youth inclusive value chain development as well as offering inspiration and food for thought to others engaging on these issues. The paper looks at the changing ‘who’ in agriculture and challenges related to inclusive agricultural value chain development. The authors use a gender lens to specifically focus on women and young people’s challenges and potential opportunities in the agricultural sector. It is argued that inclusion is an active process and that harnessing excluded group’s potential using a market-savvy approach, can produce better results in agricultural value chains to meet current and future food and nutrition needs as well as provide livelihoods for the people involved. Part 1 addresses gender aspects to the question of ‘who’ is the farmer of tomorrow and provides background on gender dynamics in agriculture. Part 2 conceptualises youth in this sector. Part 3 looks at the intersection of youth and gender and how a gender lens sheds light on inclusion. Part 4 lays out the SNV-KIT partnership’s approach to inclusive value chain development for unleashing potential of young women and men. It looks at how value chain inclusion efforts can be more robust and nuanced. The paper’s concluding remarks focus on how value chain development can be more effective and equitable by engaging with gender, generational and power dynamics.

Youth employment in sub-Saharan Africa: Taking stock of the evidence and knowledge gaps

F&BKP Office — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 14:21:41 +0000

This scoping paper (PDF) is one of a series jointly commissioned by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the MasterCard Foundation. The paper provides an overview of the youth employment challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. It gives context on the overall economic and employment climate in the region, and takes stock of what is known — and not known — about youth employment specifically. It summarizes existing interventions to expand employment and livelihood opportunities for African youth, and identifies research that could address policy-relevant knowledge gaps. The paper highlights that most young Africans work in agriculture and much of the region’s poverty is concentrated in this sector. With the majority of youth work in farming, meaningful improvements in their livelihoods will require a focus on productivity and innovation in agriculture. An important policy recommendation is that low levels of educational achievement and skills gaps limit the employment prospects for many young people. So, in addition to job experience, various types of skills development programs, from second-chance education to technical training, are important. Furthermore, the authors stress that context matter: the nature of employment challenges differs across the region, which means that policy priorities must vary as well. This paper highlights priority areas for further research, including a better understanding of school-to-work transition and youth employment dynamics.

A future in coffee: Growing a new generation of coffee professionals

F&BKP Office — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 08:09:19 +0000

A new generation of coffee professionals is urgently needed. Over the last decade, organisations in various parts of the world have launched projects to increase the number of youth involved in the coffee sector. Some have been extremely successful, generating benefits that extend far beyond the coffee sector into social, economic and psychological welfare. These projects provide clear insights that can be applied in many other sectors and can potentially transform the coffee production sector. This publication (PDF) by Hivos summarizes 5 case studies worldwide on good practices how to involve youth in the coffee sector, and comes up with successful strategies that attracted young people back to the coffee sector. In each of these studies, the pivotal element attracting young people was education and training, both for women and men. Once this was facilitated, participants experienced the benefits in terms of productivity in their fields, and progressed to training others as well. The most successful initiatives broadened their focus from farming to all aspects of the value chain. The interventions did not limit themselves to agricultural training. They focused on wider areas of empowerment within the community, such as leadership development, provisions of social necessities and even creative work. This combination of foci seems to have translated into a major source of general support for the young people.

Youth employment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges, constraints and opportunities

Nynke — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 12:26:13 +0000

This article in the Journal of African Economies provides an overview and analysis of youth employment in Sub-Saharan Africa. While many refer to the youth employment problem as the ‘youth unemployment problem’, unemployment is not high in low-income sub-Saharan Africa (3%) or in middle-income countries outside of Southern Africa. Since jobs remain elusive in the formal wage sector, youth have found innovative ways to express and exploit their talents and capabilities in the agriculture and household enterprises (informal sector). Jobs in the formal sector remain unstable, since African economies have failed to transform structurally from low productivity agriculture to higher productivity non-agricultural sectors. This can not only impact employment but also food and nutrition security of youth. Given the large numbers of youth entering the labor market each year, and the weak structural transformation of most African economies, the informal sector will remain a major employer of youth, particularly the less skilled and less educated. The author argue that therefore policy thinking across Africa needs to change. According to them it is imperative that policy makers make concerted efforts to raise productivity (and thus earnings) in the informal sector, rather than continue to focus exclusively on the formal wage sector. The authors recommend that policy makers need to learn from, and work with the youth to enable scalability of certain youth initiatives.

Africa’s got work to do: A diagnostic of youth employment challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa

Nynke — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 08:54:17 +0000

This article in the Journal of African Economies provides a macroeconomics analysis of the youth employment problem in the low and lower middle income countries of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). While concerns about youth employment are often voiced, the discussions tends to lack context due to the absence of labor market data and analysis. This article tries to reduce this gap through analyzing macroeconomic changes and indicators in SSA. It concludes that youth unemployment is just a subset of the overall employment challenges in SSA. This stems, according to the authors, from the slow pace of the demographic transition combined with slow development of a modern, export-oriented enterprise sector. This leaves the majority of youth entering the labor market no employment options, except for household farms or firms. Since in these segments, earnings and productivity are usually low, it has resulted in a large gap between the aspirations of youth and the economic opportunities available. More recognition of these realities in the labor market and of the limited prospects for major change, could bring better focus to current youth employment strategies and guide the directions for public and private interventions. The authors argue that strategies should focus on productivity and earnings in the sectors where most of the labor force works, instead of just concentrating on the urban wage employment sector.

Youth in agribusiness within an African agricultural transformation agenda

F&BKP Office — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 08:01:22 +0000

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) & The International Labour Organizattion (ILO) prepared a background paper for the Feeding Africa conference of October 2015. The paper highlights several challenges in involving youth in agribusiness, such as access to credit and land, skill sets, involvement in policy dialogue, accessing green jobs, technical and business opportunities and mindset change. Furthermore, some specific challenges are mentioned for ICT support of rural youth in Africa. The greatest barrier to the adoption of ICTs by young farmers and agro-entrepreneurs in Africa is the associated costs. Furthermore, the enabling environment is mentioned as a critical factor in the involvement of youth in agribusiness. Nevertheless, clear opportunity exists for directing African youth toward agribusiness, and if done in an inclusive manner, to profound societal and economic benefit. Many mechanisms toward this goal are being examined by several research, development and investment interests. The next critical step is to develop a comprehensive program that forges widespread commitment and partnership, combining these approaches in an effective manner and delivering cost-effective opportunities to youth for profitable agribusiness development. This paper describes several projects which aim to address the role of youth in rural transformation. In addition, the authors stimulate the development of a special program to promote youth in agribusiness. This program should include: 1) skills and capacity development; 2) agribusiness development; 3) youth networking; and 4) program management and coordination.

Looking for greener pastures: African youth and their future jobs

F&BKP Office — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 09:44:34 +0000

In this blog post on the INCLUDE platform, Marije Balt from Springfactor elaborates on youth moving to urban areas and explores programmes and plans of donors to invest in job creation in Africa’s largest sector, agriculture. The blog highlights a number of obstacles faced by young people wishing to engage in agriculture, such as the stigma surrounding agriculture as a lifestyle and source of livelihood, restricted access to land, irrelevant education, inability to handle risk and poor access to finance. She mentions that much of the 70% of African youth who are currently in rural areas are expected to migrate to cities in the next decades, but are unlikely to find decent jobs there. Hence, there certainly is a logic behind focusing on the food security-agriculture-employment nexus as reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The ceating of jobs of the future in rural Africa requires a comprehensive approach. Such an approach should investigate why governments have failed to create investments country-wide, address why youth have been excluded from (not only economic) opportunities and determine whether or not resources such as arable land and water for irrigation will run out in the next decade. It should also investigate if the jobs are actually out there, both in rural areas and the urban areas youth are heading to. More interventions in urban areas are needed to better integrate and transition these young city migrants for services, manufacturing or trade – which might well be in agricultural products. These interventions should draw on specific skills sets of young migrants. Such comprehensive approaches, both in rural and urban areas, in agriculture and other sectors, can help youth in Africa find decent work and stop looking for the proverbial greener pastures elsewhere, Balt concludes.

The future of youth in agricultural value chains in Ethiopia and Kenya

Nynke — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 08:06:18 +0000

This report (PDF) from Fair & Sustainable and AgriProFocus elaborates on how increased youth involvement in the agricultural value chain can improve food security and diminish youth unemployment. The study assesses where in the farming systems and the agricultural value chain youth is present and tries to understand the perspectives of youth towards agriculture. The study identifies the conditions that influence the involvement of male and female youth in maize and potato value chains in Ethiopia and Kenya. The authors conclude that organisations need to look beyond statistics to determine who ‘the youth’ really are in the context of their society. The authors argue that in general low income, limited availability of land and finance, lack of education and training, negative perceptions, inadequate infrastructure and market access cause youth not to be involved in the agricultural sector. Therefore the authors believe that to include youth in agriculture, efforts need to be aimed at these topics. However, the local context and the inter-relatedness of different topics needs to be taken into account. The authors also created a ‘dashboard’ that shows the six conditions, and gives indicators for each of these conditions. When the dashboard is filled in, it gives the practitioner an overview in one page on which conditions score well, and which ones need improvement. Based on this mapping, organisations, governments and others, can start looking for domains of intervention.

Youth in livestock production: Key to the actualization of the agricultural transformation agenda

Nynke — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 13:09:21 +0000

This article (PDF) in The Journal of Animal Production Research elaborates on the involvement of youth in livestock production as key to the actualization of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) in Nigeria. It scrutinizes the socio-economic role of livestock, the state of Nigerians livestock industry, youth involvement in livestock production and the constraints young people face to get involved in livestock production. The authors provide solutions to ensure the active participation of youth in livestock production. For example, young people should have sufficient access to knowledge, information, and education; they should have access to land, adequate financial service and markets; and, they should be involved in policy dialogue. The authors believe that addressing these factors will prove vital to increasing youth’s involvement in the agricultural sector, most especially in the area of livestock production. While the article focuses specifically on the case of Nigeria, the recommendations presented could also apply to other developing countries that struggle with youth unemployment in agriculture and that want to create opportunities for youth in livestock production.

Toward solutions for youth employment: A 2015 baseline report

F&BKP Office — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 10:06:48 +0000

The is a report (PDF) by Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE), a multistakeholder global coalition established to improve youth access to work opportunities. It is intended to set a baseline for youth employment trends, research and analysis, actions, and knowledge in line with S4YE’s agenda and comparative advantage. Part I of this report lays down a quantitative contextual baseline. Part II of this report sets an evidence and knowledge baseline to inform further research and programmatic strategy. Part III of this report includes an initial inclusion baseline for understanding, monitoring, and examining inclusion by first exploring gender, conflict and fragility, and spatial dynamics, and considering disability while recognizing that other minority groups or segments of youth also have distinct needs worthy of attention. The report highlights that agriculture remains the dominant source of youth employment. In rural areas, endless demand and rising crop and commodity prices create profitable opportunities for youth to engage in agriculture. However, land scarcity and weak or lacking land rights, are hindering youth from engaging in agriculture; and lack of access to loans and leases also prevent youth from obtaining their own land. At the same time, the concentration of people, business, government, and information creates distinct opportunities for urban youth. While there is no doubt economic dynamism afforded by the density in cities, young people may not be poised to capitalize on innovative and inclusive potential that this concentration can bring. These dynamics create disparities in labor market outcomes between urban and rural youth. More rigorous evaluations are needed to understand the impact of youth employment programs for both rural and urban young people. An important conclusion is that since most youth are active in either nonfarm employment or are self-employed in agriculture, stimulation of the agricultural market is critical for boosting youth unemployment in poor, rural areas.

Addressing Africa’s youth employment and food security crisis: The role of African agriculture in job creation

Nynke — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 12:56:04 +0000

In this knowledge sharing interview (PDF), the former president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, discusses the critical factors responsible for food insecurity and youth unemployment in sub-Saharan Africa. He argues that there are numerous actions that governments could take to address obstacles for youth to get involved in agriculture. He believes that removing these obstacles can prevent both massive youth unemployment and food insecurity in Africa. His recommendations are that policymakers should ensure agriculture provides the lifestyle and status that young people desire and expect. In addition, the land tenure system needs to be modernized and conducive finance and reasonable interest rates for agricultural loans need to be arranged. Also, hard and soft infrastructure needs to be provided to promote agribusiness and value addition to agriculture produce. Policymakers should also promote and develop successful young farmers as role models for other youth. He also concludes that agricultural policies should be strategic and sustainable and not change with every new government.

Youth employment and agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa

Babs — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 13:03:37 +0000

This expert opinion of David Suttie on the INCLUDE Knowledge Platform, highlights the role that agriculture can play in tackling the youth unemployment challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa. Suttie states that integrating the dynamism, energy and innovative potential of youth in agriculture is crucial to increase agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa, to meet the food and nutrition needs of its population, and to increase the competitiveness of African food markets. Young people, especially women, face significant constraints related to access to land, financial services and training. Therefore, investment in smallholder farming is crucial to tackle such constraints and to increase the attractiveness of agriculture to young people according to Suttie. Much good practice and knowledge in these areas already exists and documenting, scaling-up and adapting these holds much promise. But a more inclusive and youth-sensitive institutional and policy environment is needed, where growth is broad-based and job rich, inequality reduced and the young people of today are presented with viable opportunities to drive a modern agriculture capable of feeding Africa.

Developing the knowledge, skills and talent of youth to further food security and nutrition

Babs — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 15:37:28 +0000

This report by CFS; FAO; IFAD and WFP (PDF) provides case studies from different regions, that set out the challenges, successes and lessons learned relating to the development of knowledge, skills and capacity for youth in agriculture. The case studies cover the areas of peer-to-peer knowledge transfer, vocational training and skills development, and education systems and research. The case studies presented demonstrate the significant benefits of investing in developing the capacity of young women and men to enhance food security and nutrition. The report also highlights the challenges of rural deficits in basic education which constrain the productive potential of young women and men and underline the need to enhance the access and relevance of basic rural education. The authors conclude that in order to respond to food security and nutrition challenges in the coming decades, developing the capacity of young rural people to engage in modern and inclusive food value chains will be indispensable.

How to enhance youth employment in Africa

Babs — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 11:22:07 +0000

This short movie on CNBC Africa focuses on how to enhance youth employment in Tanzania. Agriculture is a very important job creator in Tanzania, which has an unemployment rate of around 12 per cent. However youth unemployment is much higher and this applies to most of the continent. CNBC Africa’s Thomas Maree spoke to Awadh Milasi from SNV Netherlands Development Organisation on strategies to enhance youth employment.

Agricultural science can speed job creation for youth in Africa South of the Sahara

Babs — Sat, 07 Nov 2015 11:31:12 +0000

This expert opinion written by Karen Brooks, Director of the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets and published on the INCLUDE Knowledge Platform on inclusieve development policies, focuses on the role of agricultural science for job creation in Africa. Young people born on farms choosing to remain in rural areas have more opportunities than in the past, and agriculture is receiving new attention as a potential source of employment. Farms that want to attract young people will need a transformation from traditional to modern farming. Neither existing farmers nor potential young entrants to the job market can accomplish this alone and investments and knowledge are needed. The article highlights that African leaders have already recognized in principle that transformative agricultural growth requires more investment in science and technology. According to Brooks, removing or reducing current barriers will attract more young people to agricultural careers and help those already farming to do so more successfully.

Enhancing youth engagement in agricultural careers

Babs — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 10:22:26 +0000

This blog by Cabi, explores what can and is being done already to improve employment opportunities for youth in rural areas, particularly in the agricultural sector. The blog highlights that there needs to be greater investment in education and training from primary through to tertiary levels, and teaching needs to take account of advancements in technology, foster innovation and be of relevance to the evolving agricultural sector. Alongside improving education, more needs to be done to change young peoples’ perception of agriculture as a potential career. Furthermore, it is important to create opportunities for young farmers to influence farming policies at both the local and national level to help identify and address barriers to engagement. According to the author, it is important to support innovation and entrepreneurship. A key step is to recognising farms as agribusinesses, considering not only the farm but also the industry and services. Finally, the prominence of social media in today’s society could be capitalised upon as both a tool for education and a route to improve the image of agriculture as a career.

Africa agriculture status report: youth in agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa

Babs — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 11:32:31 +0000

This report (PDF) by AGRA, highlights the current status of youth in sub-Saharan Africa and present the opportunities and potential that the region’s ‘youth bulge’ and ‘youthening’ generation brings to agriculture. Challenges to agricultural productivity in SSA, such as land tenure and reform issues, lack of capital and limited access to finance and credit, inadequate supplies of improved farming inputs, limited availability of new and innovative technologies and methods, untapped entrepreneurship skills, and limited public and private sector investment in agriculture and social infrastructure are all discussed in this report. The significant opportunities in the agriculture sector that are available to young ‘agripreneurs’, and the progress that has been made in the sector to harness the skills and the potential of youth, are also presented in detail. This report is an affirmation and recognition of the prominent role of youth in transforming SSA agriculture and their vital contribution to engendering a uniquely African green revolution.

Are the youth exiting agriculture en masse?

F&BKP Office — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 12:17:30 +0000

This paper by Eugenie Maïga, Luc Christiaensen, and Amparo Palacios-Lopez, investigates the extent of youth engagement in agriculture in six African countries using unique data from the Living Standards Measurement Surveys-Integrated surveys on agriculture (LSMSISA). They employ both descriptive and regression analysis to compare the hours worked per week in agriculture by the youth (16-35) and the prime-age group (36-60). The descriptive analysis suggests that the Nigerian (62.8%), Malawian (23.4%), Tanzanian (17.8%), Ugandan (16.0%), and Ethiopian (9.9%), youth work less hours per week in agriculture than the older age groups. In Niger, there is a small difference (0.7%) in hours per week in agriculture by the two groups. All differences in mean hours worked per by the two groups are strongly significant (5% level or higher) except for Niger where there is the difference in mean hours worked is insignificant. The regression results suggest that age is a strong correlate of hours worked per week in agriculture in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Malawi and a weak correlate in Niger and Uganda. The correlation between age and hours worked per week in agriculture is insignificant in Ethiopia. Other important correlates of hours worked per week in agriculture include education, gender, rural residence, wealth index, farm size per capita, land ownership, and livestock ownership. Based on both the descriptive and regression analyses, we can conclude that the youth are leaving agriculture in Nigeria, Malawi and Uganda. The results also show that the exit from youth in Southern Nigeria’s youth is more pronounced than the exit from youth in Northern Nigeria.

Youth in agriculture: Inspiring stories of young people changing agriculture

Babs — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 12:36:35 +0000

This blog from the Journal of Gender, Agriculture, and Food Security, highlights some succes stories of young agriculture entrepreneurs. Significant challenges remain in realizing the full potential of Africa’s agriculture: access to finance, land rights, and women’s empowerment are just some of the critical issues to address. But with the right tools and training, the continent’s young people can play a critical role in transforming this sector into the engine of Africa’s development. Opportunities for increasing youth engagement in this sector are summarized as: 1) Investing in building capacity of young farmers; 2) Identifying agribusiness opportunities beyond the farm; 3) Increasing access to finance for young people and 4) Providing of mentoring.

Premise of progress – Building human and social capital for Africa’s agricultural success

Babs — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 12:49:59 +0000

This blog by Katrin Glatzel on Agriculture for impact highlights the challenges of youth engagement in Africa’s agriculture. Glatzel recommends socio-economic intensification, the integration of innovations and practices from the fields of ecology, genetics and socio-economics to build environmentally sustainable, equitable, productive and resilient ecosystems, to improve the well-being of farms, farmers and their families. Another option is for youth to engage in business groups or associations, according to Glatzel. She highlights that to make the agriculture sector flourish and earn a good living from agriculture, it is not necessary to work on the farm. Concluding, the premise of progress for Africa’s agriculture sector rests on an enabling environment that allows innovation for Sustainable Intensification to be adopted. It should combine methods of Ecological and Genetic Intensification with appropriate investments in building human and social capital.

African youth and the persistence of marginalization: Employment, politics, and prospects for change

F&BKP Office — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 13:01:23 +0000

The much heralded growth and transformation of many economies in sub-Saharan Africa over the last decade continues to receive prominent attention in academic scholarship and among policy practitioners. An apparent feature about this transformation, however, is that Africa’s youth appear to have been left out. This book by Routledge critically examines the extent and consequences of the marginalization of African youth. It questions conventional wisdoms about data trends, aspirational goals, and common policy interventions surrounding Africa’s youth that have been variously propagated in both the development studies literature and in mainstream donor policy reports. The book explores macro trends from both a temporal and cross-regional perspective in order to highlight what is distinct about contemporary African youth and whether their prospects and behaviours do actually vary from their counterparts in other regions of the world or from previous generations of African youth. Such studies include cross-country analyses of youth employment patterns and modes of political participation, in-depth examination of the behaviours and aspirations of the urban youth, and critical reflections on the impact of rural employment initiatives, vocational education, and learnership programmes. The incorporation of multiple methods and disciplines, as well as its attention to policy issues, ensures that the book will be of great interest to graduate students, researchers, and professional researchers whose work lies at the intersection of African area studies and development studies as well as those focused on development economics, political science, and public policy and administration.

Life stories of African women and young professionals in science

F&BKP Office — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 15:08:08 +0000

This booklet (PDF) by The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), takes a look at the life stories of 12 remarkable African agricultural scientists who are making a difference on the continent and internationally. Ten of them are the women and young researchers who were winners of the 3rd Africa wide science competitions. They are motivated to be part of the solution, and not the problem. Indeed, as researchers they are helping to transform agriculture by developing science-based solutions to some of the complex issues facing African farmers. Their journeys to becoming agricultural scientists are strikingly similar: most of them come from smallholder farms, and their flair for science was spotted and nurtured by their secondary school teachers.

Youth, conservation agriculture and sustainable development – Engagement insights from Africa

Babs — Mon, 03 Aug 2015 11:04:07 +0000

The unexplored potential of youth as the next frontier and workforce is a recent phenomenon in agricultural transformation in Africa. This calls for innovative approaches to create connections from the available human and technical competencies. Conservation agriculture and sustainable development are emerging lucrative economic domains. But, what is youth engagement in Africa? How do we engage youth in these economic domains? What are the lessons to be learned when youths are engaged in conservation agriculture and sustainable development? This book provides ways to create new ideas, images, knowledge, and facts for use by farmers, students, youths, researchers, practitioners and scientists. This book aims to stimulate critical dialogue and resolve among readers on truly engaging youth in agricultural transformation. In using Zimbabwe, as the anchorage, the book, holistically scans the nation’s landscape – food and nutrition security, climate change and variability, and the post-2015 development agenda, for examples of innovative thinking, leadership, and action, in youth engagement, and thus, catapults local futuristic-thinking youths to the global stage.

Perspectives on jobs and farming: Findings from a Q study with young people, parents and development workers in rural Ghana

Babs — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 09:30:08 +0000

This working paper by Future Agricultures aimed to explore in a systematic way the perspectives of rural young people, their parents and development officials on a series of questions relating to work in general and agriculture in particular. The study presents the results of a series of Q Methodology studies with secondary students and parents in Ghana, and with development officials. It was found that young people strongly emphasise their desire for modern jobs and for jobs that are in line with their education. Though few positive perspectives of young people or parents towards farming were found, not all perspectives were negative. Modernisation of farming was central to the perspectives of both young people and parents. An important recommendation is that attention should be paid to bringing the views of policymakers, development professionals and young people closer together.

Please also find a version of this paper in the Food Security Journal here.

Report of national youth forum on agro-based entrepreneurship development

Babs — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 10:41:15 +0000

This report covers a summary of the workshop entitled, “National Youth Forum on Agro-based Entrepreneurship Development, which was held in Lalitpur, Nepal on 9th-10th January 2015. This workshop was organized with the support of YPARD, YPARD Asia, MCRC and NFYN. The workshop aimed to addres a two-fold challenge for agricultural development: how to expand emerging sustainable practices, and how to inspire more young professionals to choose agriculture as a professional career to replace retiring farmers. Innovation in agriculture -farms, agro-based processing and marketing is highlighted as the most viable option for addressing youth unemployment. The report summarizes lessons learned from the two-day workshop.

Rural radio and community media: Empowering rural youth to build resilient livelihoods and improve food security and nutrition

Babs — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 16:45:21 +0000

This report (PDF) by the Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition in West Africa of FAO, in collaboration with UNESCO, is a result of an online discussion on rural radio and community media, organized in February 2015. This initiative aimed to contribute to current debates about the challenges and opportunities of the role that rural radio and community media can have to young people to improve the resilience and food security in West Africa. Radio was recognized by the contributors as a powerful tool to provide fundamental information and raising awareness among rural communities, especially on these topics: market production, ecological and sustainable farming practices, awareness on new opportunities, improving nutrition practices and bridging the gap between policy makers and farmers.

Youth sustaining family farming through ICTs

Babs — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 14:40:14 +0000

This report (PDF) is the result of an e-debate of three weeks on “Youth sustaining family farming through ICTs”, organised by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), in collaboration with the African Youth Foundation (AYF), in October 2014. The debate aimed at discussing the involvement of youth in family farming, opportunities and challenges faced, as well as exploring how ICTs can strengthen their engagement in family farming. It generated over 150 contributions from more than 20 countries from Africa, the Caribbean and Europe. The report includes a list of initiatives shared by youth and organisations supporting youth in agriculture. A key message is that engaging youth in family farming will require stronger focus on agribusiness and relevant ICTs.

Youth and agriculture: key challenges and concrete solutions

Babs — Thu, 07 May 2015 14:52:39 +0000

This report (PDF) has been published by FAO, The Youth and United Nations Global Alliance (YUNGA), the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The document builds on results of the project “Facilitating Access to Rural Youth to Agricultural Activities” undertaken by FAO/IFAD/MIJARC, as well as on CTA youth activities. During the project, six principal challenges for the future of youth in agriculture were identified. For each challenge, this publication presents a series of relevant case studies that serve as examples of how this challenge may be overcome. These challenges include: insufficient access to knowledge, information and education; limited access to land; inadequate access to financial services; difficulties in accessing green jobs; limited access to markets; and limited involvement in policy dialogue. A key message of the report is that a coordinated response is needed in order to increase “youth power” in the agricultural sector.

Effect of farm succession on coffee production in Kenya

F&BKP Office — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 13:48:55 +0000

This article (PDF) in the International Journal of Agricultural Extension studies the effect of farm succession on coffee production. Coffee farmers in Kenya are elderly (average 55 years), and reluctant to release coffee farms to the new generation, leading to reduced adoption of new technologies and reduced coffee production despite its profitability and opportunity of expansion. The objective of the research study was to establish the effect of farm succession on coffee production in Kisii County. Simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were employed to obtain quantitative and qualitative data using structured questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussion and case studies on a sample of 227 respondents from a population of 69,000 coffee farmers. The research findings indicated a weak significant correlation between farm succession and coffee production. The research findings are aimed at filling policy gaps by encouraging agricultural extension practitioners to encourage the youth to participate in coffee farming and encourage the elderly farmers to mentor the youth to take up farming. The coffee farmers need to be encouraged to widen the choice of farm successors beyond family members and beyond gender imbalance in order to encourage spurring of coffee production, thus increasing production and profitability.

Young people, agriculture, and employment in rural Africa

Babs — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 14:48:37 +0000

This paper (PDF) by UNU-WIDER examines the current interest in addressing the problem of young people’s unemployment in Africa through agriculture. It aims to address what role policy and associated programmes and projects can play in re-aligning rural young people’s engagement with agriculture. By use of two overarching concepts, transition and mobility, a conceptual framework is introduced that could be used as a lens for the analysis of policies, programmes and projects involving young people and agriculture in Africa. The framework is used in a preliminary exploration in four examples of government initiatives (in Ghana, Malawi and Ethiopia). It is argued that policy and programmes that seek to engage young people with agriculture must be more realistic, rooted in more context-specific economic and social analysis, and appreciative of the variety of ways that rural men and women use agriculture to serve their needs and interests.

Who wants to farm? Youth aspirations, opportunities and rising food prices

Babs — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 11:40:48 +0000

This publication (PDF) by IDS explores conditions favourable for active engagement of educated young people into farming in a context of food price volatility, and in particular rising food prices since 2007. The paper is an output from the research project Life in a Time of Food Price Volatility. Based on analysis of interviews, focus group discussion and household case studies with almost 1500 people in 23 rural, urban and peri-urban communities in low and middle income Asian, African and Latin American countries in 2012, this research digs deeper into some of the established explanations as to why youth in developing countries appear reluctant to enter farming. The key conclusion of the paper is in line with the other literature on the topic: that farming is not a favoured option for the younger generation in rural areas of developing countries, even those in which agricultural remains the mainstay of livelihoods and the rural economy. The researchers suggest that agriculture could be made more appealing to young people by: 1) adjusting public policies to fit better with youth’s aspirations; 2) the use of successful role models; and 3) supporting access to markets, inputs and modern technologies.

Livestock entrepreneurship as an emerging self-employment option for university graduates in Ethiopia: Overview of concerns and potentials for growth

Babs — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 09:55:11 +0000

This paper (PDF) in the European Journal of Business and Management, compiles and synthesizes existing and emerging knowledge on major aspects of livestock enterprises and support services including practical skills and information needs among self-employed graduates. Implications for further investigation and interventions and informing institutional policies development on livestock enterprises as a growing employment option are also highlighted. It is concluded that apart from embedding entrepreneurship education in every department; support services including livestock-related technical skills and science-based information; and policy or strategies that engage the potential roles of all stakeholders need to be in place to make use of Livestock entrepreneurship as a viable career option in the emerging interest of graduates and meet the growing demand of livestock products.

2014