There are currently more young unemployed people on the planet than in any previous generation. How can developing countries reap a ‘demographic dividend’ and benefit from this large, young population?
This seven-part blog post series on youth engagement in agriculture explores some of the findings of a recent review into youth engagement in rice Agri-Food Systems (AFS) in Africa, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Includovate was commissioned by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to identify drivers and predictors that determine youth engagement in rice AFS and identify existing knowledge gaps to inform the development of a youth research for development (R4D) strategy and research agenda.
Youth is a distinct stage of human development, a time of transition from dependence to independence, marked with critical decisions that impact on the future of individuals and society at large. Successful transition results in well-adjusted men and women who are able to prosper and contribute to the economy and society, while unsuccessful transitions may result in intergenerational poverty, social maladaptation, and long-term negative outcomes (IFAD 2019).
While youth populations have stabilized for North America and Oceania, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe, this is not the case for Africa and Asia. Asia is projected to account for more youth than any other region until around 2080. In Africa, the number of youth was around 226 million in 2015. This is expected to increase by 42 per cent by 2030. Currently, one third of Africa’s young people aged between 15 and 35 are unemployed and another third are vulnerably unemployed (AfDB, 2016). The majority of these youth live in rural areas. Asia portrays a similar story; in India for example, 70 per cent of youth live in rural areas (Sumberg, Chamberlin, Flynn, Glover, & Johnson, 2019).
The profile of youth as potential development actors over the last decade has become significant (Ripoll et al., 2017). Youth are increasingly linked to targeted agricultural and food security interventions, with the combination of agricultural value chains, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship seen as a sweet spot for tapping the youth potential (Ripoll et al., 2017). It is hoped the current “youth bulge” will bring energy, vitality and innovation to the agricultural labour force. Many development practitioners hypothesize that when young people’s willingness to contribute is matched with opportunity they will have a transformative impact on economic growth and social development (Brooks, Zorya, Gautam, & Goyal, 2013).
Agriculture remains the main source of employment for the sizable youth population in Africa and Asia. However, this is declining. A study of rice production among youth in Kwara State in Nigeria shows that only 26.67 per cent of them had farming as their main occupation while 73.34 per cent did not (Falola, Ayinde, & Ojehomon, 2013). In Ethiopia, a study revealed that only 9 per cent of the participating youth chose agriculture as their future source of livelihood (Bezu & Holden, 2014). The perception that agriculture is considered an outdated livelihood option with minimal financial returns among youth is common. However, we do not understand enough about what causes this perception.
This blog series will unpack some of these literature debates and will specifically focus on youth engagement in rice agri-food systems.
To see the list of references please click here.
