The role of youths in agriculture came into focus during this year’s Africa Youth Agribusiness Forum held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia early November. Young people are increasingly being seen as the future, if not the present, of agriculture in Africa at a time the sector faces a myriad of challenges.
Amid high unemployment levels across the continent, agencies say agriculture offers hope for millions of young people who will drive Africa’s efforts to feed itself and rely less on food imports. The 2024 African Youth Agribusiness Forum ran under the theme “From Policy Commitments to Action: Shaping the Future of Agribusiness Together.”
This year’s gathering presented “a great platform to foster collaboration between youth, policymakers, the private sector and experts to drive the continent’s agribusiness agenda,” said Josefa Sako, the African Union Commissioner for Agriculture.
Young people have shied away from full investment in agriculture as the sector has traditionally been seen an occupation for older and less educated people, but experts say this has to change if the continent is to realise it is long term food security ambitions. With agriculture transitioning to sophisticated mechanisation, these developments and innovations are expected to change young people’s perceptions about agriculture being labour intensive.
The bulk of the continent’s smallholder farmers still rely on ox and donkey draught power for ploughing while exclusively relying on rainwater. These are circumstances that have resulted in a cycle of poor agriculture production.
However, youths are excepted to bring fresh verve to the sector by harnessing new technology. Governments across the continent are encouraging youths to ditch suits and ties and seize opportunities offered by the agriculture sector, while Africa’s vast diaspora is also increasingly being courted to invest in agribusinesses.
There was consensus during the Forum that Africa’s agriculture sector needs “generational renewal” and that “without young African students and farmers with knowledge and skills there can be no sustainable future for agriculture,” said Nino Perez, European Union’s Ambassador to the African Union and Economic Commision for Africa.
Young aspiring farmers still have to navigate hurdles that include access to land and agriculture finance at a time established commercial farmers are facing other added challenges such as climate change. “Africa’s youth are its most significant asset brimming with creativity, energy and potential. With over 60 percent of the continent’s population under the age of 25, there is no better time than now to fully embrace the power of youth to drive agricultural motivation, create jobs and build resilience,” said Farayi Zimudzi, Food and Agriculture Organisation Subregional Coordinator for East Africa.
The Africa Youth Agribusiness Forum seeks to create linkages between policy and action “ensuring that the next generation of agricultural entrepreneurs can make a lasting impact on the future of food production and security on the continent,” the Forum organisers noted.
The Forum is an initiative of the African Union (AU) and the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and is seen as a platform for young agripreneurs to “continue to lead the way in shaping a sustainable and prosperous future for Africa’s agricultural sector.”
It is also part of broader collaboration between the European Union and the AU who have also launched the AU-EU Youth Lab which seeks to empower young people in key decision-making processes “so that youth are not only being heard but are also shaping the policies that will drive development in Africa and Europe,” according to the EU.
