Youth and agriculture: Key challenges and concrete solutions
While most of the world’s food is produced by (ageing) smallholder farmers in developing countries, older farmers are less likely to adopt the new technologies needed to sustainably increase agricultural productivity, and ultimately feed the growing world population while protecting the environment. Hence, we need to re-engage youth in agriculture. Can this be done?
This publication provides real life examples of how this can be done. The first principal challenge identified is youth’s insufficient access to knowledge, information and education [Chapter 1]. Poor and inadequate education limits productivity and the acquisition of skills, while insufficient access to knowledge and information can hinder the development of entrepreneurial ventures. Particularly in developing countries, there is a distinct need to improve young rural women’s access to education, and to incorporate agricultural skills into rural education more generally. Agricultural training and education must also be adapted to ensure that graduates’ skills meet the needs of rural labour markets. Case studies from Cambodia, Uganda, Saint Lucia, Pakistan, Madagascar, Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda and Zambia illustrate innovative ways of making this happen.