Youth, Jobs, and Voice in Africa’s Agrifood System

Organized by the CGIAR Policy Innovations Program and the CGIAR GENDER Accelerator.

Africa hosts the youngest population in the world, with an average age of just 19 years. Africa’s young population can drive economic and social transformation providing Africa with a demographic dividend. Yet African economies struggle to productively absorb this labor force. There are insufficient employment opportunities for youth and the jobs created are often of poor quality. According to Afrobarometer, job creation remains by far the top priority among the youth. Many youth in the continent are dissatisfied with their governments’ ability to generate sufficient jobs and with the lack of opportunities to express their preferences and exercise voice in the policy arena. Unsurprisingly, “Gen-Z” protests have proliferated across Africa in recent years. Underlying youth- un and underemployment are structural inefficiencies in land, labor, and capital markets as well as recurring shocks (e.g., climate extremes and conflict) to regional and nation economies. Gender inequalities further shape how young people engage with these employment opportunities, with young women facing limited access to land, finance, training, and networks. In addition, broader economic mismanagement and corruption curtail the youth’s ability to enter and thrive in the job market.

Central to the jobs challenge is what happens to the agrifood system. It employs 61 percent of Sub-Saharan Africa’s workforce, still mostly on the farm, but increasingly also off the farm, in agrifood trading, services and processing.  While many of the jobs remain low productive, especially in farming, some agricultural subsegments prove surprisingly dynamic (e.g. avocados and dairy in Kenya, cashew in Cote d’Ivoire) with the off-farm segments also offering better paying opportunities. With food demand rising, diets diversifying and convenience becoming more important, agricultural value chains hold the potential to generate millions of better jobs. Yet many questions remain about how best to expand the agrifood system and make them work better for youth, in rural, but also in urban areas, where agrifood also makes up sizeable share of employment. Among others, and less discussed, is how to ensure inclusion of youth’s voice in agrifood systems policymaking, including those of young women. Addressing these constraints is essential—not only from an equity perspective, but also to unlock productivity gains and improve outcomes across agrifood systems.

This conference aims to deliberate and discuss evidence-based strategies and policies to advance youth engagement in agrifood systems (AFS). The event brings researchers, practitioners, and youth-led institutions together to showcase the insights from the latest research and discuss its policy implications for generating better AFS jobs outcomes.  The conference seeks to (1) identify scalable pathways for creating decent jobs for youth across agrifood value chains; (2) amplify youth perspectives and lived experiences in policy discussions, (3) foster partnerships between researchers, governments, private sector, and youth-led organizations, and (4) generate practical insights on how to reduce gender disparities in youth employment.  Specifically, the conference will focus on recent scholarship and policy innovations that address one or more of the following domains:

(i)             Prospects and scalable pathways for creating decent jobs for youth across agrifood value chains, both for rural and urban youth

(ii)           AFS skill gaps for youth (on and off the farm, in agricultural services, agrifood processing, trading, food services) and the effectiveness of programs to address them

(iii)         Implications of technological innovations (automation, digitalization/AI) for youth engagement in the AFS and the effectiveness of policies to leverage them more for youth.

(iv)          Civic engagement, voice and exclusion among youth in AFS policymaking, including on questions of representation and leadership of young women in agrifood governance

(v)           Reducing gender gaps in youth employment in agrifood systems, including approaches that address social norms, improve access to assets, and supporting young women’s participation in higher-value segments of the value chain.

(vi)          AFS potential for youth employment in fragile and conflict-affected settings