Who Wants to Farm? Answers Depend on How You Ask: A Case Study on Youth Aspirations in Kenya

Katie Larue,Kai Mausch,Thomas Daum,Dave Harris

doi:10.1057/s41287-020-00352-2

Abstract

While there is a consensus that rural poverty has to be reduced, there are two opposing views on the role that agriculture can play in this regard: a “farm-based” and an “off-farm led” development paradigm where the respective other sector is merely a complementary income source during a transition period. The latter paradigm is supported by studies finding that rural youth in sub-Saharan Africa are not particularly interested in agriculture. However, policy discourse on youth in agriculture often situates their aspirations as either full-time farming or non-farming, thus either supporting or opposing one or the other of the two paradigms, while neglecting the shades of grey between these two extremes. Using a mixed-methods approach—a household survey and a narrative-based tool called SenseMaker—to collect data from both adults and youth in 261 households in rural Kenya, this study suggests that this categorical understanding needs to be revisited to inform rural development strategies based on the actual aspirations of rural youth.

Highlights

In Sub-Saharan Africa, poverty alleviation through rural development has been the primary focus of governments and donors alike (OECD 2016)
Farm-based paradigms assert that the development of the agricultural sector in predominantly agrarian societies, where most rural households derive a substantial portion of their livelihoods from farming, is the key pathway out of poverty (Barrett et al 2001; Glover et al 2016; Johnston and Mellor 1961; Lipton 2006; World Bank 2007)
Discussions on youth aspirations in agriculture are often situated in a dichotomy of wanting full-time farming or no farming at all and thereby either supporting a farmbased development strategy, where a vibrant farming sector drives economic growth or an off-farm pathway, where non-farm work drives growth (Bellù 2011)

Summary

Introduction

In Sub-Saharan Africa, poverty alleviation through rural development has been the primary focus of governments and donors alike (OECD 2016). Farm-based paradigms assert that the development of the agricultural sector in predominantly agrarian societies, where most rural households derive a substantial portion of their livelihoods from farming, is the key pathway out of poverty (Barrett et al 2001; Glover et al 2016; Johnston and Mellor 1961; Lipton 2006; World Bank 2007). According to this paradigm, agricultural development generates positive spill-overs to the rural non-farm economy and “kick-starts” development (Byerlee et al 2009; Jayne et al 2018). AGRA, for example, argues that “no region in the world has built a modern economy without first strengthening its agricultural sector” and that the “youth represent an enormous opportunity” for agriculture transformation.

Methods

Results

Conclusion