Abstract
Providing economic opportunities for youth in agriculture is essential to securing the future of agriculture in Africa, addressing poverty, unemployment, and inequality. However, barriers limit youth participation in agriculture and the broader food system. This scoping review aimed to investigate the opportunities and challenges for youth in participating in agriculture and the food system in Africa. This review conducted a scoping review using the PRISMA guideline. Published studies were retrieved from online databases (Web of Science, Cab Direct, and Science Direct) for 2009 to 2019. The findings showed that existing agricultural interventions are production-centric and provide low-income earnings and inadequate social protection. We also found that the youth have pessimistic perceptions about agriculture's capability of improving their living standards. This could be ascribed to the minimal youth involvement in agricultural activities and the youth's shared understanding of the agricultural sector's contribution to general economic growth. From a policy perspective, the literature revealed that current agricultural development programs do not adequately address structural issues underpinning youth participation in the economy. Therefore, to enhance the involvement of youths in agriculture, there is a need for policy implementation in the area of integrated agricultural-based interventions that are context-specific and promote meaningful youth participation in shaping future food systems.
Highlights
Youth unemployment is a challenge in the global south [1]; in particular, Africa faces significant challenging conditions, similar to Asia’s in previous decades [2]
The most common reasons for exclusion included: no primary data or clear description of the age range of youth
The inclusion of agricultural subjects and activities in schools could spark an interest in young people and expose them to various aspirational career opportunities in agriculture at a young age [67]
Summary
Youth unemployment is a challenge in the global south [1]; in particular, Africa faces significant challenging conditions, similar to Asia’s in previous decades [2]. This is primarily due to rapid population growth, slow economic growth, a higher unemployment rate concomitant with a large volume of unskilled workers, and an ageing and declining agricultural sector [3]. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) displays the highest poverty rates among youth, constituting more than 30% of the region’s population [4].
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