Zambia sets in motion a planning workshop for the “Integrated Country Approach for boosting decent jobs for youth in the agrifood system”

FAO recently held a workshop where value chain stakeholders discussed a youth-centred strategy for Zambia’s soybean value chain, which holds great potential due to its growing market demand. Opportunities in the soybean value chain, span production, value addition, support services, and modern technology integration. The value chain also has the potential to generating greener, better jobs in agriculture which is critical to absorbing Zambia’s growing youth population and driving rural transformation through inclusive agrifood value chains.

Leading the Zambian delegation was John Mulongoti the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, who emphasized that the planning workshop and youth-centred upgrading strategy are key steps in empowering Zambia’s youth in sustainable agrifood systems. He highlighted that “fostering innovation and inclusivity in agriculture aligns with the new dawn administration priorities.”

John Mulongoti urged stakeholders to leverage FAO’s technical expertise and emphasized the Government’s role in creating a conducive policy environment. By connecting youth with financial institutions, the Government aims to unlock affordable credit for young agripreneurs. Addressing the youth, he stressed that they are not merely beneficiaries but leaders in Zambia’s agricultural transformation, encouraging them to integrate their priorities into the soybean value chain strategy for a sustainable future.

FAO Country Representative in Zambia, Suze Percy Filippini, reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to supporting Zambia’s agricultural transformation through youth participation in agribusiness. She outlined FAO’s role in equipping young people with skills, resources, and market linkages to enhance their contribution to both on-farm and off-farm enterprises. By promoting technology, finance access, and sustainable practices, FAO aims to create employment and advance the 8th National Development Plan’s objective of increasing youth employment. She stated, "FAO remains committed to partnering with the Government of Zambia to maximise the potential of these value chains. Through partnerships and technical expertise, FAO will continue supporting Zambia’s efforts in reducing hunger, poverty, and fostering inclusive economic growth".

The fourth phase of the Integrated Country Approach for boosting decent jobs for youth in agrifood systems (ICA-4) project adopts a market-systems development (MSD) approach. By partnering with market players to address youth employment barriers, ICA-4 aims to improve market functions and policies to create more and better jobs. The project will engage both the private and public sectors, fostering partnerships with local institutions at key value chain nodes. Collaboration with the public sector will ensure an enabling environment and incentives for businesses to be more youth inclusive. ICA-4 will also emphasize climate change adaptation, gender equality, and youth empowerment through networks and collective action.

Workshop discussions highlighted key challenges, including a mindset shift among youth who often expect external support rather than seeing themselves as active economic participants. Development practitioners were urged to frame youth as business partners to encourage real engagement. Other barriers include limited inclusion of youth with disabilities and a persistent “business as usual” approach in agriculture. Many soybean farmers focus solely on grain sales rather than value addition, limiting potential job creation. ICA-4 aims to enhance value addition activities while ensuring inclusivity in all interventions.

Young people’s perspectives on the new initiative

Valepi Banda, a youth participant from Young Emerging Farmers Initiative (YEFI) shared, “Agriculture is a lifestyle and decent work. Women already contribute greatly, but they need measurable empowerment through upscaling, safeguarding, financing, and gender-responsive strategies.” 

Another participant, Nachamba Kapopwe from Ministry of Labour added, “This workshop is a step towards a vision where agriculture provides long-term careers for Zambia’s youth.” 

A third participant Christabel Chikonde from Youth Alive Zambia highlighted the need to understand local cultures to address gender issues, emphasizing that traditional leadership plays a key role in promoting gender equality.
And Ian Banda from Youth in Action for Disability Inclusion Zambia (YADIZ) said “This is an opportunity for companies to promote the employment of persons with disabilities whilst benefiting from a ZMW 2000 tax exemption for each disabled individual hired”.

State of the soybean vale chain in Zambia

The soybean value chain in Zambia underpins an industry worth approximately USD 830 million, supporting nearly 700 000 jobs. Soybean production has surged, positioning Zambia as the second-largest producer in Southern Africa after South Africa. Recognizing its strategic importance, the government has prioritized the soybean value chain in the Second Generation National Agricultural Investment Plan (NAIP) through the Comprehensive Agriculture Transformation Support Programme (CATSP). Soybean is Zambia’s second most cultivated crop after maize, with smallholder farmers contributing 66 percent of annual production. Central and Eastern provinces account for 55 percent of national output.

However, smallholder productivity remains low due to limited access to quality seeds, equipment, financing, and knowledge of good agronomic practices. Shifting rainfall patterns further challenge productivity. Soybean processing is concentrated in large-scale firms in Lusaka, while small- and medium-scale processing for animal feed and human consumption remains underdeveloped despite its potential to create jobs for Zambia’s large youth population. Zambia’s youth aged 15 to 35 years, now number 6.9 million, with 31.4 percent not in education, employment, or training (UNDESA, 2022; World Bank, 2023). Nevertheless, youth engagement in soybean cultivation and processing is growing, presenting opportunities for entrepreneurship in production, value addition, and distribution. As demand rises, young entrepreneurs can strengthen their participation in the agricultural economy.

Next steps

Following the workshop and assessment phase, a youth-centred upgrading strategy for the soybean value chain was developed. Interventions were co-designed with local stakeholders and youth representatives. ICA will prioritize Central and Eastern provinces due to their major contributions to soybean production and high smallholder farmer presence.

The project’s interventions will focus on youth engagement in seed multiplication, mechanization services, and local soybean processing. Additional support will improve youth access to entrepreneurship and financial services while promoting youth-inclusive governance in the soybean value chain. Cross-cutting themes include climate risk mitigation, gender equality, disability inclusion, decent work, and child labour prevention.

The project will work towards improving market functions to generate more and better jobs for rural youth through inclusive and sustainable approaches, with implementation beginning in April 2025.