Why is there a need to promote youth engagement and employment in agriculture and food systems? What are the key issues and opportunities?
The world population is on the upward trend with statistics estimating a projected population of 9Billion people by the year 2050. In order to sustain the growing population, there is an indubitable need to become more creative in food production and bolstering food systems and agri-food value chains. The youth demographic are known to be innovative with the agility required to make Zero Hunger a reality. In the wake of Climate Crisis, we have seen the youth at the fore in campaigning for a more sustainable environment. When it comes to Climate Smart Agriculture, the youth have the opportunity to be more adept in mitigating the effects of climate change while sustainably producing food. Though this may sound easy, there are challenges that youth agripreneurs face especially when it comes to access to markets and financing. We see that there are unequal market forces that put the farmer at a disadvantage while middlemen make the greatest kill. When it comes to youth access to finance, the loan requirements are quite steep and most youth in agriculture often lack the collateral required or some are considered “unbankable”. With the interventions on increasing youth access to agri-finance and market linkages, there has been notable improvement although there is still much ground to be covered.
Why is there a need to promote youth engagement and employment in agriculture and food systems? What are the key issues and opportunities?
The world population is on the upward trend with statistics estimating a projected population of 9Billion people by the year 2050. In order to sustain the growing population, there is an indubitable need to become more creative in food production and bolstering food systems and agri-food value chains. The youth demographic are known to be innovative with the agility required to make Zero Hunger a reality. In the wake of Climate Crisis, we have seen the youth at the fore in campaigning for a more sustainable environment. When it comes to Climate Smart Agriculture, the youth have the opportunity to be more adept in mitigating the effects of climate change while sustainably producing food. Though this may sound easy, there are challenges that youth agripreneurs face especially when it comes to access to markets and financing. We see that there are unequal market forces that put the farmer at a disadvantage while middlemen make the greatest kill. When it comes to youth access to finance, the loan requirements are quite steep and most youth in agriculture often lack the collateral required or some are considered “unbankable”. With the interventions on increasing youth access to agri-finance and market linkages, there has been notable improvement although there is still much ground to be covered.