Investment Guidelines for Youth in Agrifood Systems in Africa

New guidelines for scaling up investments for and with youth in agrifood systems in Africa were launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the African Union Commission (AUC) in April 2022. The guidelines are for those involved in designing and implementing agrifood investment programmes: governments, financial and technical partners, the private sector, civil society, and young women and men themselves.

Africa as a region has the highest percentage of youth in the world, estimated at 420 million people between the ages of 15 and 35. This is an enormous resource for future prosperity, but the challenges these young people face are many.

Young people are twice as likely as adults to be unemployed. The majority of working youth are poor and employed in vulnerable, low-quality jobs in the informal sector. In 2019, almost two-thirds of young workers lived in poverty in Africa, compared to half of adults. Youth are also over-represented among the extremely poor. On top of this, young women, especially in rural areas, face gender-biased social norms, laws and practices that limit their involvement in gainful work and in seizing development opportunities.

Agrifood systems transformation can address these challenges, opening up vast employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for young women and men in agricultural value chains and across food systems.

Agrifood systems are under pressure from the effects of the climate crisis, chronic and emerging conflicts and the impacts of COVID-19, undermining their ability to provide healthy and affordable food for all. But youth are resilient and innovative. It is crucial to invest differently and engage them as central players driving the transformation of agrifood systems. This includes expanding automation, digital technologies and the green economy. Young people bring in new ideas, solutions, products and services, new models of entrepreneurship, partnerships and networks. Failing to invest in youth could lead to economic and social costs and threaten agrifood systems' sustainability.

The Investment Guidelines for Youth in Agrifood Systems in Africa aim to accelerate investments in and by youth in agrifood systems. The guidelines recommend four steps to investing in youth : 1) Engage youth in the investment programme cycle; 2) Assess and pre-design with a youth lens; 3) Design with a youth lens; 4) Implement then monitor, evaluate and capitalize on what you learn.

FAO and the AUC developed the Guidelines drawing from research, case study analysis of successful programmes, multistakeholder consultations and a widely attended technical validation workshop.

(FAO/ile)

Read more and download the Investment Guidelines for Youth in Agrifood Systems in Africa at FAO website