The Future of Rural Youth in Developing Countries

The book The Future of Rural Youth in Developing Countries – Tapping the Potential of Local Value Chains was published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in late May 2018.

The study is based on the data from 24 School-to-Work Transition Surveys (SWTS) conducted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) among youth aged 15-29 between 2012 and 2015.

The global youth population today is the highest ever – one in six persons in the world is a youth. The number of youth between the ages of 15 and 24 reached 1.2 billion in 2015. Most of them were living in Asia and Africa, while youth population in Africa is likely to increase dramatically over the next decades.

More than the half of youth population in developing countries live in rural areas.

Rural youth in developing countries are low educated and work mainly in subsistence agriculture. Many of them are unsatisfied with their working situation and want to change their jobs. The authors argue that growing domestic demand for diversified food in developing countries is an opportunity to create new jobs for rural youth. They propose a policy vision to harness the potential of rural youth through domestic food systems anchored in local value chains.

This publication aims to sharpen understanding of who the rural youth are, what their job aspirations are and what untapped potential exists for them. Further, the authors look at what youth-sensitive approaches there are within agricultural value chains and what policy-makers can do to create an enabling environment for attractive jobs for the rural youth. 

(OECD/ile)

More information on The Future of Rural Youth in Developing Countries – Tapping the Potential of Local Value Chains

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Rural 21 Vol. 51 Nr. 3/2017: Tapping the potential of rural youth