African Youth As Drivers Of Decent Job Creation In Sustainable Food Systems
“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient,
safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and
healthy life”
With the current global youth population sitting at an estimated 1.2 billion, 85% of these youths are said to be situated in the developing countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, many more of them live in rural areas. With food being a main commodity in the functioning and development of the human body, extreme cases of poverty, economic instability, shortage in water supply and severe climate change, have further led to malnourishment in developing communities. It is stated that African youths make up 75% of the population within the continent. These youths are however faced with a myriad of challenges while accessing education, employment, skills, and equality.
Although youths who are situated in farming communities have some, if not all resources at hand for the production of food, more still needs to be done in the development of youth farming. A high population of global youth are found in Africa and Asia and through increased urbanization, the act of food growing in these areas leaves food security and nutrition in jeopardy. According to reports from the World Bank, the share in food manufacturing and services is on the increase. The inclusion of women and youth into food systems can raise productivity and improve social peace, which as a result makes the migration to urban areas or even developed counties, a choice instead of a necessity.
Although these are positive trends that have the potential to generate innovative opportunities as a result of an increase in food demand, these can potentially threaten food security and nutrition in many developing countries and create a further strain on urban labor markets. It is therefore important that African youth be actively included in the eco- and agri-food systems to ensure that socio-economic development is resilient to crises that may be faced in the future. Since African youth hold the key to transforming the continent’s food system, a coalition for youth agriculture will attempt to eliminate fragmentation in the ecosystem by reducing the transaction costs and risks for potential investors. These youth centered interventions will provide a centralized one-stop hub that lays out opportunities for investors and stakeholders to sustainably engage.
Empowering African youth to be innovators and change makers for sustainable food system transformation will help lead to improved employment and economic opportunities as well as reduce inequalities and create more successful transitions for African youth in the labor market. Furthermore, it will contribute to reviving the sector and reducing rural migration into urban areas. Ways to support this initiative include attracting youth to agri-food systems as well as rural areas by supporting governments to enable a youth-sensitive transformation within the sector and propagating the transmission of intergenerational knowledge and resources such as land, agricultural practices and rural livelihoods in schooling curricula. More can be done by also equipping youth with skills that are needed to take up news technologies, participating in green practices as well as including digital transformation.
Supporting youth-led organizations in promoting youth engagement in food systems policy and mechanisms of governance involves creating a conducive environment and enhancing youth capacity to participate in policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. More can be done by supporting education and training centers and organizations as well as service providers to respond to the needs of African youth especially those situated in rural areas and other vulnerable groups such as young migrants, indigenous youth and youth living with disabilities. Such actions taken by organizations do not only have the potential to positively change the trajectory of African youth, but also to become a global game changer and influence global food practices. Since the general population of African youth struggle with much adversity in terms of employment, equality and even education, such innovative solutions can help encourage and develop the skills of those who find themselves in these dire situations. It is therefore important that such initiatives include youth, who will not only develop the necessary skills needed for agricultural growth but will also push youth to become frontrunners and help improve the lives of the future generations to come.
Organizations such as The Youth Café, strive to put these plans into action by involving youth in such practices. Part of our strategies at The Youth Café is to facilitate increased impact and expand our actions to address the needs of young people. In the same way as empowering youth, TYC seeks to foster community resilience, propose innovative solutions, drive social progress, and inspire political change. In this way, the organization contributes to the skills development and empowerment of young Africans, who will therefore have the power to reduce extreme poverty, hunger, malnutrition and create lasting change in rural African communities.
Also included in TYCs actions to make a difference, we advocate and foster innovative, progressive policies that promote the full participation of youth at national and global level. Such initiatives by organisations like The Youth Café, create a future where youth are not only able to be a part of making a difference, but also create jobs, build communities, and also equip youth to become future leaders in various economic and social sectors. Such actions prepare future leaders to become civil negotiators in the political sphere, which has the potential to contribute to better nation building and stability in Africa, which has always been desired.
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