2019 ECOSOC Youth Forum

2019 ECOSOC Youth Forum
How can youth in Africa be empowered to best leverage opportunities for quality jobs in agriculture?

 

Dear youth representatives, guests and colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

I am happy to welcome you here today. I am a mother of two young girls and I strongly believe that Youth hold the key to the challenges we face today, including the obstacles encountered in rural areas and agriculture.

Let me start by sharing some striking figures that underscore the importance of involving rural youth.

Africa has the youngest population in the world. Over 60% of its nearly 1 billion population is under the age of 24 and 75% is under the age of 35.

But when we turn to the agricultural sectors, we see in Africa, for example, the average age of farmers is around 60. This pattern is not restricted to Africa - rural youth worldwide are looking to cities for better livelihoods.

Why does this generation gap exist and how can we close it?  

On the one hand, young people are uncertain about considering agriculture as a viable livelihood option and associate it with low returns, hard work and low social status.

On the other hand, young entrepreneurs wishing to succeed in agricultural and food value chains face numerous challenges, such as inadequate access to land, credit and markets.

Re-engaging youth in the agricultural and food value chains requires addressing the numerous constraints that they face when trying to earn a livelihood.

The key is to strengthen the enabling environment, the policies, laws and incentives for agricultural investment, Furthermore, it is crucial to ensure that young entrepreneurs have access to a wide range of services. Finally, it is important to strengthen the individual capacities of them through adequate education programmes.

Responsible investment includes priority investments, in, by and with young agri-entrepreneurs.

Employment opportunities in the rural economy are abundant, and youth’s involvement in agribusinesses should be supported to tap into this reservoir of opportunities.

What is FAO doing in this regard?

We support our member countries through policy assistance and awareness-raising. We develop a strong enabling environment in which young people can seize current and future decent rural employment opportunities.

We also help forge new ways of working in agriculture that harness digital and technological innovations, providing new opportunities and services for young agro entrepreneurs.

We are proud to be part of the FAO and UNIDO project, supported by Japan to develop jointly a new Flagship Initiative for accelerating youth employment and entrepreneurship development in Agriculture and Agribusiness in Africa.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This year, the Secretary General called on Global Leaders to act, presenting concrete proposals and actions at local, regional and global levels.

Given the immense scope and inclusive nature of this call to action, unleashing the great potential of young women and men is critical to implementing these collective undertakings and achieving sustainable development for all.

I wish you fruitful debates at the Forum and look forward to our discussions during this event.

Thank you all for being here.