Making agriculture markets more accessible to youth

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) commissioned Genesis to conduct a study to generate evidence and strategies for mass-market and high impact youth engagements in agriculture. This was done along the value chain that included rural, urban, educated and non-educated young people.

The study to find a way to make young people more effective in agriculture was conducted through a rapid market analysis of youth interventions in Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Nigeria and Tanzania.

The objectives of the market analysis were to examine the extent to which youth in agriculture interventions in the four countries have been successful in engaging young people, establishing government policies, strategies and initiatives on youth empowerment and identifying the systemic constraints that impede youth engagement in agriculture. Through the use of its Youth in Agriculture Framework, Genesis proposed high impact and inclusive youth interventions that will inform AGRA's youth in agriculture strategy.

AGRA is a dynamic, African-led partnership working across the continent to help millions of smallholder farmers out of poverty.

Under its new strategy (2016-2020) AGRA seeks to catalyse an agricultural transformation in 11 key countries - Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

AGRA’s mission is to trigger an African-led green revolution based on smallholder farmers in Africa with key goals by 2020 being:

• Doubling the incomes of at least 30 million farm households through productivity improvements and access to markets and finance;
• Ensuring all focus countries are on a pathway to attain and sustain an agricultural transformation through sustainable agricultural productivity growth and access to markets and finance.

To achieve this, AGRA works with African governments, international partners, private sector and public institutions. It will mobilise resources and political support required to invest in projects that strive to address food insecurity and increase the incomes of smallholder farmers.

Genesis identified critical gaps in production, post-production and marketing of produce including service provision.

Through its Youth in Agriculture Framework, Genesis recommended engagement methodologies and activities for AGRA and its partners to achieve its objectives of increasing productivity and access to markets for the youth in Africa.

(Photo credit: UN Photo/Harandane Dicko, 13 May 2017, Gao, Mali)