Which agricultural model for youth employment?

Which agricultural model

for youth employment?

C onception: Cir ad, Martine Duportal, April 2017 LIBYE NIGERIA DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO ANGOLA GHANA CAMEROON IVORY COAST BURKINA FASO MALI MOZAMBIQUE MADAGASCAR GUINEA ZAMBIA RWANDA BENIN TOGO SIERRA LEONE LIBYA LESOTHO CAPE VERDE SAO TOME-AND-PRINCIPE BOTSWANA SOMALIA EQUATORIAL GUINEA NAMIBIA GABON ALGERIA MOROCCO SENEGAL TUNISIA ERITREA LIBERIA WESTERN SAHARA MAURITANIA CAR GAMBIA SWAZILAND MAURITIUS COMOROS SEYCHELLES CONGO GUINEA-BISSAU ZIMBABWE TANZANIA SOUTH AFRICA SUDAN NIGER EGYPT CHAD SOUTH SUDAN BURUNDI DJIBOUTI MALAWI ETHIOPIA UGANDA _KENYA UN regional grouping NIGERIA DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO ANGOLA GHANA CAMEROON IVORY COAST BURKINA FASO MALI MOZAMBIQUE MADAGASCAR GUINEA ZAMBIA RWANDA BENIN TOGO SIERRA LEONE LIBYA LESOTHO CAPE VERDE SAO TOME-AND-PRINCIPE BOTSWANA SOMALIA EQUATORIAL GUINEA NAMIBIA GABON ALGERIA MOROCCO SENEGAL TUNISIA ERITREA LIBERIA WESTERN SAHARA MAURITANIA CAR GAMBIA SWAZILAND MAURITIUS COMOROS SEYCHELLES CONGO GUINEA-BISSAU ZIMBABWE TANZANIA SOUTH AFRICA SUDAN NIGER EGYPT CHAD SOUTH SUDAN BURUNDI DJIBOUTI MALAWI ETHIOPIA UGANDA _KENYA 10 30 5 1

Cumlated yearly cohorts (in millions) <30 30-45 45-55 55-70 >70

Share of rural youth in 2030 (%)

The challenge for Africa is to provide job opportunities while most of the labour force is still engaged in family farming and other informal activities (Fig.2). If not, social and political tensions are expected to

grow and migrations to escalate.

The possible solutions include education and skill improvement and a more conducive environment for economic diversification. However, agriculture will still play a major role for employment.

3.2% 12.8% 22% 62% Formal - industry Formal - services Informal - household enterprises

Informal - family farms

Corresponding authors: bruno.losch@cirad.fr

FatiN@nepad.org

Fig.1. Number of young people entering the workforce between 2015 and 2030

Source: Adapted from NEPAD-CIRAD Atlas, spread 2

With 440 million young people

1

_{entering the}

labour force by 2030

2

_{, youth employment is}

one of the major challenges for African

economies and societies.

240 million of these young people are likely

to live in rural areas, albeit with significant

differences between countries

(Fig.1)

.

1_{Aged 15-24}

2_{Aged 15-64}

Fig.2. Structure of employment

in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2014

Source: NEPAD-CIRAD Atlas, spread 2

Bruno Losch, Cirad & GovInn; Fati N’zi-Hassane, Nepad;

Jérémy Bourgoin, Cirad; Denis Pesche, Cirad

Solving a major challenge for Africa

Fig.3. Tensions between different types of agriculture in the Senegal River delta

Source: Adapted from NEPAD-CIRAD Atlas, spread 17

Fig.4. Comparing labour content between different agricultural systems

Source: ENDA Pronat, UGB, ISRA (work in progress)

The choice of appropriate agricultural models will be critical: inadequate

strategies could result in environmental, economic and social unsustainability.

In many regions (e.g. the Senegal River delta, Fig. 3), different types of

agriculture compete for access to natural resources (land, water, soil fertility). They have different impacts on income distribution through farm output and employment (Fig.4).

A vibrant agricultural sector is key for increasing farm incomes and rural

demand and is a driver for rural diversification resulting in new upstream and

downstream job opportunities and regional development.

Governments must discuss with investors and favour projects that:

•

are compatible with regional specificities (population density, social acceptability, land availability, farm structures)

•

tally with local stakeholders’ needs (revenues, jobs and jobs for young people in particular, equipment and infrastructures)

•

benefit the country (added value, tax revenue, regional development, employment).

Governments must support family farming because:

•

it represents the overwhelming majority of agriculture

•

it is more labour-inclusive

•

it has historically shown its ability to innovate, develop and modernize.

To make agriculture more attractive, public policies must:

•

reduce risks and ensure a better market environment

•

support farmers’ organizations

•

foster the adoption of environmentally friendly practices

•

promote decent working conditions and a legal framework (with rights and status for young women and men)

•

improve access to services in rural areas.

0 0,5 1 1,5 2 2,5 3 3,5 4

Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Type 4 Family farming

Wo rk er s p er h ec ta re Temporary workers Permanent workers Sugar cane motorisation Irrigated rice motorisation Horticulture open field motorisation Horticulture greenhouses Irrigated rice and onion manual Formal - industry Formal - services Informal - household enterprises

Informal - family farms

References

PESCHE D. (ed.), L

OSCH B. (ed.), I

MBERNON

J. (ed.).

2016. A new emerging rural world:

An overview of

rural change in

Africa. Atlas for the NEP

AD Rural

Futures Programme,

2nd edition, Montpellier: Cirad,

Nepad Agency

, 76 p.

LOSCH B. 2016.

Structural transformation to boost youth labour demand in sub-Saharan

Africa: The role

of agriculture, rural areas and territorial development

,

Employment W

orking Papers No.204, Geneva: ILO, 70 p.

SOURISSEAU

J-M.  (ed.). 2015. Family farming and the Worlds to come, Dordrecht: Springer