ABSTRACT

Over the last two decades, policy and research interest in African youth and their current and futures roles in agriculture increased dramatically. This seminar will explore the current state of play by touching on motivations, arguments, narratives, interventions and evidence. Does agriculture have a key role to play in providing employment to Africa’s ‘youth bulge’? Are rural young people ‘walking away’ from farming? Are they more ‘innovative’ than others, and faster to embrace new farming technology? Do they uniquely have the potential to ‘transform’ Africa’s agriculture? These are the kinds of questions that have framed the debate, but have these debates and associated interventions served the interests of rural young people?