Creating Better, Decent and Greener Jobs for Youth in Sustainable Agrifood and Other Sectors
This post is written by Jane Lowicki-Zucca, senior youth advisor for the Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, USAID.
Increasing young people’s access to more and better quality jobs in many low- and lower-middle-income countries (LICs and LMICs) is an urgent priority. At more than 1.2 billion and rising, today's global youth population aged 15 to 24 is the largest in history. Almost 90% of these young people are living in developing countries, mostly in rural areas with high agricultural potential. While some countries will see declines, the youth population in the 47 least-developed countries will increase 62% by 2050. In Africa alone, 440 million young people are expected to enter the labor market between 2015 and 2030.
Diagnose, decide and design for solutions
Like for everyone in the labor force, youth employment prospects are shaped by the state of structural and rural transformation of the countries and regions in which they live. However, the benefits of increased productivity and efficiency in agricultural and other markets that contribute to sector growth do not automatically trickle down to all young people — especially female youth — in the forms of improved market inclusion and income. COVID-19, rising conflicts and inequality and the impacts of climate change are all worsening the already precarious employment situation of millions of young people around the world. Prospects for green jobs, practices and outcomes led by youth need elucidation, commitment and investment.