Background
Young people are entering the labor market in large numbers in areas like in Sub-Saharan Africa, where an estimated 11 million young people reach working age each year. With increased rates of migration to urban areas, particularly among youth, there may not be enough opportunities for youth in cities in the future: overcrowded cities offer little opportunity, as there are more youth than there are viable jobs. While many economies are experiencing job growth in non-agriculture sectors, agriculture will remain a significant source of employment for youth in low- and middle-income countries as the farming population around the world ages—a significant proportion of farmers are above the age of sixty.
Policymakers today must think creatively about how to bridge the economic opportunities in agri-food systems with the range of economic, demographic, and socio-political factors that youth face.
About the guides
The two-part Feed The Future Project Design Guide for Youth-Inclusive Agriculture and Food Systems (Volumes I & II) provides USAID staff and implementing partners with approaches, frameworks and tools to design agriculture programs that promote successful and meaningful youth engagement with the US Feed the Future Initiative and the U.S. Government Global Food Security Strategy.
Volume I is intended to support Feed the Future staff (USAID Missions and others) to design youth inclusive programs based on the USAID project design cycle.
Volume II offers implementation guidance for activity-level interventions, intended for USAID staff and implementers who may ultimately be managing activities and/or who wish to know more about youth-inclusive approaches to implementation in Feed the Future activities.
Download Feed The Future Project Design Guide for Youth-Inclusive Agriculture and Food Systems Volume I - Program Design
Download Feed The Future Project Design Guide for Youth-Inclusive Agriculture and Food Systems Volume II - Implementation
Download the Designing for Youth Inclusion in Agriculture and Food Systems Fact Sheet