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Combating Rural Youth Unemployment Through Agricultural InnovativepracticesinZambia - Kellyson-Siamunjo - Edited
Combating Rural Youth Unemployment Through Agricultural InnovativepracticesinZambia - Kellyson-Siamunjo - Edited
unemployment through
Agricultural
Innovative practices in Zambia
Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary
2. Emerging Issue
2.1.The Tragedy of rural youth unemployment in Zambia
2.2.Emerging Issue
2.3. Key employment Challenges facing the rural youths in Zambia
2.4. Key assumptions and Methodology
3. Innovations
3.1. Innovative Practices addressing rural youth unemployment
3.2. Case Study Analysis
3.3.Why Agriculture
3.4. Challenges facing the rural farmers in Zambia
3.5. Back to the Field Initiative
3.6. Key Recommendations
3.7. Counter Argument to the recommendations
4. Conclusion
5. References
1. Executive Summary
Unemployment affects everyone, whether young or old. However, according to studies,
youth unemployment is two to three times higher than that of adults (GIF, 2020). As an
emerging issue, youth unemployment is one of the most researched challenges facing the
globe and Africa today. However, the majority of studies have been focused on those
living in urban areas; hence most of the solutions that have been developed are biased (
FAO, 2018)(Pilgaard, Søren & Birch-Thomsen, Torben, 2013). This has resulted in more
youths in rural areas continuing to be unemployed and the majority of them migrating to
urban areas searching for jobs (FAO, 2021). Although there are many common problems
relating to unemployment faced by urban and rural youths, rural youth face extra and
unique problems due to them being isolated and lacking access to opportunities that the
urban youths might have at their disposal( GIF, 2018). Despite the steps and measures
that have been employed in the past by development organizations, national government
and individuals, rural youth unemployment seems to be skyrocketing in Zambia, thereby
increasing the poverty gap and the number of youth migrating to look for jobs in urban
areas (Pilgaard, Søren & Birch-Thomsen, Torben, 2013)(FAO, 2021). Owing to this,
there is a need for innovative solutions to address the unique unemployment challenges
facing the rural youths in Zambia.
This paper seeks to analyze the challenge of rural youth unemployment and highlights
some of the unique unemployment challenges facing the rural youths in Zambia. It
further points out some of the innovative agricultural solutions currently addressing rural
youth unemployment and further provides key recommendations to the challenge. This is
done with the help of a case study analysis of one of the innovative solutions in
Agriculture called the Yapasa program that has been employed in addressing rural youth
unemployment(YAPASA, 2017) (FAO,2021). Building upon a Case Study and other
innovative practices addressing the issue of youth unemployment, key recommendations
are brought to light which could be taken in harnessing the power of agriculture in
reducing youth unemployment in rural settlements of Zambia. Furthermore, the paper
presents a proposed innovation called the "Back to the Field Initiative", which could be
undertaken to tackle the rural youth unemployment in Zambia. The Back to the Field
Initiative aims to encourage the youths to venture into agriculture as a business,
especially in rural areas. In this program, the government or other concerned
stakeholders could create a fund and program to directly support the youths in rural areas
to venture into agriculture as a business by giving them access to financial support units,
agricultural skills-building opportunities and access to profitable Markets. This solution
best fits the unemployment challenges facing rural Zambia because agriculture has
proven to be one of the most viable and easiest ways to curb levels of rural youth
unemployment if utilized adequately, as can be seen from the Yapasa project (FAO,2019)
( GIZ, 2018)(YAPASA, 2017). Furthermore, Agriculture has the potential to reduce rural
youth unemployment by more than half. However, this is only possible if agriculture is
given the needed attention and a suitable approach is taken.
2. Emerging Issue
Unemployment is defined as the number of people with no jobs in a given settlement
(ILO,2013). The International Labour Organization (considers that the "unemployment
rate conveys the percentage of persons in the labour force who are unemployed".
Therefore, the youth unemployment rate can be regarded as the number of youths in the
youth population that are not employed ( ILO, 2013). In this vein, rural youth
unemployment is the number of youths in rural settlements who are unemployed. It is
estimated that 36.7 % ( 4.8 Million) of the total population in Zambia is between 15 and
35 years, the largest population of young people ever recorded in Zambia's History (
UNFPA,2016). On the other hand, the youth unemployment rate in Zambia is currently at
21.41 per cent, and the country's unemployment rate is at 12. 1. ( Statistica, 2020) (
Zambia statistics Agency, 2019). The population is growing rapidly at 2.8% per year,
partly because of high fertility, resulting in a doubling every 25 years. ( Zambia statistics
Agency, 2019). As more youths enter the working age, more pressure is placed on a need
for more jobs to cater for the rapidly growing population; due to the scarcity of jobs in
Zambia, the levels of unemployment are at increase in most parts, especially in rural
areas. If no proper intervention is put in place, we are likely to have a large youth sector
who are unemployed; hence the poverty gap will continue to increase.
3.Innovations
3.1. Innovative Practices addressing rural youth unemployment
challenges.
1) The Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools (JFFLS)
In response to the rural youth unemployment challenge, The Food Agriculture
organization created the Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools (JFFLS)
methodology. This Methodology is an innovative program that teaches and
trains youths in rural areas some entrepreneurial, agricultural and life skills
they need to make a living and become empowered and active citizens of their
communities. The facilitator of the JFFLS program determines the training
content of a JFFLS training based on local demands. JFFLS learners are
taught about agriculture, as well as the JFFLS approach to stability and
adaptability. Over the years, JFFLS has been able to offer contextualized and
meaningful assistance to more than 25,000 young women and men in more
than 20 countries in Africa ( FAO, 2021)
2) Poor Infrastructure
Due to isolated rural areas, most rural farmers continue to face transporting their
products to the market. In the recent past, the government of Zambia has been
investing heavily into road construction, which has dawned some light into the
sector. However, many more challenges persist(Trevor & Kwenye, 2018)(
GIF,2018)(MOA, 2016).
The Back to the field initiative is set to make agriculture attractive to the rural youths
by ensuring Agriculture is a profitable venture. The Initiative focuses on the
following areas;
● Ensuring access to finances for youth agricultural projects.
● Encouraging youths in rural areas to venture into agribusiness such as commercial
farming and value addition on agricultural products.
● Raising awareness about the value of agriculture among the youths.
● Ensuring agricultural skills building/training.
● Developing industries and structures to facilitate agricultural development in rural
areas
● Ensuring consistent access to profitable markets both within Zambia and beyond.
Building-up on the YAPASA program, the youths in rural areas should be encouraged
to form business enterprises along the lines of Agriculture(YAPASA, 2017) These
enterprises should range from crop production, Animal production, Aquaculture,
Agro-processing, aggregations and marketing. The field initiative should carry out
Specialization by regions where certain crops should be cultivated in given areas.
Each area should have at least one main agro-processing industry, depending on the
main crop grown in the area. These youths should be trained to cultivate certain crops
or rare animals with proven market viability. The program should support agriculture
projects led by the youths in rural areas in soft loans on flexible payments and help
with agriculture skills building. This will make agriculture attractive to the youths and
will in turn help reduce youth unemployment in the country rapidly, thereby
narrowing the poverty gap in rural areas and the nation at large.
4. Conclusion
Rural Youth unemployment is a broad challenge that requires a multi-sectoral approach in
dealing with it. This is because many factors contribute to rural youth unemployment
ranging from lack of access to finances, lack of training, and lack of resources such as land.
The Back to the field initiative is vital because it tackles rural youth unemployment from
different sides and brings together various stakeholders from the public to the private
sectors. However, for the Initiative to come to life, the first step should be awareness
creating and mobilizing of required resources. This can be done by forming a separate board
known as Back To The Field Board, which can be under the ministry of youths and
agriculture in Zambia. The Board can be in charge of raising awareness on the value of
agriculture and mobilizing funds. To be feasible and practical, the government should
partner with the private sector and other development organizations in carrying out the
endeavour. If properly carried out, this board will ensure the availability of funds and
resources to implement the program. Suppose the Back to the field initiative is
well-executed there is a possibility of reducing rural youth unemployment by more than half
within a few years hence playing a significant role in poverty alleviation and improving the
livelihood of the youths in rural areas in Zambia.
5. References
1. UNFPA (2016). Zambia’s Young People and the Road to 2030. [online] UNFPA
Zambia
https://zambia.unfpa.org/en/news/zambia%E2%80%99s-young-people-and-road20
30.
2. ZAMBIA STATISTICS AGENCY. (2019). Labour Force Survey Report 2019 First
Quarter.https://www.zamstats.gov.zm/phocadownload/Labour/Labour%20Force%2
0Surv ey%20Q1%20-%202019.pdf
3. CTA. (2018). Promoting agricultural entrepreneurship among rural youth in
Zambia.
Www.cta.int.https://www.cta.int/en/project/promoting-agricultural-entrepreneurshi
p-amo ng-rural-youth-in-zambia-sid06a445ee6-e775-49fb-ac94-260231f374c2
4. Pilgaard, Søren & Birch-Thomsen, Torben. (2013). Should I stay or should I go?
Rural youth employment in Uganda and Zambia. International Development
Planning Review. 35. 175-201. 10.3828/idpr.2013.12.
5. Trevor, S., & Kwenye, J. M. (2018). Rural Youth Participation in Agriculture in
Zambia. Journal of Agricultural Extension, 22(2). https://doi.org/10.4314/jae.v22i2.5
13. MOA (2016) Second National Agricultural Policy, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry
of Fisheries and Livestock, Lusaka.http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/zam183104.pdf
14. SAIRLA. (2019). The role of youth in agricultural intensification in Zambia At a glance.
https://sairla-africa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/SAIRLA_Lund-Zambia-youth-resea
rch-brief_FINAL.pdf