Exploring young Africans’ role and engagement in the rural economy
- From
-
Published on
15.03.19
- Impact Area
-
Funders
The World Bank

How do young rural Africans engage in the rural economy? How important is farming relative to non-farm activities for the income of young rural Africans? What social, spatial and policy factors explain different patterns of engagement?
These questions are at the heart of an interdisciplinary research project, funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), that seeks to provide stronger evidence for policy and for the growing number of programs in Africa that want to “invest in youth.”
One component of the Challenges and Opportunities for Rural Youth Employment in Sub-Saharan Africaproject, led by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), draws on data from the World Bank’s Living Standard Measurement Study – Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) to develop a more detailed picture of young people’s economic activities.
These surveys, covering eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa, were conducted at regular intervals and in most cases followed the same households and individuals through time. While the LSMS-ISA are not specialized youth surveys and therefore may not cover all facets of youth livelihoods and wellbeing in detail, they provide valuable knowledge about the evolving patterns of social and economic characteristics of rural African youth and their households.
Related news
-
Liberia Showcases Climate-Resilient Rice Varieties to Boost National Food Security
AfricaRice02.05.25-
Gender equality, youth & social inclusion
-
Nutrition, health & food security
-
Poverty reduction, livelihoods & jobs
Suakoko, Bong County, Liberia — In a significant stride toward bolstering Liberia’s food and nut…
Read more -
-
Inclusive Delivery unpacks pathways to strengthen seed systems for smallholder farmers
CGIAR Initiative on Seed Equal29.04.25-
Nutrition, health & food security
-
Poverty reduction, livelihoods & jobs
At an engaging side event hosted by CGIAR’s Breeding for Tomorrow Science Program, stakeholders fr…
Read more -
-
Building Capacity in Crop Modeling to Advance Circular Food Systems in Southern Africa
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)10.04.25-
Big data
-
Climate adaptation & mitigation
Training Equips Researchers to Support Smallholder Farmers with Climate-Smart, Sustainable Agricultu…
Read more -