Agriculture can provide employment to millions of youth, boost global GDP by 1.4% — FAO

As global youth unemployment reaches alarming levels, a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has pointed to agrifood systems for tackling unemployment among individuals aged 15-24 years.

‘The Status of Youth in Agrifood Systems’ report noted that more than 20 percent of the world’s 1.3 billion young people were currently not in employment, education or training (NEET).

Tackling this unemployment, particularly among 20-24-year-olds, could generate a 1.4 percent boost in global gross domestic product (GDP), with about 45 percent of that increase driven by increased youth participation in agrifood systems.

Globally, 44 percent of the working youth relied on agrifood systems for employment, compared to 38 percent for working adults. The share of working youth in agrifood systems has decreased from 54 percent in 2005.

The report also warned of a looming labour shortage in agrifood systems as rural youth numbers fall. Today, 54 percent of youth live in urban areas, especially in Eastern Asia. On the contrary, rural youth make up just five percent of the population in industrial agrifood systems, the report noted, urging governments to make agriculture more attractive.

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Meanwhile, nearly 85 percent of global youth live in low-and lower-middle-income countries, where agrifood systems are essential for livelihoods.

However, food insecurity among youth was also alarmingly high — rising from 16.7 percent to 24.4 percent between 2014-2016 and 2021-2023 — especially affecting young people in Africa.

According to the report, climate shocks and extreme weather events driven by climate change also pose a significant threat. An estimated 395 million rural youth are living in locations expected to experience declines in agricultural productivity, particularly in traditional agrifood systems and sub-Saharan Africa.

“The Status of Youth in Agrifood Systems report provides a timely and evidence-based assessment of how decent jobs and food security for youth can be achieved through agrifood systems transformation, and how empowered youth can act as catalysts for broader agrifood systems transformation,” QU Dongyu, director-general of FAO, wrote in the report.