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Project

Building the next generation of agribusiness leaders in Africa
 

Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kenya
Nigeria
Project ID
109077
Total Funding
CAD 331,700.00
IDRC Officer
Michele Leone
Project Status
Completed
End Date
Duration
24 months

Programs and partnerships

Agriculture and Food Security

Lead institution(s)

Project leader:
Nteranya Sanginga
Nigeria

Summary

The pressing issue of widespread unemployment among youth across Africa and the economic marginalization that results from many years of "jobless growth" is linked to civil unrest and a host of social ills.Read more

The pressing issue of widespread unemployment among youth across Africa and the economic marginalization that results from many years of "jobless growth" is linked to civil unrest and a host of social ills. This is especially true for youth upon graduation from secondary school in rural areas, where few employment opportunities exist. However, graduates are reluctant to enter into agriculture because they consider it to be low-status and unlikely to meet their livelihood aspirations.

Development planners view agricultural transformation as a frontier for economic growth in Africa, but its greatest asset — the ambition, enthusiasm, and energy of youth — is not being effectively mobilized in this direction. The objective of this project is to increase the participation and engagement of youth in agriculture and agribusiness in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and Nigeria.

The project aims to understand gender-differentiated aspirations of young people, their attitudes towards agriculture, and how this influences their career choices, with a focus on secondary schools. It will evaluate the capacities of secondary schools in different countries and settings to advance instruction and extracurricular activities related to agribusiness development and to develop models for different rural settings.

The project will test a model of youth-led clubs devoted to agribusiness development and monitor their impacts. It will also establish a network of youth-led pilot agribusiness enterprises and monitor their development and impacts on changing youth attitudes towards agriculture. Finally, it will build capacity to document and scale out lessons from the research to other stakeholders and schools (to inform curriculum development) in the three target countries and beyond.

Research outputs

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Brief
Language:

English

Summary

Results of this study suggest several avenues for Start Them Early Program (STEP) activities, designed to strengthen career pathways toward agriculture in DR Congo, Kenya and Nigeria. STEP is a youth program launched by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to advance agribusiness development in secondary schools across Africa. The project brief provides an outline of the project, development of a survey instrument, and detailed results from each country. Data was provided through a survey of 451 secondary school students, randomly selected from three purposefully selected schools. Table A3.5 proposes some ways that STEP can provide support to students attracted to agriculture.

Author(s)
Mulei, Welissa
Report
Language:

English

Summary

Research on youth interest in agriculture was carried out to determine the level of perception and attitudes of students to agriculture. The procedure was conducted among a sample size of 155 respondents comprising Junior and Senior Secondary School Students in Nigeria. The presentation provides analysis and implications of findings. For the most part, young people see agriculture as hard work but still enjoy agriculture and take part in field (practical) activities. They also have knowledge of careers in agriculture and also agribusiness. The “Start Them Early Program (STEP)” agricultural programme would be a good fit.

Author(s)
Bolanle, Larinde
Report
Language:

English

Summary

The “Start Them Early Program (STEP)” offers a solution to the reorientation of “younger” youth toward careers in agriculture. Activities have both thematic and geographic components, each with a budget, timeframe and “deliverables.” The projects are combined into seven objectives and 22 respective activities. The presentation provides combined program objectives, activities and deliverables for target countries: Kenya, Nigeria, and DR Congo.

Author(s)
Paul, Woomer
Report
Language:

English

Summary

The presentation describes the larger project “Start Them Early Program (STEP);” its component projects; and the planning requirements of the workshop. STEP is preceded by the Agripreneur Movement (IYA) which focuses on university graduates. The aim of STEP is to provide increased understanding for directing secondary schools and their students toward careers in modern farming, agribusiness and agro-industry, and to initiate the core of a new African agribusiness club movement. The purpose of the workshop is to develop thematic and country workplans to achieve project objectives.

Author(s)
Woomer, Paul
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