To Farm or Not to Farm: Challenges and Prospects of Youth Employment in Agriculture in Uganda

To Farm or Not to Farm: Challenges and Prospects of Youth Employment in Agriculture in Uganda

Creating employment for Uganda’s largely youthful population is a developmental challenge that should be placed high on Uganda’s development agenda. There is compelling evidence that youth engagement in agriculture is declining amidst rising youth unemployment. The services and industrial sectors despite growing at considerably faster rates, have not created significant number of jobs for the youth that are exiting agriculture. For example, although the services sector has been growing at considerably faster rates (average of 7% per annum) over the past decade, it employs less than 20 percent of Ugandans. This may have implications on food security, unemployment, and underemployment and may undermine the government efforts to drive economic growth through agriculture as the National Development Plan (2010-2015) suggests. This brief1 explores the underlying constraints faced by the youth in agricultural production and proposes ways to effectively engage the youth on farm and off farm activities.

Date:	2014-06-30
Author:	Gemma Ahaibwe, Swaibu Mbowa & Musa Lwanga

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• File Size 1.19 MB
• Published Jun 30, 2014