Young farmers in Africa are continually striving to achieve food security, but many people in poor communities could starve if investment in agricultural projects is not sustained.
Globally, nearly 1 billion of the world’s 1.2 billion young people, ages 15 to 24, live in developing countries, and half of that population lives in rural areas where there are agriculture development opportunities, according to the International Fund for Agricultural Development, known as IFAD.
The difficult challenges include constraints on access to land and services, as well as constraints on technology and training, according to the 2019 Rural Development Report “Creating opportunities for Rural Youth,” published by IFAD.
Germany, for its part, has pledged 10 million euros to assist young farmers, particularly those in Africa, said Ziller, who heads the Directorate-General for International Development Policy, and also spoke at the IFAD Governing Council session in February.
“One of the main obstacles facing youth in farming is securing financing to facilitate farming projects,” said agriculture expert Pearl Gaone Ranna of the African Young Farmers Network.