How do we secure a future for the youth in South African agriculture?

ABSTRACT

Despite agriculture being the largest employer of young people, South Africa faces a youth unemployment crisis. The youth are increasingly disinterested in agriculture and often view it as a last resort in the absence of alternative employment opportunities. This paper explores strategies to change these negative perceptions and attract young people to agriculture. Drawing on twenty-two studies conducted over the past decade, national grade 12 statistics, University enrolments, yearbook reviews, and twenty job advertisements, I identify five key areas for intervention. First, the youth interested in agripreneurship need support to access financial and physical resources. They also need training offered jointly by tertiary institutions and the government. Second, agricultural education in primary and secondary schools will likely attract and retain youths to agriculture. Third, we need to reform the education system at all levels to ensure holistic student development opportunities, including the technical and soft skills required by agricultural sector employers. Fourth, our marketing strategies need reform; collaboration with the media is necessary to increase awareness and change youths’ perceptions about agriculture and agricultural careers. Five, we need to strengthen the role of agricultural associations to bridge the gap between the agricultural sector and secondary and tertiary education institutions.

KEYWORDS:

• Youth
• perceptions
• agriculture
• careers
• education
• unemployment
• universities

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Although there is no universally agreed international definition of the youth age group, the United Nations defines “youth” or “young people” as persons between 15 and 24 years of age (https://www.unesco.org/en/youth).

2 Note that there is no such thing as a “typical agricultural economist”, at least not in the South African space. See the work by various South African agricultural economists over the past 60 years of our discipline’s existence, questioning the task and role of the agricultural economist in the wider economy. Some of these have been referred to in my previous Presidential Address: Agricultural Economics: A Discipline in Crisis? (see p117 and 118 of Van der Merwe 2023)

3 https://www.bachelorsportal.com/study-options/271565100/agriculture-south-africa.html

4 SU, UP, UFS, NWU, UKZN, University of Fort Hare (UFH), University of Limpopo (UL), and the University of Venda (UV).

5 SU is the exception with five related but different BSc Agric programs: BSc Agric Agricultural Economic Analysis, BSc Agric Agricultural Economic Analysis and Management, BSc Agric Agricultural Economic Analysis and Management with Food Science, and BSc Agric Agricultural Economics with Food Science.

6 These programs are offered by the following Universities: SU, UP, UFS, UFH, UL, and UKZN.

7 https://www.farming-simulator.com/