Crisis prevention in sub-Saharan Africa Agriculture: the key to the employment challenge

Auteurs

DOI :

https://doi.org/10.19182/agritrop/00044

Mots-clés


development policies, agricultural development, economic crises, employment, family farms, small farms, rural development, diversification, food security, food crops, rural economics, sustainable development, sustainable agriculture

Résumé

Version française de l'article

In sub-Saharan Africa, 330 million young people will enter the job market over the next 15 years. That is equivalent to the current population of the United States. This influx could be a catalyst for development, provided there is growth that creates employment. Otherwise, there will be major political risks for Africa and the rest of the world. Yet African economies remain predominantly engaged in agriculture and international competition leaves little scope for rapid economic diversification. Jobs will therefore need to be created on a massive scale in agriculture and the rural sector, especially given that around 200 million of these new workers will live in rural areas. To address this challenge, as well as that of food security, there is an urgent need to establish areas of priority action aimed at reaching the largest number of people possible. This will mean focusing on family farming, supporting the development of food crops and step­ping up rural diversification by strengthening the sustainability of local economies.

Biographie de l'auteur

Bruno Losch

Bruno Losch is a researcher in political economy at CIRAD, UMR ART-Dev (Actors, Resources and Territories in Development, https://art-dev.cnrs.fr/). He was head of the CIRAD Family Agriculture programme (1998-2002), then visiting fellow at the Institute of International Studies, University of California, Berkeley. Seconded to the World Bank in Washington from 2005-2011, he set up and coordinated the RuralStruc programme. His work focuses on rural transformation and public development policies.

Références

Author's publications

Gabas J.-J., Losch B., 2008. La fabrique en trompe-l'oeil de l'émergence. In : L'enjeu mondial : les pays émergents. Paris, Presses de Sciences Po, pp. 25-40. ISBN 978-2-7246-1087-1. http://agritrop.cirad.fr/547671/

Giordano T., Losch B., 2007. Transition : Risques d’impasse ? Courrier de la planète (81–82): 22–26. http://agritrop.cirad.fr/539148/

Losch B., 2012. Agriculture et transition à l'heure de la mondialisation. In : Regards sur la terre 2012. Développement, alimentation, environnement : changer l'agriculture ? Paris, Armand Colin, pp. 169-178. ISBN 978-2-200-27528-0. http://agritrop.cirad.fr/564308/

Losch B., Fréguin-Gresh S., White E.T., 2012. Structural Transformation and Rural Change Revisited: Challenges for Late Developing Countries in a Globalizing World. African Development Forum series. Washington DC, The World Bank. ISBN 978-0-8213-9512-7. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-0-8213-9512-7

Other references

Africa Commission, 2009. Realising the Potential of Africa’s Youth. Report of the Africa Commission. Secretariat of the Africa Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark. http://www.netpublikationer.dk/um/9336/index.htm

Headey D., Bezemer D. and P. Hazell, 2010. Agricultural Employment Trends in Asia and Africa: Too Fast or Too Slow? The World Bank Research Observer 25 (1): 57-89. https://doi.org/10.1093/wbro/lkp028

OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development), 2012. African Economic Outlook 2012. Promoting Youth Employment. OECD Development Centre, 292 p. ISBN (pdf) 9789264176119. https://doi.org/10.1787/aeo-2012-en

UNRISD (United Nations Research Institute for Social Development), 2010. Combating Poverty and Inequality. Structural Change, Social Policy and Politics. Geneva, UNRISD/UN Publications. ISBN 978-92-9085-076-2. http://www.unrisd.org/unrisd/website/document.nsf/(httpPublications)/BBA20D83E347DBAFC125778200440AA7?OpenDocument

Van der Geest K., 2010. Rural Youth Employment in Developing Countries: A Global View. (Overview/Synthesis; No. 1). Rome, FAO Gender, Equity and Rural Employment Division. http://hdl.handle.net/11245/1.332436

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Publié

2012-01-01

Comment citer

Losch, B. (2012). Crisis prevention in sub-Saharan Africa Agriculture: the key to the employment challenge. Perspective, (19), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.19182/agritrop/00044