Caribbean Agrifood Business Session n°9

Successes from innovative youth-led businesses/SMEs in the agrifood sector

The Caribbean is home to more than 11 million youth between the ages of 15 and 29, who have a central role to play in achieving sustainable development in the region. In Latin America and the Caribbean, almost 70% of employed youth work informally, and many vulnerable jobs are in the agricultural sector. Rural youth are poorer than urban youth, their situation is even worse if they are women, Indigenous or of African descent, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 impacts.

The employment challenges that young people face are also pronounced in rural areas. Young people — and, most particularly, young women — account for the largest group of rural dwellers who are outside the workforce. In second place are agricultural workers, mostly men and wage earners, closely followed —with only a few percentage points difference — by those working in a wide range of non-agricultural subsectors, many of whom are waged. Most agricultural job opportunities occur in the informal sector (especially for women), are of short duration (seasonal or harvest work, for example) and do not allow upward career paths. Job prospects in rural areas are therefore very limited and many young people want to migrate to the cities because of the lack of options. However, a review of the few programmes aimed at rural youth and rural youth groups’ demands reveal that they are focused on self-employment, essentially in agriculture (which is related to the demand for land) and on non-agricultural (micro-) business ventures, notably those linked to agricultural processing and marketing or tourism.

Among the main lessons learned from the history of youth employment policies in the Caribbean region is the need to supplement supply-side policies (training and skills development and the elimination of economic, social and cultural barriers) with demand-side policies, which should form part of post-pandemic job creation programmes. The need to promote dialogue, involve the private sector in this process and foster inter-institutional coordination should also be emphasised.

Improving vocational training in the rural sector and training programmes on rural entrepreneurship needs public policies and financing and support value chains and clusters.

Agriculture is often perceived by youth as generating little profit, labour intensive and traditional. The mismatch between education and skills demand and the limited opportunities for training and career progression explain the low interest in agriculture and migration to urban areas. Lack of access to finance, limited use of improved inputs (i.e. seeds, fertilizers) and limited access to land are some of the constraints for value chain expansion. Investing in the education and training of young rural people is becoming ever more important as the challenges associated with adopting sustainable, climate-smart production methods and linking up with marketing opportunities in modern value chains are growing and competition over scarce natural resources, including land, from the production side, imply the need for these young people to develop a range of skills and knowledge that have not always been readily accessible in rural areas. Youth need to be able to access specialised skills development programmes and trainings, information and technical services, to expand thriving businesses. Effective protection during the early stages of livelihood building and business development could be a game changer for many young people. Links to research remain important to ensure product development, technology and innovation adoption which contributes to green and sustainable growth while meeting the expectations of local and foreign consumers.

There is a need to advance the production of data that are disaggregated on a subregional scale and by age groups, to generate specific information and to develop public programmes and policies that are relevant, with a territorial and rights approach, and that contribute to closing gaps and ensuring equality and opportunity for all of the region’s youth.