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STORY: FAO / YOUTH IN AGRICULTURE REPORT
TRT: 03:00
SOURCE: FAO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT FAO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: ROME, ITALY, 27 JUNE 2025 / FILES
31 JULY 2023, AWEIL, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Wide shot, young woman farmer watering the vegetable garden
27 MAY 2022, CIWIDEY, WEST JAVA, INDONESIA
2. Med shot, young farmer harvesting vegetables
10 JULY 2018, BANGAR EL SOKOR, NUBARIA, BEHEIRA GOVERNORATE, EGYPT
3. Med shot, young farmer carrying box of tomatoes on shoulder
FILE - FAO HEADQUARTERS, ROME, ITALY
4. Wide shot, FAO headquarters
27 JUNE 2025, FAO HEADQUARTERS, ROME, ITALY
5. Med shot, Lauren Phillips, Deputy Director, FAO Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Lauren Phillips, Deputy Director, Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): “Agriculture could be a source of jobs for many of those young people, but we need to help them overcome barriers, like access to land. Young people are inheriting smaller and smaller plots in areas of youth abundance, or inheriting later, due to the lack of pension systems for older farmers. The report estimates that if we could address the gap in employment for people from age 20 to 24, we could increase the global economy by 1.4 percent and that we could have a benefit by about 1.5 trillion US dollars.”
13 JANUARY 2021, NEBAJ, QUICHÉ, GUATEMALA
7. Wide shot, group of young farmers sorting through baskets of coffee beans
01 JUNE 2017
8. Wide shot, group of young farmers going to work
20 JANUARY 2021
9. Med shot, young woman working with gill nets on fishing vessel
27 JUNE 2025, FAO HEADQUARTERS, ROME, ITALY
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Lauren Phillips, Deputy Director, Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO):
“Food insecurity is higher for young people than it is for adults, and it’s currently at 24.4 percent, higher than it was before the pandemic. They also face increasing shocks from extreme weather events, from conflict and from economic crises. But because youth are the next generation of producers, consumers, processors of food, service providers, it’s really important to understand how they can benefit from and contribute to agrifood systems.”
08 OCTOBER 2017, ARGHAKHANCHI DISTRICT, NEPAL
11. Close up, young farmer picking green beans
MAY 2017
12. Med shot, group of young farmers harvesting cabbage
27 MAY 2022, CIWIDEY, WEST JAVA, INDONESIA
13. Tracking shot, male farmer planting vegetables in a greenhouse
27 JUNE 2025, FAO HEADQUARTERS, ROME, ITALY
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Lauren Phillips, Deputy Director, Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO):
“What we find is that the quality of jobs for young people is not that great. Most don’t have benefits. 91 percent of women and young women in agrifood system jobs are working in vulnerable employment, and 83 percent of young men. And young women have a harder time in getting out of agrifood systems, in terms of employment, and using it as a springboard. So policies really need to make sure that they invest in preparing young people, with skills and education, so they can have decent jobs in agrifood systems.”
22 June 2022, MARIBAYA, WEST JAVA
15. Med shot, young farmer using tablet
19-21 OCTOBER 2022, ANURADHAPURA, SRI LANKA
16. Med shot, irrigation engineer using the FAO WaPOR platform
23-27 OCTOBER 2022
17. Med shot, young group of farmers using a computer in the Digital Village Service Centre
27 JUNE 2025, FAO HEADQUARTERS, ROME, ITALY
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Lauren Phillips, Deputy Director, Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO):
“Only 72 percent of rural youth finish lower secondary school, and there’s a significant skills gap and numeracy and literacy gap for rural young people. Additionally, they may not participate in rural organizations or cooperatives, and their participation in policymaking can feel tokenistic. So, we need to do more to innovate, but also to make sure that young people have the skills and the social capital to move food forward.”
31 JULY 2023, AWEIL, SOUTH SUDAN
19. Med shot, young farmer preparing the rice plot for the upcoming rain
13 JANUARY 2021, NEBAJ, QUICHÉ, GUATEMALA
20. Wide shot, group of young farmers sorting through baskets of coffee beans
MAY 2017, OROMIA REGION, ETHIOPIA
21. Wide shot, group of young farmers feeding sheep
Bridging the employment gap for youth in agriculture could increase the global economy by 1.4 percent with a benefit by accounting for about 1.5 trillion US dollars, according to the new report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
With 1.3 billion individuals aged 15 to 24 globally, and with nearly 85 percent of global youth today living in low- and lower-middle-income countries, “The Status of Youth in Agrifood Systems” report examines and emphasizes the crucial role of youth in transforming agrifood systems to improve food security, nutrition, and economic opportunities.
The report notes that over 20 percent of youth are not in employment, education, or training (NEET), with young women twice as likely to fall into this category. Eliminating youth unemployment and providing employment opportunities for youth aged 20 to 24 years old and that are not in employment, education or training could boost global gross domestic product by 1.4 percent, equal to USD 1.5 trillion in additional value-added activity, with about 45 percent of that increase stemming from agrifood systems.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lauren Phillips, Deputy Director, FAO Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division:
“Agriculture could be a source of jobs for many of those young people, but we need to help them overcome barriers, like access to land. Young people are inheriting smaller and smaller plots in areas of youth abundance, or inheriting later, due to the lack of pension systems for older farmers. The report estimates that if we could address the gap in employment for people from age 20 to 24, we could increase the global economy by 1.4 percent and that we could have a benefit by about 1.5 trillion US dollars.”
Globally, 44 percent of working youth rely on agrifood systems for employment compared to 38 percent for working adults. However, that global average covers a large span ranging from 82 percent in protracted crisis agrifood systems to just 23 percent in industrial agrifood systems. Alarmingly, food insecurity among youth has risen from 16.7 percent to 24.4 percent between 2014-16 and 2021-23, especially affecting young people in Africa.
Climate extreme events and shocks pose a significant threat, with an estimated 395 million rural youth living in locations expected to experience declines in agricultural productivity, particularly in traditional agrifood systems and sub-Saharan Africa.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lauren Phillips, Deputy Director, FAO Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division: “Food insecurity is higher for young people than it is for adults, and it’s currently at 24.4 percent, higher than it was before the pandemic. They also face increasing shocks from extreme weather events, from conflict and from economic crises. But because youth are the next generation of producers, consumers, processors of food, service providers, it’s really important to understand how they can benefit from and contribute to agrifood systems.”
The report delves into technical and policy initiatives designed to create decent job opportunities, enhance food security and nutrition, and enhance the resilience of young people to shocks. It highlights youth as key change agents in the agricultural sector, positioning them as the next generation of producers, processors, service providers, and consumers. They will confront a wide range of challenges, including increasing food production for a growing population, replacing an aging workforce, and adapting to the impacts of the climate crisis, water scarcity, and urbanization.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lauren Phillips, Deputy Director, FAO Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division: “What we find is that the quality of jobs for young people is not that great. Most don’t have benefits. 91 percent of women and young women in agrifood system jobs are working in vulnerable employment, and 83 percent of young men. And young women have a harder time in getting out of agrifood systems, in terms of employment, and using it as a springboard. So policies really need to make sure that they invest in preparing young people, with skills and education, so they can have decent jobs in agrifood systems.”
The report provides detailed data on youth demographics, indicating that 54 percent live in urban areas, with the highest concentrations in Eastern Asia. In contrast, rural youth account for only 5 percent of the population in industrial agrifood systems, signaling potential labor shortages if agricultural careers are not made more attractive. Many rural youths reside in areas with high agricultural productivity potential, presenting significant investment opportunities in market access and infrastructure.
To empower youth, the report advocates for interventions that enhance their voice and agency, improve access to training and resources, and boost productivity both on and off the farm. It also highlights the need for increased social protection programs, especially given youth's limited access to traditional financing.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lauren Phillips, Deputy Director, FAO Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division: “Only 72 percent of rural youth finish lower secondary school, and there’s a significant skills gap and numeracy and literacy gap for rural young people. Additionally, they may not participate in rural organizations or cooperatives, and their participation in policymaking can feel tokenistic. So, we need to do more to innovate, but also to make sure that young people have the skills and the social capital to move food forward.”
To address the challenges and seize the opportunities, the report emphasizes three main strategies: bridge knowledge and data gaps and strengthen the evidence for youth-inclusive agrifood systems (Inquire more); amplify the voices of diverse youth in policy and decision-making processes (Include more); and drive targeted investments to expand economic opportunities for youth and empower them (Invest more).
Adopting these strategies will require, expanding economic opportunities, investing in modernization, facilitating access to resources, promoting orderly youth migration by supporting safe and youth-responsive migration pathways to address labor shortages, and enhancing digital access.
