With 1.3 billion people aged 15 to 24 worldwide, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has published a comprehensive report titled The Status of Youth in Agrifood Systems. The report highlights the vital role young people play in transforming agrifood systems to boost food security, nutrition, and economic opportunities.
Nearly 85% of youth live in low- and lower-middle-income countries, where agrifood systems are a cornerstone of livelihoods. Greater youth inclusion in these systems could unlock up to a trillion-dollar boost to the global economy.
The report explores technical and policy strategies aimed at creating decent jobs, improving food security and nutrition, and strengthening young people’s resilience to shocks. It positions youth as key drivers of change in agriculture — as producers, processors, service providers, and consumers — facing challenges like feeding a growing population, replacing an aging workforce, and adapting to climate change, water scarcity, and urbanization, according to a press release.
Globally, 44% of working youth depend on agrifood systems for employment, compared to 38% of adults. This varies widely — from 82% in crisis-affected agrifood systems to just 23% in industrialized ones. Alarmingly, youth food insecurity has risen sharply, from 16.7% in 2014–16 to 24.4% in 2021–23, with the highest impacts seen in Africa.
“The Status of Youth in Agrifood Systems report provides a timely and evidence-based assessment of how decent jobs and food security for youth can be achieved through agrifood systems transformation, and how empowered youth can act as catalysts for broader agrifood systems transformation,” QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General, writes in the Foreword to the report.
Empowering Youth
The report highlights that over 20% of youth are not engaged in employment, education, or training (NEET), with young women twice as likely to be in this group. Addressing unemployment and creating opportunities for youth aged 20 to 24 who are NEET could increase global GDP by 1.4%, adding $1.5 trillion in value — nearly 45% of which would come from agrifood systems.
To empower young people, the report calls for actions that amplify their voice and agency, improve access to training and resources, and raise productivity both on and off the farm. It also emphasizes the need to expand social protection programs, given youth’s limited access to traditional financing options.
Detailed data show that 54% of youth live in urban areas, with the largest concentrations in Eastern Asia. Conversely, rural youth represent only 5% of the population in industrial agrifood systems, indicating potential labor shortages if agricultural careers aren’t made more appealing. Many rural youths live in high-agricultural-potential regions, highlighting opportunities for investment in market access and infrastructure.
Climate extremes and shocks pose a major risk, with an estimated 395 million rural youth residing in areas projected to face declines in agricultural productivity — especially in traditional agrifood systems and sub-Saharan Africa.
