TAMBACOUNDA, Senegal (AP) — On a scorching afternoon in Senegal, 33-year-old farmer Fili Mangasa hauls peanut plants onto a horse-drawn wagon, sending up clouds of dust.
Ten years ago, he went to the capital Dakar with the dream of becoming a professor. But the high cost of living and lack of jobs put that dream out of reach.
“Especially after COVID, companies weren’t hiring and prices were going up,” said Mangasa, who has a master’s degree in criminology. “I thought: My father and my grandfather were farmers, so why not use that experience and try to make a living in agriculture back in my hometown.”
In much of Africa, farming has long been viewed as a low-status job, pushing young people to the cities in search of office work.
“For my father and some people in my family, they saw me as a step back,” Mangasa said.
But that perception is changing. Rising food prices, investment in irrigation and access to new technology have made agriculture more profitable. Governments and nonprofit organizations now fund programs that teach advanced farming skills and provide farmers with tools, fertilizers, pesticides, and seeds.
Mangasa said, “When my father saw that I had a clear, complete business plan, he encouraged me and helped me with the administrative process to acquire the land.”
He is part of a trend of young Africans leaving the city to try their luck in farming. Mangasa says she earns about 2 million CFA ($3,500 a year), which is much more than the average annual income in Senegal of about $2,500.
Africa is the world’s fastest-urbanizing region, with cities growing at an average rate of 3.5% per year. As the population of the city increases, so does the cost of living.
Average rents and grocery prices in places like Dakar or the Kenyan capital Nairobi have reached those of major European cities, even though average salaries are significantly lower, according to the World Bank.
Meanwhile, according to the African Development Bank, 10 to 12 million young Africans enter the job market each year while only about 3 million formal jobs are created.
“Many of my friends who graduated like me now work as motorcycle taxi drivers and barely make a living,” Mangasa said.
Helping young farmers acquire land
Mangasa now owns a 32-acre farm where he grows peanuts, maize, vegetables and fruits. He received some funding to buy land from a World Food Program initiative to help young Africans start careers in agriculture.
Launched in 2023 and set to run by early 2027, it has supported around 380,000 people to start agribusinesses.
It works with local governments to allow young farmers to acquire land — because young people are seen as high-risk due to complex ownership systems and difficulties in accessing credit.
In Senegal, the program has supported more than 61,000 people, including more than 80% of projected farms, according to WFP. It also operates in Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania.
“Our surveys show three main barriers for young people entering agriculture: limited access to land, financing and inputs; lack of practical skills; and difficult market conditions – knowing when to sell, how to add value and how to market their produce,” said Pierre Lucas, WFP’s country director for Senegal.
Senegal, like many African countries, suffers from food insecurity exacerbated by donor funding cuts and worsening weather conditions.
The region is also recovering from the colonial era, said Ibrahima Hathi, an agricultural economist at the Senegal-based Potential Agriculture and Rural Initiatives think tank.
“For example, in Senegal, farmers were forced to grow peanuts to sell in France instead of food crops,” Hati said.
Less arable land and soil erosion further hamper food production.
But now, many young farmers are moving to higher-value crops and have better technology, so production is increasing, Hati said, predicting that staple prices could drop as locally produced food enters the market.
An alternative to migration is farming
Senegal is the main departure point for migrants trying to reach Europe via the deadly Atlantic route. Authorities see agriculture as a way to create jobs to keep young people at home, launching campaigns in rural areas most affected by immigration.
“I am convinced that the only sector that can create millions of jobs for young people in Africa is agriculture and animal husbandry,” Senegal’s Agriculture Minister Mabouba Diagne told reporters in October.
Adama Sane, 24, once dreamed of reaching Europe but had no money to pay smugglers. He moved to Dakar in 2020 but struggled to find work as a construction worker. Then he heard about the WFP initiative.
“In a sense, the discovery of agriculture saved my life,” Sane said. “If I had stayed in my construction work, I would have tried to cross the sea sooner or later.”
He now rears chickens and cultivates chillies on a five-acre farm in his village.
“I’m still far from where I want to be in my business, but at least I’m saving more money than in the city, and life is less stressful,” Sane said. “Many young people think that being a farmer is a ‘small job’, but in Senegal there is a growing awareness that agriculture can be the key to development.”
Three other potential migrants are now working for Mangasa.
22-year-old Mamadou Kamara, 22-year-old Issa Traore and 23-year-old Madasa Kebbe were living in Bamako, the capital of Mali, in search of work. Their families had helped them raise money for the transatlantic journey to Europe via Guinea-Bissau, but they said a smuggler had disappeared along with it.
They decided to return home via Senegal, where they met Mangasa.
“I sympathize with them because I know what it’s like to work hard and still not make ends meet when your family is depending on you,” Mangasa said. “I want to show them that there are opportunities for young people here.”
___
For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse
The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with charities, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
