Aspirations of the youth: Implications for legumes and cereals value chains in the drylands

Abstract

The challenge of engaging the youth in the legumes and cereals value chains in the drylands remains under represented because very little quantitative and qualitative research has been carried out on aspirations of the youth in these systems. By utilizing the GENNOVATE methodology, with a specific aim of exploring with the youth about the community’s: social norms and aspirations surrounding education, access to economic opportunities and household bargaining, qualitative data from 40 focus group discussions was collected between the year 2014 and 2016 in 6 countries (India-12, Mali -10, Bukina Faso -2, Niger- 6, Ethiopia-4 and Tanzania -6) by social scientists affiliated to the CRPs’ GL and DC. Findings revealed that majority of the youth aspire to exploit non-agricultural livelihood opportunities as a pathway out of poverty. Education that should lead to formal employment and entrepreneurship was viewed as a pathway towards better livelihoods. For few youth who aspire to be farmers, access to land and control over agricultural produce and income remains an impediment for them. Attracting the youth into cereals and legumes value chains requires innovative development of the nodes beyond production