The Dynamics of Promoting Youth Participation in Smallholder Agriculture for Sustainable Food Security in Lupane District, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Land remains an absolute necessity in agriculture particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa where access to productive land plays an imperative role in food security and poverty reduction. The production value of land is often surpassed by its political, cultural and economic worth which makes it an indispensable tool for food security and poverty alleviation. Globally, there is a growing trend in youth entrepreneurial and employment opportunities in agriculture. Recent studies have shown that rural youths can use agriculture as the future of Africa’s food security. However, the agricultural sector faces a number of challenges ranging from lack of financial resources to inadequate skills. Hence, only a handful of young people see subsistence agriculture as a viable entrepreneurial option. The aim of the paper was to examine the factors influencing rural youth participation in smallholder agriculture. The objective was to profile the livelihood options available to rural youths and propose interventions that could increase their interest in smallholder agriculture. A qualitative grounded theory informed methodology was adopted to understand the phenomenon under study. The study revealed that there is a significant number of youths who participate in small holder farming. However, young people who do not want to participate in farming activities migrate from Lupane thereby altering the household age structure in rural areas. Factors affecting youths’ participation in agriculture were found to be lack of capital, few income generation alternatives, no access to productive land, unaffordable input costs, family attitudes and unconducive climatic conditions. Young and old aged females were found to be more dominant in rural agriculture due to rural–urban migration by men in search of greener pastures. The study concludes that smallholder agriculture is the most resilient livelihood option and remains central in addressing youths’ unemployment as well as access to and availability of food at household level.