The Agricultural Renaissance: Young Africans Rediscover Farming

Filly Mangassa, once aspiring to academia, returns to farming in Senegal due to urban struggles. With new government and NGO initiatives, young Africans are finding agriculture profitable. The shift addresses youth unemployment, food insecurity, and migration challenges, with agriculture becoming a viable alternative to city jobs.

In the scorching heat of Senegal, 33-year-old Filly Mangassa loads peanut plants onto a horse-drawn cart, enveloped by swirling dust clouds. A decade ago, he left his rural birthplace for Dakar, aspiring to be a professor. However, the combination of expensive living standards and scarce employment opportunities dashed those ambitions.

After witnessing a slump in job market opportunities post-COVID, especially with minimal demand for his criminology expertise, Mangassa found himself reflecting on his agricultural lineage. Despite familial skepticism, Mangassa joined a growing movement of young Africans leveraging agricultural advancements to transform farming into a lucrative career choice.

Supported by initiatives like the World Food Program, which aids young farmers in acquiring land, this agricultural pivot addresses unemployment, food shortages, and even migration trends. For many, like Mangassa's friends, agriculture now offers stability and prospects that urban life fails to deliver.

(With inputs from agencies.)