TAMBACOUNDA, Senegal (AP) — On a scorching afternoon in Senegal, 33-year-old farmer Filly Mangassa tossed hazelnut plants onto a horse-drawn cart, sending clouds of dust swirling.
Ten years ago, he left his village for the capital, Dakar, dreaming of becoming a teacher. But the high cost of living and lack of jobs make this dream out of reach.
“Especially after COVID, companies stopped hiring and prices went up,” said Mangassa, who has a master’s degree in criminology. “I thought: My father and grandfather were farmers, so why not use this experience and go back to my hometown and try to make a living in agriculture.”
In most of Africa, agriculture has long been seen as low-status work, pushing young people into cities in search of clerical work.
“For my father and some people in my family, they kind of saw me going back to the country as a step back,” Mangassa said.
But that perception is changing. Rising food prices, investment in irrigation and access to new technologies make farming more profitable. Governments and nonprofits now fund programs that teach advanced farming skills and support farmers with equipment, fertilizers, pesticides and seeds.
“When my father saw that I had a clear and thorough business plan, he encouraged me and helped me with the administrative process of land acquisition,” Mangassa said.
He is part of a trend of young Africans leaving the cities to try their luck in agriculture. Mangassa says he makes a profit of about 2 million CFA ($3,500 a year), well above Senegal’s average annual income of about $2,500.
Africa is the most rapidly urbanizing region in the world, with cities growing at an average rate of 3.5% per year. As the city’s population grows, so does the cost of living.
Average rents and food prices in places like Dakar or Kenya’s capital Nairobi approach those of major European cities, despite the fact that average wages are significantly lower, according to the World Bank.
Meanwhile, between 10 and 12 million young Africans enter the labor market each year, while only about 3 million formal jobs are created, according to the African Development Bank.
“Many of my friends who graduated at the same time as me are now working as mototaxi drivers and barely making ends meet,” Mangassa said.
Helping young farmers acquire land
Mangassa now owns a 32-acre farm where he grows peanuts, maize, vegetables and fruits. He received some funds to buy land from a World Food Program initiative that helps young Africans start careers in agriculture.
Launched in 2023 and scheduled to run until early 2027, it has supported around 380,000 people in starting agricultural businesses.
It works with local authorities to enable young farmers to purchase land – often a challenge due to complex tenure systems and the difficulty for young people to obtain loans as they are considered high risk.
In Senegal, the program has supported more than 61,000 people, with more than 80 percent starting 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, finance and inputs; lack of practical skills; and tough market conditions – knowing when to sell, how to add value and how to market their produce,” said WFP Country Director for Senegal, Pierre Lucas.
Senegal, like many African countries, is affected by food insecurity, which has been exacerbated by donor funding cuts and worsening climate conditions.
The region is also recovering from the colonial era, said Ibrahima Hathie, an agricultural economist at the Senegal-based think tank Prospective Agricultural and Rural Initiative.
“In Senegal, for example, farmers were pressured to grow peanuts to sell in France instead of food crops,” Hathie said.
Scarce arable land and soil degradation further limit food production.
But now, many young farmers are switching to high-value crops and have better technology, so production is increasing, Hathie said, predicting that as more locally produced food enters markets, base prices could drop.
Agriculture becomes an alternative to migration
Senegal is a 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 migration.
“I am convinced that the only sector that can create the hundreds of thousands of jobs that young people in Africa need is agriculture and livestock,” Senegal’s agriculture minister, Mabouba Diagne, told reporters in October.
Adama Sane, 24, once dreamed of reaching Europe, but he had no money to pay the smugglers. He had moved to Dakar in 2020 but struggled to make ends meet as a construction worker. Then he heard about the WFP initiative.
“In a way, discovering agriculture saved my life,” Sane said. “If I had stayed in my construction job, I would have tried to cross the ocean sooner or later.”
He now raises poultry and grows peppers on his five-acre farm in his village.
“I’m still a long way from where I want to be with my business, but at least I’m saving a lot of money compared to the city, and life is less stressful,” Sane said. “Many young people think that being a farmer is a ‘small job’, but there is starting to be a public awakening that agriculture can be the key to development in Senegal.”
Three other would-be migrants are now working for Mangassa.
Mamadou Camara, 22, Issa Traoré, 22, and Madassa Kebe, 23, were living in Mali’s capital, Bamako, struggling to find work. Their families helped them raise money for the Atlantic voyage to Europe via Guinea-Bissau, but they said a smuggler there disappeared with her.
They decided to return home via Senegal, where they met Mangassa.
“I empathized with them because I know what it’s like to work hard and not make it while your family is depending on you,” Mangassa said. “I wanted to show them that there are opportunities for young people here.”
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