TAMBACOUNDA, Senegal (AP) — On a blazing afternoon in Senegal, 33-year-old farmer Filly Mangassa tossed peanut plants onto a horse-drawn cart, sending clouds of dust swirling around.
Ten years ago, he left his village for the capital, Dakar, dreaming of becoming a professor. But the high cost of living and the lack of jobs put that dream out of reach.
“Particularly after COVID, companies weren’t hiring and prices were going up,” said Mangassa, who has a master’s degree in criminology. “I thought: My father and grandfather were farmers, so why not use that experience and go back to my hometown and try to make a living from agriculture.”
Across much of Africa, farming has long been seen as a low-status job, pushing young people to the cities in search of office jobs.
“For my father and some people in my family, they saw my return to the countryside as a step back,” Mangassa said.
But that perception is changing. Rising food prices, investments in irrigation and access to new technologies are making agriculture more profitable. Governments and non-profit organizations 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 in the administrative process to acquire land,” said Mangassa.
It is part of a trend of young Africans leaving the cities to try their luck in farming. 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 urbanizing region in the world, with cities growing at an average rate of 3.5% per year. As city populations increase, so does the cost of living.
Median rents and grocery prices in places like Dakar or the Kenyan capital of Nairobi are approaching those of major European cities, even though median salaries are much lower, according to the World Bank.
Meanwhile, between 10 and 12 million young Africans enter the labor market each year while only around 3 million formal jobs are created, according to the African Development Bank.
“Many of my friends who graduated at the same time as me now work as motorcycle taxi drivers and barely make a living,” Mangassa said.
We help young farmers acquire land
Mangassa now has 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 helped young Africans start careers in agriculture.
Launched in 2023 and running in early 2027, it has supported around 380,000 people in the launch of agricultural businesses.
It works with local governments to enable young farmers to acquire land — often a challenge due to complex ownership systems and the difficulty for young people to obtain loans because they are considered high risk.
In Senegal, the program has supported over 61,000 people, with more than 80% starting farms, according to WFP. It also operates in Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania.
“Our survey shows three main obstacles for young people entering agriculture: limited access to land, financing and inputs; lack of practical skills; and tough market conditions — knowing when to sell, how to add value and how to market their products,” said WFP country director for Senegal, Pierre Lucas.
Senegal, like many African countries, is plagued by food insecurity that has been exacerbated by declining donor funding and worsening climate conditions.
The region is also recovering from the colonial era, said Ibrahima Hathie, an agricultural economist at the Senegal-based Perspective Agricultural and Rural Initiative think tank.
“In Senegal for example, farmers were pressured to grow peanuts to be sold in France instead of food crops,” said Hathie.
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 the markets, basic prices may drop.
Farming becomes an alternative to migration
Senegal is a major departure point for migrants trying to reach Europe via the deadly Atlantic route. The authorities see agriculture as one way to create jobs for young people to stay at home, by launching campaigns in the 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 years old, once dreamed of reaching Europe but did not have money to pay the smugglers. He had gone to Dakar in 2020 but struggled to make ends meet as a construction worker. Then he heard about the WFP initiative.
“In a sense, discovering agriculture saved my life,” Sane said. “If I had stayed in my construction job, sooner or later I would have tried to cross the ocean.”
He now rears poultry and cultivates pepper in his five acre farm in his village.
“I’m still far 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 potential migrants are now working for Mangassa.
Mamadou Camara aged 22, Issa Traoré aged 22 and Madassa Kebe aged 23 had been living in the capital of Mali, Bamako, struggling to find work. Their families had helped them collect money for the trip across the Atlantic to Europe via Guinea-Bissau, but they said a smuggler there disappeared with her.
They decided to go back home through Senegal, where they met Mangassa.
“I empathized with them because I know what it’s like to work hard and still not make ends meet while your family depends on you,” said Mangassa. “I wanted to show them that there are opportunities for young people.”
___
For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse
The Associated Press receives financial support for global coverage of health and development in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.