Browsing by Author "Mama, Mlungisi Lungile"

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    Promoting agriculture amongst the black youth of South Africa : the role the sector has to play in creating employment, alleviating poverty, and achieving equitable economic growth
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-03) Mama, Mlungisi Lungile; Vink, N.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Agricultural Economics.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY : The persistence of rural and urban poverty, the renewed interest in agriculture and a sense of urgency regarding employment for young people have joined in the minds of policy makers and development professionals, to the point where the agricultural sector has become one of the key sectors to look for answers to the crisis of youth unemployment. Unemployment and poverty are major problems faced by developing countries such as South Africa. The problem becomes more severe when it affects the youth more than the elderly, as the youth are the future of any country. The black youth of South Africa are highly impoverished and are unemployed. High unemployment, especially amongst the youth, and high levels of poverty in the midst of the poor economic growth that South Africa has been experiencing, indicates that there has been no inclusive growth in South Africa and the society remains highly unequal. The agricultural sector is a sector that the black youth (and youth at large) do not consider capable of helping them out of their poverty and unemployment woes. The truth of the matter is that the agricultural sector is more than capable of creating decent employment (and selfemployment) and alleviating poverty for the black youth of South Africa. In pursuing economic growth and with most well-paying jobs being in the urban areas (resulting in urbanisation), the agricultural sector and rural economies should not be neglected. Instead, South Africa should ensure that the agricultural sector and rural economies are developed concurrently so that the queue of the urban unemployed is reduced and people find decent employment within the agricultural sector in the rural economies. Through sound infrastructure, the agricultural sector does not just remain in the rural economy and primary sector, it also forms part of the urban economy and secondary sector (agro-processing). This is an imperative link for any economy as the narrative changes: from rural dwellers flooding the urban areas in order to obtain lowpaying jobs and staying in urban slums (shacks) on the outskirts of the urban area, to rural dwellers merely being in the urban area because of their movement within the agricultural value chain (from primary production to agro-processing). This would ensure that poverty within the urban areas, which is often overlooked when certain statistics surveys are being conducted, is also dealt with. There are many unemployed and impoverished people living in urban areas because the chances of getting decent employment is higher in urban areas than rural areas. What is of great concern is that from an agriculture perspective, the rural areas with arable land are left desolate because there is no one there to work the land This paper’s focus is twofold; firstly, it focuses on the importance of youth participation in the agricultural sector, given the sector’s importance in equitable economic growth, and then it looks at policies and processes that are needed to address this problem. A questionnaire, which was focused on ascertaining the view that the youth of South Africa have of the agricultural sector, was drawn up and completed by youths across all races and genders. Regarding the geographical location of the respondents, they were from three provinces: Gauteng, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape. The results obtained from the questionnaire indicate that black youth do not have an interest in agriculture and that they are not aware of the various career opportunities that exist in the sector. It is evident that the required shift in the minds of the youth will not happen overnight and, in the interim, poverty and unemployment remain prevalent amongst the black youth. However, it must be stressed that there are indeed many youths succeeding in agriculture – across the entire value chain. In the short term, more needs to be done regarding showcasing these success stories across all media platforms, not only for the youth, but more importantly for key stakeholders (e.g. development finance institutions, banks, agribusinesses, etc.) in the agricultural sector to take notice and play their part to empower the youth that are keen to become involved in agriculture. In the medium to long term, the departments of agriculture and of education (basic and higher) needs to invest in including agriculture in the syllabus of all public and private schools, and not just in the few dedicated agricultural schools in the country.