Perspective: How young people across Africa are surviving a broken food system
By Namatovu Rowena, Technical Advisor Regenerative Agriculture
The case for transforming food systems is no longer up for debate. As elsewhere, African food systems face interconnected crises, including rising hunger and nutrition deficiencies, biodiversity loss, soil degradation, and increasing climate shocks, among other fragilities. With Africa’s youth making up over 60% of the continent's population , they are today’s innovators, entrepreneurs, and change makers. They are poised to drive the shift away from extractive, input-intensive agricultural models toward more sustainable and inclusive regenerative food systems with approaches that build climate resilience, restore ecosystems, and centre communities. This is especially true for young agripreneurs who embrace agroecological principles to regenerate land, build livelihoods, and secure food sovereignty for their communities.
Regenerative agriculture and agroecological principles provide proven, science-based alternatives for sustainable agriculture. Opportunities for youth in this area are growing. The use of digital technologies in farming is creating new possibilities for data-driven decisions and resource management. Mobile apps, GIS mapping, and AI-powered farm management systems help young farmers monitor soil health, forecast weather, and reach markets.
The power of youth in food system transformation
From platforms that connect smallholder farmers to essential services via shared economy models that boost productivity and cut labor costs, to video tutorials on agroecological methods for farmers in remote regions, youg people are offering and using these services. AI tools assist farmers in detecting crop diseases early and responding to climate challenges. These digital innovations are helping to increase efficiency and lower entry barriers for youth who may lack traditional land or capital assets.
Yet, without rural connectivity, digital literacy, and support infrastructure, these tools risk deepening inequality.
As the continent shifts to low-carbon economies, the connection between renewable energy and regenerative agriculture provides a pathway for creating green jobs. Youth-led enterprises are combining regenerative agriculture with solar-powered irrigation systems, bioenergy from agricultural waste, and solar drying technologies to cut post-harvest losses. Young entrepreneurs are developing value chains around organic fertilisers and composting. These green jobs help to reduce youth unemployment and support climate-resilient livelihoods.
In cities, youth are leading the way in vertical farming, aquaponics, and circular economy models that cut waste while producing nutritious food. These innovative urban solutions are essential since Africa’s urban population is expected to triple by 2050. Youth-led cooperatives are turning abandoned plots into thriving urban gardens that provide fresh produce to local communities, while also sequestering carbon and cooling hot spots in cities. Young agripreneurs are converting organic market waste into compost for peri-urban farms and school gardens, creating closed-loop systems that cut waste and improve soil health, while also supporting food and nutrition security for the most vulnerable—children.
Through regional and global networks, young African leaders are advocating for food sovereignty, climate justice, and inclusive agricultural policies. Movements like the African Youth Agripreneurs Forum (AYAF) and the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) are amplifying youth voices in policy arenas, while grassroots networks like Sustain Africa are connecting agroecological youth initiatives across countries. At the UN Climate Summits (COP), young African delegates have consistently pushed for recognition of agroecology as a climate solution and demanded greater investment in youth-led adaptation strategies. Their advocacy is not just symbolic. It is shaping policies and funding flows, ensuring that the future of food is both inclusive and regenerative.
Barriers and breakthroughs: what it will take for Africa’s youth to lead food system transformation
Across Africa, young people are restoring degraded land, advancing agroecology, and building circular economies. But they are working around broken systems—not supported by them.
If youth are to drive food system transformation, structural barriers must be removed. This requires targeted reform and a reallocation of resources—starting with land.
Agroecology depends on long-term ecosystem care, which is impossible without secure land tenure. Yet youth—especially young women—are routinely excluded from land ownership due to legal restrictions and customary norms. Without secure access, they cannot invest, plan, or scale sustainable practices. Land laws must be reformed to guarantee tenure for youth, enable joint titles for women, and recognise community-managed land.
Finance is another major constraint. Most youth-led agribusinesses operate informally and are excluded from banking services. Transitioning to regenerative practices requires upfront investment—costs many young farmers can’t afford. Over 70% of youth-led enterprises lack access to appropriate financial services, with young women facing even greater exclusion. Financial systems must evolve to offer grants, flexible credit, and blended finance models that de-risk early-stage ventures.
Agroecology is not a future ambition. It is already happening. And its architects are young, determined, and far more experienced than they are ever given credit for.
Public institutions also remain misaligned. Policies continue to favour monocultures, synthetic inputs, and export-oriented crops, while extension systems are outdated and ill-equipped to support youth. Young agripreneurs are already using digital tools, peer networks, and ecosystem-based practices. Public investment should shift towards youth-led agroecology centres, networks, and curricula that integrate scientific and indigenous knowledge.
Finally, restrictive social norms continue to limit youth leadership. In many communities, land and cooperative decisions remain in the hands of elders. Youth are expected to contribute labour, not shape policy. Their knowledge is undervalued; their participation often tokenistic. Young people must be included in policy development, budget processes, and governance. Gender equity must be embedded—ensuring equal access to land, finance, and leadership for young women.
From rooftop gardens in Dar es Salaam to drought-resilient seed banks in Ethiopia, young people are already building the food systems we claim to want—renewable, regenerative, and resilient. So the question is not whether youth are ready to lead this transformation. It’s whether institutions are ready to redistribute resources, and let them.