Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship from Michigan State University’s Global Center on Food Systems Innovation

Five publications on Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship from Michigan State University’s Global Center on Food Systems Innovation. Focusing on Nigeria and Tanzania, the research reports examine major constraints affecting the expansion of youth agrifood employment and improvement of youth training programs for economically disadvantaged young people aged 18-24. The reports are the product of joint research conducted during 2017-2018 by faculty members from MSU, the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria, and Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania. The series was edited by Dr. Julie Howard, former Senior Adviser to the Associate Provost and Dean, International Studies and Programs, now Senior Adviser (non-resident), Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Three of the reports (Abdulsalam-Saghir et al., Me-nsope et al., and Mroto et al.) focus on gender dimensions of agrifood system employment and entrepreneurship in the fast-growing horticulture, poultry, cassava, and oilseeds value chains. In both Tanzania and Nigeria, researchers found that widely-held perceptions of women’s roles, capabilities, strength and reliability affect their access to expanding employment, entrepreneurship and training opportunities. Key policies also limit women’s education, land inheritance of land and ability to obtain finance. The authors found very little evidence that existing youth training programs in Nigeria and Tanzania consider gender disparities in program design. Me-nsope et al. offer pragmatic recommendations for addressing gender considerations in training programs and for working with policymakers and the business community to expand gender awareness, provide positive role models and create intern, apprenticeship and employment opportunities for young women.