Youth and the Challenge of Food Security in Africa: Thoughts on the potential role of ‘talent academies’*

Cream Wright reviews food security in Africa and argues that there is a need to cultivate a new breed of young food practitioners for sustainable progress. To this end he proposes innovative career patterns for young people, assuming that current levels of economic growth will enable African countries to make the necessary strategic investments. Wright further explores new ‘education and training pathways’ for youths to acquire and use the knowledge, skills, attitudes and resources needed to transform food security in Africa. Brief but broad-based analyses in the article offer insightful arguments for a transformative approach to food security. In brief, Wright highlights new possibilities rather than just embracing the orthodoxy of standard arguments and policy options typically found in the literature on food security.