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Who Wants to Farm? Answers Depend on How You Ask: A Case Study on Youth Aspirations in Kenya

Author

Listed:
  • Katie LaRue

    (University of Hohenheim)

  • Thomas Daum

    (University of Hohenheim)

  • Kai Mausch

    (World Agroforestry (ICRAF))

  • Dave Harris

    (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
    Bangor University)

Abstract

While there is a consensus that rural poverty has to be reduced, there are two opposing views on the role that agriculture can play in this regard: a “farm-based” and an “off-farm led” development paradigm where the respective other sector is merely a complementary income source during a transition period. The latter paradigm is supported by studies finding that rural youth in sub-Saharan Africa are not particularly interested in agriculture. However, policy discourse on youth in agriculture often situates their aspirations as either full-time farming or non-farming, thus either supporting or opposing one or the other of the two paradigms, while neglecting the shades of grey between these two extremes. Using a mixed-methods approach—a household survey and a narrative-based tool called SenseMaker—to collect data from both adults and youth in 261 households in rural Kenya, this study suggests that this categorical understanding needs to be revisited to inform rural development strategies based on the actual aspirations of rural youth.

Suggested Citation

  • Katie LaRue & Thomas Daum & Kai Mausch & Dave Harris, 2021. "Who Wants to Farm? Answers Depend on How You Ask: A Case Study on Youth Aspirations in Kenya," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(4), pages 885-909, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:eurjdr:v:33:y:2021:i:4:d:10.1057_s41287-020-00352-2
    DOI: 10.1057/s41287-020-00352-2
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    2. Pracht, Wyatt & Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob, 2023. "The Impacts of an Employment Offer on the Aspirations of Rural Youth: Experimental Evidence from Kenya," 2023 Annual Meeting, July 23-25, Washington D.C. 335612, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    3. Martin Paul Jr. Tabe-Ojong & Thomas Heckelei & Kathy Baylis, 2021. "Aspiration Formation and Ecological Shocks in Rural Kenya," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(4), pages 833-860, August.
    4. Gutu O. Wayessa & Anja Nygren, 2023. "Mixed Methods Research in Global Development Studies: State-Sponsored Resettlement Schemes in Ethiopia," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 35(6), pages 1440-1464, December.
    5. Kai Mausch & Dave Harris & Javier Revilla Diez, 2021. "Rural Aspirations: Reflections for Development Planning, Design and Localized Effects," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(4), pages 795-808, August.
    6. Bangura, Kabba. S. & Lynch, Kenneth & Binns, Tony & Gbanie, Solomon, 2023. "Facing post-crisis livelihood challenges? Insights from young farmers in Kenema city, Eastern Province, Sierra Leone," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    7. Mortala Boye & Abdul Ghafoor & Abdulazeez Hudu Wudil & Muhammad Usman & Piotr Prus & Alexander Fehér & Roman Sass, 2024. "Youth Engagement in Agribusiness: Perception, Constraints, and Skill Training Interventions in Africa: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-26, January.
    8. Frederick Amon-Armah & Nana Akua Anyidoho & Isaac Alvin Amoah & Sander Muilerman, 2023. "A Typology of Young Cocoa Farmers: Attitudes, Motivations and Aspirations," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 35(4), pages 770-793, August.
    9. Ravi Nandi & Swamikannu Nedumaran, 2021. "Understanding the Aspirations of Farming Communities in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review of the Literature," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(4), pages 809-832, August.
    10. Federica Consentino & Gabriella Vindigni & Daniela Spina & Clara Monaco & Iuri Peri, 2023. "An Agricultural Career through the Lens of Young People," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-16, July.

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