Why youth must drive Africa’s food system transformation today

By Kelvin Odoobo.

Africa is a teenager, Europe is middle-aged, and North America is in her late 30s. This is according to population data by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. Africa’s youthfulness presents the continent with an extraordinary opportunity for growth, particularly in the agri-food systems sector.

Despite the often-cited myth that the average age of a farmer in Africa is 60, the most recent data shows that individuals primarily engaged in farming are typically between 32 and 39 years old. It therefore goes without saying that supporting more youth involvement in agriculture is not merely affirmative action—it is a key pillar of economic development that every stakeholder must prioritize.

One of the continent’s most significant recent changes is the shift to a food systems approach, which expands the focus from farm outputs and value chains to the entire network of activities, actors, and impacts involved in getting food from production to consumption, including the broader systems it connects to.

This network encompasses production, processing, distribution, consumption, food loss and waste, and cross-cutting factors such as environment, economy, culture, technology, and policy.

The food systems approach opens more opportunities for youth involvement, allowing them to introduce innovation in food trade to meet the growing consumption demands driven by their own generation.

Rwanda’s Strategic Plan for Agriculture Transformation 2024–2029 (PSTA 5), for example, is the first national agri-food strategy guided by a food systems approach. It explicitly incorporates youth and women economic empowerment and embeds technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) to engage young people in driving innovation across the food system.

PSTA 5 actively positions youth as innovators, entrepreneurs, and digital-savvy drivers, encouraging leadership in agritech, value addition, and advocacy to modernize and sustain Rwanda’s agri-food transformation.

Today, the food systems approach has rejuvenated agriculture as a core component of governments’ food and nutrition security and food sovereignty policies. It also heralds a new era of limitless, accessible business opportunities.

This year’s African Food System Forum (AFSF) will, for the first time, focus on youth leadership as a key catalyst for delivering food systems transformation on the continent and helping end hunger and malnutrition. Heads of state, ministers, business leaders, development partners, thought leaders, farmers, youth, and other stakeholders will participate in discussions about what it takes to nurture the leadership Africa needs to secure its food futures.

We must, however, move beyond conversations to tangible commitments, steering resources toward youth leadership development.

This is essential because the complex and interconnected challenges facing Africa’s food systems require visionary, context-aware, and collaborative leadership. Such leadership must emerge from public and private sectors, national and local governments, private companies, and the development sector. It should ensure the voices of women, youth, smallholder farmers, and marginalized communities are included in decision-making, reducing inequalities and building resilience.

Good leadership will set a clear, inclusive agenda for how Africa’s food systems can evolve, balancing productivity, nutrition, environmental sustainability, and equity.

Some initiatives to build the continent’s food system leadership are already underway but require adequate financing, inclusive policies, skilled human capital, innovation and technology, reliable data, strong institutions, and multi-stakeholder networks to solidify current efforts. Examples include the Africa Food Fellowship and AGRA’s Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture (CALA), which have empowered over 500 African food system leaders in the last five years.

During this year’s Africa Food System Forum in Dakar, Senegal, governments, development partners, private companies, and other stakeholders must support these initiatives and similar programs across the continent to strengthen the role of Africa’s youth in achieving the 2035 food systems transformation targets.

The writer is an African food system leader and the founder of Shambapro, an agritech startup that helps small farm business owners in Africa build viable, sustainable farm businesses.