2025年青年在农业粮食体系中的状况报告（英）_350页_29mb

The Status of Youth in Agrifood Systems

Core Content

This document presents an evidence-based analysis of the role and status of youth in agrifood systems globally. It highlights the importance of youth in driving economic transformation and ensuring food security, while also addressing the challenges they face in accessing opportunities and resources. The report is structured into thematic chapters, each focusing on different aspects of youth engagement, resilience, and the structural dynamics of agrifood systems.

Main Points

1. Youth in Agrifood Systems: Key Concepts and Frameworks

• Definition of Youth: The report adopts a broad definition of youth, typically referring to individuals aged 15–24.
• Agrifood Systems: These are complex and dynamic networks of actors and activities that include production, processing, distribution, and consumption of food.
• Youth Engagement: The level and nature of youth involvement in agrifood systems depend on both the opportunities available and youth-specific characteristics.
• Typology of Agrifood Systems: The report categorizes agrifood systems into traditional, protracted crisis, and industrial types, which helps in cross-country comparisons and policy design.

2. Youth Demographics and Migration Trends

• Population Trends: The share of youth in populations is declining over time, but absolute numbers are increasing.
• Regional Variations: Youth population trends vary significantly across regions.
• Rural Youth: A substantial portion of youth still reside in rural areas, despite rapid urbanization.
• Migration Aspirations: The share of youth aspiring to migrate internationally has increased between 2015 and 2023, especially in protracted crisis systems.
• Gender Differences: Young women are more likely to migrate than young men, and the peak age for migration is around 22 for women and 25 for men.
• Migration Patterns: Rural-to-rural migration is prominent, particularly in less developed countries.
• Migration Reasons: Marriage and family are key reasons for migration, while employment is a major driver for male youth.

3. Access to Assets and Resources

• Education: Rural youth in traditional and protracted crisis systems are less likely to complete lower secondary education.
• Literacy: Many sub-Saharan African countries have low youth literacy rates and significant gender gaps.
• Land Ownership: Few young people own land; when they do, it is often through inheritance.
• Tenure Insecurity: Young farmers are more likely to experience tenure insecurity.
• Livestock Ownership: Youth-headed households are less likely to own livestock, with females more likely to own poultry.
• Financial Access: A large share of rural youth do not own financial accounts, though mobile money access has increased in all regions.
• Internet and Mobile Phones: Youth are more likely to use the internet than adults, except in protracted crisis systems. They are also more likely to own mobile phones than adults in most regions.

4. Employment and Work in Agrifood Systems

• Employment Trends: Agrifood systems remain a major source of employment for youth, especially in less developed systems.
• Gender Gaps: Youth employment in agrifood systems shows significant gender differences, with young women being more vulnerable to employment loss during crises.
• Work Patterns: Youth are more likely to work in the same sector as their parents and are overrepresented in all agrifood systems.
• Precarious Work: Youth, especially in less developed systems, are more likely to be in vulnerable forms of employment.
• Off-Farm Employment: Off-farm employment is more important for urban youth in less consolidated systems.
• Intergenerational Mobility: Young women are less likely to experience intergenerational mobility outside agrifood systems.

5. Food Security and Nutrition

• Nutrient Intake: Youth have higher dietary nutrient needs than other age groups, and many are inadequately nourished.
• Food Insecurity: The risk of moderate to severe food insecurity has increased among youth, especially females and rural populations.
• Dietary Autonomy: Food-related autonomy and agency change with age but are influenced by sociocultural and structural factors.

6. Resilience and Vulnerability

• Resilience: Youth in protracted crisis systems show higher subjective resilience, though material resilience is similar to adults.
• Climate Change: Climate change is expected to impact agricultural productivity unevenly, with rural youth in traditional systems most affected.
• Weather Shocks: These affect rural youth employment differently than adult employment, with young men working longer hours during heat stress and young women during floods.
• Conflict and Crises: Young women often sustain agricultural production during conflicts, highlighting their resilience.

7. Policy Recommendations

• Youth-Inclusive Strategies: Policies should combine broad-based agrifood system transformation with youth empowerment.
• Job Creation: Increasing the supply of decent jobs is crucial for youth employment.
• Food Security: Improving access to nutritious food and enhancing resilience to shocks and stresses are key.
• Youth Agency: Empowering youth with skills, resources, and education is essential for their active participation in agrifood systems.
• Social Protection: Strengthening social protection mechanisms and mainstreaming youth in national agricultural policies can support their integration and development.

Key Information

• FAO Report: This is FAO's first comprehensive global assessment of youth in agrifood systems.
• Citations and Rights: The report is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
• Target Audience: Policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders interested in youth and agrifood systems.
• Structure: The report includes a foreword, acknowledgements, an introduction, six main chapters, appendices, and a glossary.
• Focus Areas: Opportunities, engagement, food security, resilience, and solutions for youth in agrifood systems.

Conclusion

The report underscores the critical role of youth in agrifood systems and emphasizes the need for policies that address their unique challenges and leverage their potential for sustainable development. It calls for a holistic approach that includes improving access to resources, enhancing education and skills, and promoting inclusive and resilient agrifood systems.