@article{Ahaibwe:159673,
      recid = {159673},
      author = {Ahaibwe, Gemma and Mbowa, Swaibu and Lwanga, Musa Mayanja},
      title = {Youth Engagement in Agriculture in Uganda: Challenges and  Prospects},
      address = {2013-06},
      number = {677-2016-46695},
      series = {Research Series},
      pages = {48},
      year = {2013},
      abstract = {The Ugandan population is to a large extent comprised of a  high and increasing cohort of
young people, close to 78  percent of the population is below the age of thirty.  Evidence
reveals that youth engagement in agriculture is  declining amidst rising youth unemployment
yet the services  and industrial sectors despite growing at considerably  faster rates have not
created enough jobs for the  burgeoning youthful labour force. This may have  implications on
food security, unemployment, and  underemployment and may undermine the government
efforts to  drive economic growth through agriculture. Using data from  the Uganda National
Panel Survey data of 2005/6 and  2009/10, we examine youth employment dynamics across
the  different sectors and further provide insights into the  determinants of youth participation
in agriculture. Using  the Uganda Census of Agriculture 2008/09, we further  document the
challenges and constraints inherent to the  youth in agricultural production relative to adults. The  findings reveal that youthful farmers are concentrated more  in agricultural production.
Furthermore, a relatively lower  percentage of youth use improved inputs (such as  improved
seeds, fertilizers, agricultural chemicals and  veterinary drugs). With this poor rate of
adoption of  appropriate inputs, productivity is likely to remain low  and constrain the youth
to subsistence farming.  Furthermore, the youth are disenfranchised in the ownership  and
management of critical assets in agricultural  production, especially land. Land tenure issues
continue to  impede many youths from engaging in agriculture, with the  majority of youth
using land without exclusive ownership  rights. In addition, the results point to the fact that
the  youth are less likely to access credit, extension services  and social capital (farmer group
membership), all key  factors in agricultural transformation. The in-depth  analysis results
seem to suggest that the youth with at  least secondary education, males (both married  and
unmarried) and those youth residing in households with  a large share of adults are less likely
to engage in  agriculture.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/159673},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.159673},
}