The dynamics of youth employment and empowerment in agriculture and rural development in South Africa: a scoping review

Abstract

Over the years, South Africa has made significant investments aimed at transforming the
agricultural sector to deliver on rural economic development and job creation. These investments
have had varying levels of success; still, what is worrying is the high youth unemployment rate which
is amongst the highest globally. We conducted a scoping review using the PRISMA-P guidelines
to identify the challenges youth face in accessing sustainable employment in the agriculture sector.
Peer-reviewed studies were retrieved from online databases (Web of Science, Cab Direct, and Science
Direct) for 1994–2021. The findings showed that youth are still facing significant challenges in the
demand and supply side of the labour market and lack of inclusivity in policy formulation and
implementation, limiting their involvement in agriculture and rural development initiatives. Policies
and strategies responding to these challenges exist, and the spectrum of support services provided
are primarily focused on entrepreneurship. Yet, the implementation of programs and initiatives
has not been successful. This could be attributed to the obstacles persisting in the sociopolitical
environment in SA, causing additional barriers to program implementation. Therefore, to enhance
youth involvement in agriculture and rural development, there is a need to connect more rural
youth to support services, local employment programmes, and youth inclusion in policy formulation
processes. Additionally, the focus of policy and programs should be broadened to cater to different
youth knowledge and skill profiles.