Abstract

Food systems are critically important for food security in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Food systems (FS) in SSA must grow to guarantee food and nutrition security for growing populations and to provide the quantity and quality of food demanded by increased urbanization and income, as well as to accommodate technological changes occurring in these areas. Moreover, expanding the nonfarm components of FS reinforces efforts to transition out of agriculture. The impact, inevitability, and amenability to policy interventions of these and other drivers of FS and the extent of FS transformation needed differs across countries. FS also face several emerging challenges such as climate change and sustainability of food production. Employment and job creation are among the areas that are significantly affected by FS transformation. Demographic changes that accompany expanding FS employment are also critical for gender equity and youth inclusion. The extent, speed, and complementarity of the FS transformation and increased employment varies across countries. However, there are currently few systems in place to monitor the extent of FS transformation or its interactions with other aspects of the economy, such as employment.
This work presents findings from a series of studies being conducted to understand current and future trends in FS transformation in Africa and on potential entry points for sustainable and equitable transformation and aims to answer critical macro-level questions on the trends and recent developments in FS and their impacts on the continent. More specifically, these studies explore the evolution of employment in FS over the past two decades, with a focus on youth and gender inclusion amid broader demographic, economic, and policy shifts in Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, and Kenya. SSA is experiencing rapid urbanization, significant population growth, and evolving dietary preferences, all of which are reshaping its FS and labor market.
These studies use secondary data from the International Labor Organization (ILO), World Bank, United Nations Population Division, and at least two rounds of household survey datasets from each country conducted during 2000 to 2023. Some of the preliminary findings reveal that these countries are at different stages of FS transformation. The importance of employment in food/agricultural production and the non-farm components to total employment varies widely in these countries, pointing to country specific policies to stimulate job growth across different sectors within FS. Gender and youth inclusion of FS also vary across countries. However, unemployment is higher among women and youth, and, generally, labor force participation is relatively low among these population groups. Women’s participating in food production/agriculture widely varies across countries while and a relatively higher share of women participate in food processing, servicing, and retailing. These also imply country specific measures to engender inclusivity. These studies also provide insights on FS policy environment in each of the countries; discuss the implication of conflicts on FS; and report on progress of each country in employment-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including, among other things, the rate of informal employment, share of women in managerial positions, working poverty rate, and share of youth not in education, employment, or training.