by Sylvestre Ouédraogo

‘Young people cannot take up the role of intermediary free of charge, nor should they be expected to,’ Sylvestre Ouédraogo, president of the Yam Pukri Association in Burkina Faso.

Young people living in rural parts of ACP countries have the same ambitions as those living in the major cities around the world. They all watch the same television programmes and have similar aspirations: a house, a car, a good job, a smartphone. Many rural youth are drawn to the major urban centres to achieve their goals. For them, village life is too limited. Pressure on the land means it is difficult to have a farm at a young age. They have to wait many years before suitable land becomes available. And even if they do have farming work, they have to find a second job to earn money in the off-season.