We’re ready, the system’s not – youth perspectives on agricultural careers in South Africa

ABSTRACT

In light of rising levels of youth unemployment in South Africa, now at 50 per cent, research was undertaken to better understand the paradox of young people turning away from agricultural employment in spite of such high levels of unemployment in the country. The research brings to light new evidence of youth perspectives on contemporary attitudes, experiences and expectations of work in the agricultural sector in South Africa.

The research took a narrative-based approach using SenseMaker as a tool for blended qualitative and quantitative data collection. A sample of 573 youth narratives was drawn from across three sites in the KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Western Cape provinces of South Africa.

Findings show that attitudes towards careers in agriculture vary greatly. While a set of negative perceptions emerged from the narratives as anticipated, approximately one third of the respondents expressed a clear interest in and passion for agriculture. This interest persisted in spite of a range of pervasive social norms and stigmas. However, these positive aspirations tended to be at odds with the kinds of jobs created by an increasingly corporatised food regime.

The research addresses two key policy documents: The National Development Plan and the National Youth Policy, contributing toward the growing body of literature seeking to understand how agricultural policy based on principles of “accumulation from below” may be formulated. It also provides an empirical evidence base for activists, educators and policy-makers interested in the role of the agricultural sector in addressing youth unemployment in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa.

KEYWORDS:

• Youth
• employment
• agriculture
• South Africa
• narrative inquiry
• accumulation from below

JEL CLASSIFICATION:

• D70
• F66
• J00
• J2
• J24
• J43
• Q19

Acknowledgements

In additional to the three indispensible teams of enumerators, we express appreciation to the following individuals and institutions for their support in the fieldwork process: Thanda and their team in Kwa-Zulu Natal, in particular Margret Stride and Nkululeko Ngongoma. In the Western Cape, The Sustainability Institute and Slum Dwellers International. In Limpopo, Anri Manderson, Norah Mlondobozi and Patrick Sekhula. Thanks are also due to Zhen Goh and the SenseMaker® support team at Cognitive Edge. The research was supported with funding from the National Research Foundation, the Southern Africa Food Lab and the Open Society Foundation via the Sustainability Institute.

Notes

1. Because collectivist cultures emphasise people’s interdependence within the group, people’s behaviour is largely regulated by group norms rather than personal attitudes (Vogt & Laher, 2009).

2. The dominance of white farmers in agriculture is largely a result of South Africa’s recent history with apartheid.