Implications of changing agri-food system structure for agricultural education and training in Sub-Saharan Africa
Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies
ISSN: 2044-0839
Article publication date: 16 November 2015
Abstract
Purpose
African agri-food systems are undergoing major structural change in response to growing urbanization, rising incomes and shifting patterns of food consumption. The purpose of this paper is to explore four major dimensions of this surprisingly rapid structural shift in African food systems.
Design/methodology/approach
This chapter synthesizes the six chapters and in addition discusses future implications for agricultural education and training (AET) in Africa.
Findings
AET institutions face multiple pressures as a result of these ongoing changes. High fertility rates have produced a youth bulge that currently strains educational capacity at all levels and places huge pressures accommodating 700 million youth job market entrants over the coming 30 years.
Research limitations/implications
Countries vary considerably in a number of socio-economic and political dimensions making it difficult to completely generalize on each and every issue. Cross-country comparison to the level of determining which country is better than the other in many of the variables is difficult.
Originality/value
Synthesis of key parameters to consider in increasing the relevance of AET institutions in Africa.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to acknowledge all those who devoted their time to respond to the several interviews that led to this conclusion chapter. The authors also wish to thank the reviewers for their very constructive comments which have helped to raise the quality of this work. Finally, the authors wish to recognize the financial contributions from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) which supported the field investigations that resulted into these conclusions. As usual, the authors remain solely responsible for the content of this paper.
Citation
Kabasa, J.D., Kirsten, J. and Minde, I. (2015), "Implications of changing agri-food system structure for agricultural education and training in Sub-Saharan Africa", Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, Vol. 5 No. 2, pp. 190-199. https://doi.org/10.1108/JADEE-03-2015-0016
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited