All around the world, inequalities persist in the complex web of social, economic, and ecological factors that mediate food security outcomes at different human and institutional scales. There have been rapid and continuous improvements in agricultural productivity and better food security in many regions of the world during the past 50 years due to an expansion in crop area, irrigation, and supportive policy and institutional initiatives. However, in Sub-Saharan Africa, the situation is inverted. Statistics show that food insecurity has risen since 2015 in Sub-Saharan African countries, and the situation has worsened owing to the Ukraine conflict and the ongoing implications of the COVID-19 threat. This review looks into multidimensional challenges to achieving the SDG2 goal of “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture” in Sub-Saharan Africa and the prosper policy recommendations for action. Findings indicate that weak economic growth, gender inequality, high inflation, low crop productivity, low investment in irrigated agriculture and research, climate change, high population growth, poor policy frameworks, weak infrastructural development, and corruption are the major hurdles in the sustaining food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. Promoting investments in agricultural infrastructure and extension services together with implementing policies targeted at enhancing the households’ purchasing power, especially those in rural regions, appear to be essential drivers for improving both food availability and food access.

The participation of young people in agriculture is crucial in generating job opportunities and fostering the growth of agri-food systems in developing countries, particularly in Africa. This study aims to provide an in-depth review of existing studies on young people’s perceptions and factors influencing their participation in agribusiness. Additionally, the study aims to investigate the impact of the skill training intervention on youth engagement in agribusiness. The study also identifies and analyzes the constraints that hindered their engagement. The PRISMA guideline was followed to analyze 57 studies across Sub-Saharan Africa. Studies published from 2012 to 2022 were retrieved from various digital libraries, such as Google Scholar, Emerald Insight, Taylor & Francis Online, Wiley Online Library, and Science Direct. The review findings highlight that many young people in Africa view agriculture as a profitable industry and a means of subsistence. However, it was also observed that there are divergent opinions regarding agribusiness among young individuals. Factors such as access to finance, education, skills training, perceived social support, and prior experience in farming emerged as critical determinants influencing their decision to engage in agribusiness. Moreover, the study reveals that skill training programs positively impact youth participation in agribusiness. These interventions enhance their skills, increasing productivity, income, and employment opportunities. Nevertheless, access to finance and other essential resources, such as land and extension support, were identified as significant barriers to the involvement of young people in agribusiness. In order to promote the advancement of agri-food systems in Africa through youth participation, youth policies must prioritize access to various resources, including but not limited to capital, education, skills training, land, extension support, social support, mentoring, and private-sector involvement.

Agripreneurship is a new buzzword in the discourse on economic development. It is a new global idea aiming to change agriculture from a subsistence sector to a competitive business. The primary objective of this study is to document the level of knowledge of young agripreneurs. The study also assesses factors that stimulated their interest in initiating agribusiness ventures in The Gambia. To achieve this, survey data were collected from 384 young agripreneurs using a self-administered questionnaire in five agricultural zones in the Gambia. Data were analyzed using descriptive factor and k-mean cluster analyses. The findings indicated that the respondents had a medium knowledge of all agripreneurial behavioral components used in the study. Based on the push-pull anchor framework, we found that young agripreneurs about family misfortune, lack of job opportunities, dismissal from the previous job, poverty (push factors), low financial status, economic independence and the pursuit of self-actualization (push factors), opportunities in agriculture and the encouragement from the government (mooring factors) all play a significant role in the motivation to pursue agripreneurship. Furthermore, the results of the cluster analysis revealed four distinct groups of young farmers: ambitious agripreneurs, financial reward seekers, agribusiness lovers, and social protectors. Kruskal Wallis and post hoc tests indicated statistically significant differences between groupings. These findings suggest that for policymakers to understand the potential of the agripreneurship sector, it is a need to pay close attention to the level of knowledge and motivations of agripreneurs in order to design appropriate policies for greater participation of youth in agripreneurship. Implications for theory, as well as limitations and potential future directions, were discussed.