This research project is part of the INCLUDE programme Youth in Just Food Systems Transitions. It explores how emerging agri-food value chains in Benin can create sustainable, green employment opportunities for young people, and how public policy can support a just transition in the agricultural sector.
Project Summary
The project Mapping Employment Opportunities for Youth in Emerging Agri-Food Value Chains in Benin explores how three emerging value chains—organic market gardening, sustainable agro-processing, and digital marketing—can create meaningful employment for young people. To this end, a total of 383 youth aged 18 to 35 from the states of Atlantique, Borgou, and Couffo will be surveyed, representing 40% women and 60% men. Their perspectives are complemented by 32 key informants, including policymakers, academic researchers, youth organizations, and support structures, alongside geospatial mapping across six strategic communes.
Why This Project Matters
Benin is under significant pressure to transform its food systems while addressing the socio-economic challenges facing its young people, such as high rates of unemployment. The country’s agricultural sector is essential to the economy, contributing 32% of GDP and providing work for around 70% of the population. At the same time, youth underemployment stands at 19.7%, highlighting the need for targeted opportunities that are both sustainable and inclusive.
It is essential to ensure that young people benefit from, and are active agents in, the economic opportunities that emerge from this transition. As the country advances its national agricultural development strategy, understanding how youth can access new forms of green employment becomes critical.
This research provides the evidence needed to guide this shift. By identifying practical entry points into emerging agri-food value chains and analysing the conditions that enable an inclusive ecological transition, the project offers insights that can strengthen national strategies and support a just transition.
As women represent a substantial share of the agricultural workforce, the study intentionally integrates gender perspectives to ensure that new opportunities are accessible and equitable. The findings will contribute to policies that promote environmentally sustainable and inclusive employment pathways for youth, while offering a model that can be adapted across West Africa to advance SDGs 1, 2, 8, and 13. Ultimately, the study aims to empower youth as agents of sustainable development and inform national strategies for a greener economy.
