African millennials and Gen Z are quitting their big-city dreams to go make more money back on the farm

By Mark Banchereau and The Associated Press

On a blazing afternoon in Senegal, 33-year-old farmer Filly Mangassa heaved peanut plants onto a horse-drawn cart, sending clouds of dust swirling.

Ten years ago, he left his village for the capital, Dakar, dreaming of becoming a professor. But the high cost of living and lack of jobs put that dream out of reach.

“Particularly after COVID, companies weren’t hiring and prices were rising,” said Mangassa, who has a masters degree in criminology. “I thought: My father and my grandfather were farmers, so why not use that experience and go back to my hometown and try to make a living in agriculture.”

Across much of Africa, farming has long been seen as low-status work, pushing young people to cities in search of office jobs.

“For my father and some people in my family, they sort of saw me returning to the countryside as a step back,” Mangassa said.

But that perception is changing. Rising food prices, investments in irrigation and access to new technologies are making agriculture more profitable. Governments and nonprofits now fund programs that teach advanced farming skills and support farmers with equipment, fertilizers, pesticides and seeds.

“When my father saw that I had a clear, thorough business plan, he encouraged me and helped me with the administrative process to acquire land,” Mangassa said.

He is part of a trend of young Africans leaving cities to try their luck at farming.

The original article has more details.

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