Perceptions and Aspirations: A Case Study of Young People in Ghana’s Cocoa Sector

Abstract

This article examines young people’s aspirations in agriculture within the context of renewed policy interest in farming as a pathway to development and employment in sub-Saharan Africa. Focusing on Ghana’s cocoa sector, the study explores how differences in young people’s backgrounds, experiences and relationships with cocoa farming influence the role they expect agriculture to play in their futures.

The authors challenge policy narratives that treat rural youth as a single, uniform group. Instead, the study highlights important differences among young people and shows why those differences matter when thinking about agricultural policy, employment and future livelihood choices.

The findings suggest that policies aimed at encouraging young people into agriculture need to pay closer attention to the diversity of their experiences, aspirations and opportunities rather than assuming that all rural youth will respond to agriculture in the same way.