TY - CHAP

T1 - Rural youth in northern Zambia: straddling the rural-urban divide

AU - Birch-Thomsen, Torben

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - The Northern Province of Zambia – one of the poorest in the country – is physically and psychologically located far from the capital of Lusaka in the south.The province is dominated by vast areas of woodland (miombo) with inherentlylow soil fertility and a relatively low population density. The main source oflivelihood has traditionally been a subsistence-based shifting cultivation systemknown as chitemene (Strømgaard, 1985; Trapnell, 1943). Rural youth in theNorthern Province tend to have poor education opportunities and have generallyengaged in subsistence agriculture. As is widely reported for sub-SaharanAfrica, young people are increasingly turning their backs on agriculture, seeing it as an occupation that is back-breaking and only fit for old people (FAO, 2014).The aim of this chapter is to explore the livelihood strategies and aspirationsof young people living in a rural area of northern Zambia, in particular toexamine their decision to either stay in or leave their village. Their strategies areshown to fall into three categories: farming in the village, setting up a businessin the village (combined with farming), or migrating to set up a business elsewhere. The chapter shows how, contrary to the trend in much of sub-SaharanAfrica, many young people are choosing to stay in their rural villages and engagein farming. This is partly due to the availability of land and government programmes that have been introduced to stimulate agriculture. Increasingly,however, young people are not relying solely on farming, but are also engagingin nonfarm activities. Some young people are shown to be highly entrepreneurial,managing to set up and run businesses despite facing constant and changingchallenges. Whether they are based in the village or in the nearby small town,most youth engage in livelihood strategies that cross the rural–urban divide.

AB - The Northern Province of Zambia – one of the poorest in the country – is physically and psychologically located far from the capital of Lusaka in the south.The province is dominated by vast areas of woodland (miombo) with inherentlylow soil fertility and a relatively low population density. The main source oflivelihood has traditionally been a subsistence-based shifting cultivation systemknown as chitemene (Strømgaard, 1985; Trapnell, 1943). Rural youth in theNorthern Province tend to have poor education opportunities and have generallyengaged in subsistence agriculture. As is widely reported for sub-SaharanAfrica, young people are increasingly turning their backs on agriculture, seeing it as an occupation that is back-breaking and only fit for old people (FAO, 2014).The aim of this chapter is to explore the livelihood strategies and aspirationsof young people living in a rural area of northern Zambia, in particular toexamine their decision to either stay in or leave their village. Their strategies areshown to fall into three categories: farming in the village, setting up a businessin the village (combined with farming), or migrating to set up a business elsewhere. The chapter shows how, contrary to the trend in much of sub-SaharanAfrica, many young people are choosing to stay in their rural villages and engagein farming. This is partly due to the availability of land and government programmes that have been introduced to stimulate agriculture. Increasingly,however, young people are not relying solely on farming, but are also engagingin nonfarm activities. Some young people are shown to be highly entrepreneurial,managing to set up and run businesses despite facing constant and changingchallenges. Whether they are based in the village or in the nearby small town,most youth engage in livelihood strategies that cross the rural–urban divide.

UR - https://www.routledge.com/products/9781138844599

M3 - Book chapter

SN - 978-1-138-84459-9

T3 - Routledge spaces of childhood and youth series

SP - 146

EP - 158

BT - Young entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa

A2 - Gough, Katherine

A2 - Langevang, Thilde

PB - Routledge

CY - Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY

ER -