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By LAEJN Editorial Team
Three coordinated initiatives in agribusiness entrepreneurship, agricultural mechanization, and green jobs seek to equip young Liberians with the skills, opportunities, and resources needed to strengthen food production and build sustainable livelihoods.
As Liberia grapples with rural youth migration, an aging agricultural workforce and persistent food insecurity, the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), working with development partners, is placing young people at the center of its agricultural transformation agenda.
Through three major interventions, the Ministry is targeting an initial 330 young Liberians for training, technical skills development, entrepreneurship and employment opportunities across the country’s agricultural value chains.
The initiatives include a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for 50 young people, a specialized agricultural mechanization training program for 130 youths, and a US$1 million Green Jobs for Youth in Resilient Agrifood Systems pilot targeting 150 young Liberians.
Together, these interventions represent a coordinated effort to address one of Liberia’s longstanding agricultural challenges: the declining participation of young people in rural food production and the growing need for a skilled, productive and commercially oriented agricultural workforce.
For decades, rural-to-urban migration has contributed to the movement of economically active young people away from farming communities, leaving many agricultural activities increasingly dependent on an aging workforce.
The challenge has implications for agricultural productivity, household incomes and national food security.
Findings referenced from Liberia’s 2025 national food security assessment point to food insecurity in rural communities, highlighting the urgency of expanding productive opportunities and strengthening rural livelihoods.
Rather than limiting its response to identifying these challenges, the Ministry is pursuing interventions intended to make agriculture more attractive and economically rewarding for young Liberians.
The approach aligns with the National Agriculture Development Plan launched in 2024, which seeks to accelerate agricultural productivity, strengthen domestic food production and reduce Liberia’s dependence on imported food.
At the center of this strategy is a shift in how young people perceive agriculture from a traditional subsistence activity to a modern economic sector offering opportunities in entrepreneurship, mechanization, agribusiness services, value addition and employment.
Building the Next Generation of Agribusiness Entrepreneurs
One component of the youth-focused interventions is the TVET Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, which has enrolled its first cohort of 50 young Liberians at the Tumutu Agriculture Vocational Training Center (TAVTC).
The initiative was launched by YOCEL Inc. in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, with World Bank support through the Rural Economic Transformation Project (RETRAP).
The program is designed to equip participants with practical agricultural skills, entrepreneurial knowledge, mentorship and business development support to enable them to establish viable agricultural enterprises.
Beyond classroom instruction, the bootcamp emphasizes hands-on learning, innovation and the practical application of business ideas within Liberia’s agricultural sector.
Participants are expected to explore opportunities across agricultural production and related business activities, helping them understand how agriculture can provide a sustainable source of income rather than simply a means of subsistence.
At the launch, the young participants were encouraged to approach the training with discipline, commitment and a willingness to translate acquired knowledge into productive enterprises.
The initiative also reflects the Ministry’s broader effort to strengthen collaboration between government institutions, development partners and youth-focused organizations in addressing unemployment and agricultural productivity challenges.
For the 50 participants, the ultimate measure of success will extend beyond completing the bootcamp to establishing businesses, generating income and contributing to local food production.
Training 130 Youths to Power Liberia’s Agricultural Mechanization Drive
While the agribusiness bootcamp focuses on entrepreneurship, another intervention is developing the technical workforce required to support Liberia’s agricultural mechanization program.
At the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) in Bong County, 130 young Liberians are participating in a 40-day specialized training program facilitated by Chinese agricultural machinery experts.
The training focuses on agricultural machinery operation, maintenance and related technical skills, preparing participants to support the country’s transition from labor-intensive farming methods toward increased mechanization.
The initiative forms part of the Ministry’s efforts to address the shortage of qualified local technicians capable of operating and maintaining agricultural equipment.
Upon completing the training, the participants are expected to be deployed across 13 agricultural mechanization hubs being established by the Ministry of Agriculture.
These hubs are intended to improve farmers’ access to mechanized agricultural services, reduce production constraints and strengthen Liberia’s capacity to increase domestic food production.
Agricultural machinery and equipment intended to support the mechanization initiative have already arrived in Liberia, with deployment and installation expected as preparations for the hubs advance.
The training of local technicians is particularly important to the long-term sustainability of the mechanization program.
Without adequate local expertise to operate, service and repair machinery, investments in agricultural equipment risk being undermined by maintenance challenges and operational disruptions.
By developing a pool of trained young technicians, the Ministry hopes to establish the human resource capacity needed to sustain mechanization services while creating employment opportunities for young Liberians.
The intervention also introduces a different dimension of agricultural employment, demonstrating that young people can participate in the sector not only as farmers but also as machinery operators, technicians and agricultural service providers.
US$1 Million Green Jobs Initiative Targets 150 Rural Youths
The third intervention was officially launched on November 9, 2026, by Agriculture Minister Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah.
The Green Jobs for Youth in Resilient Agrifood Systems project will initially target 150 young Liberians in Bong County, focusing on employment and enterprise development opportunities within the rice and cassava value chains.
The initiative follows a US$1 million grant agreement signed on August 11, 2026, between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
Implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the project forms part of an approximately US$13 million regional initiative covering Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria between 2026 and 2030.
Speaking at the launch, Minister Nuetah emphasized the importance of positioning young people as active participants in Liberia’s agricultural development.
“If we target the youth, we are targeting the future of this country,” the Minister declared.
He stressed that training alone would not be sufficient to transform young people’s economic prospects unless participants also receive the support necessary to establish and sustain productive enterprises.
The Minister identified agricultural production, produce aggregation and farm input distribution as potential business opportunities for young people.
“What opportunities can be provided there beyond training?” he asked, highlighting the need to help young entrepreneurs access the capital and resources required to translate their skills into viable businesses.
His remarks underscored a critical challenge confronting youth employment programs: the gap between skills acquisition and access to finance, equipment and markets.
Minister Nuetah called on implementing partners to ensure that the initiative produces tangible employment and livelihood outcomes, while thanking the Republic of Korea for supporting Liberia’s agricultural development efforts.
KOICA Country Director for Liberia, Kim Eunsub, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to working with the Government of Liberia and FAO to ensure effective implementation.
He noted that Liberia was the first among the three participating countries to sign the project’s Record of Discussions and encouraged the Project Steering Committee to strengthen coordination, clarify institutional responsibilities and establish effective monitoring arrangements.
“While each country has its own priorities and context, we share a common goal to ensure that the youth can see agriculture and agri-business as viable pathways to decent work, innovation and economic growth,” Kim said.
FAO representative Saeed Abubakar Bansi also emphasized the importance of ensuring that young women benefit equitably from the initiative.
He called for greater access to agricultural skills, financing, technologies and markets, particularly for young women whose participation in agricultural entrepreneurship is often constrained by limited productive resources.
Bansi reaffirmed FAO’s readiness to provide technical support in climate-smart agriculture, rural employment and agribusiness development.
“Let us ensure that when we look back on this initiative in the years ahead, we speak not simply about activities completed or people trained, but about green jobs created, businesses established, incomes improved and communities transformed,” he said.
The Bong County pilot is expected to generate lessons that could inform future expansion, depending on its ability to demonstrate sustainable employment, improved incomes and viable agricultural enterprises.
From Training to Employment: The Bigger Agricultural Transformation Agenda
Although the three interventions differ in design and implementation, they share a common objective: creating pathways for young Liberians to participate meaningfully in agricultural development.
The agribusiness bootcamp seeks to develop young entrepreneurs capable of establishing agricultural businesses. The mechanization program is preparing technicians to operate and maintain equipment essential to modern farming. Meanwhile, the green jobs initiative is designed to support employment and enterprise development within climate-resilient agricultural value chains.
Together, the programs offer a broader approach to youth engagement that goes beyond encouraging young people to return to farming.
They seek to build a generation of agricultural entrepreneurs, technical service providers and agribusiness professionals who can contribute to increased productivity, stronger rural economies and improved food security.
The interventions also come at a time when Liberia is seeking to accelerate implementation of its National Agriculture Development Plan and advance its ambition of increasing domestic food production and reducing reliance on imported agricultural commodities before 2030.
However, the success of these initiatives will depend not simply on the number of young people trained, but on whether participants can secure employment, access affordable financing, obtain productive equipment, enter viable markets and establish sustainable enterprises.
For rural communities struggling with youth migration and limited economic opportunities, these outcomes will be particularly important.
The availability of technical skills and agricultural machinery could also help address labor shortages and production bottlenecks, while the emergence of youth-led agribusinesses could stimulate local economic activity and create additional employment.
A Promising Start, but Results Will Determine Impact
With an initial 330 young people targeted across the three initiatives, the Ministry of Agriculture is seeking to demonstrate how coordinated investments in human capital, technology and entrepreneurship can support Liberia’s agricultural transformation.
Yet the number of participants represents an initial commitment rather than evidence of jobs already created or businesses successfully established.
The longer-term impact will depend on how many trainees transition into productive employment, how effectively the mechanization hubs become operational, and whether young agribusiness entrepreneurs receive sustained access to finance, markets and technical support.
For the Ministry and its development partners, these will be important indicators in assessing whether the programs are delivering meaningful results.
For young Liberians, the interventions present an opportunity to become active contributors to a sector that remains central to the country’s economic development and food security.
As Liberia works toward a more productive and food-secure agricultural economy, the emerging question is no longer simply how to attract young people into agriculture, but how to ensure that agriculture provides them with the skills, incomes and opportunities needed to build a sustainable future.
The Ministry’s three youth-focused flagship initiatives represent an initial attempt to answer that question — with 330 young Liberians positioned to help shape the next chapter of the country’s agricultural transformation.
