By Luc Christiaensen and Elena Ianchovichina
On average, half to two-thirds of workers in developing countries earn a living in the food and agriculture sector, from farming to processing and distribution. With the demand for food expected to increase 30 percent by 2050, in part due to shifting urban consumer tastes, could the sector become a fast and reliable path to better jobs?
In October, the World Bank Group launched AgriConnect – an initiative to help smallholder farmers move from subsistence to surplus. AgriConnect is focused on building the right ecosystem—strong producer organisations, better market links, and improved access to finance and technology for farmers and small businesses.
But turning this long-overlooked part of the economy into a source of better jobs will involve tough choices and trade-offs. To understand what these are, the World Bank’s forthcoming 2026 analysis of jobs in the food and agriculture sector looks at five key questions.
What do we know about jobs in agriculture and food?
Our understanding of jobs in the sector remains surprisingly limited. It’s often assumed, for example, that young people avoid farming, whether it is profitable or not. However, data from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria, presented at a recent conference organised by the World Bank and ANAPRI, a pan-African research network, suggests youth engagement in agriculture increases as governments invest more in it.
Because most analyses focus on returns to land rather than labor, we lack solid data on the sector’s workforce—its size, earnings, working conditions, job categories, gender and age composition, distribution across locations, and where jobs sit across farms and the wider value chain. We also need to understand how these jobs change as economies grow.
What works and how can it be scaled up?
Producing more food and bringing it to consumers requires basic rural infrastructure, clear rules and regulations, and risk-sharing measures to attract private investment into farms and agribusinesses. But how should these priorities be bundled and sequenced, especially where financing and capacity are lacking?
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, extension and input services, alongside renovating rural roads, have directly increased smallholder farmer incomes. Yet simulations from Ethiopia suggest that investments in small agribusinesses that reach farmers through processing, logistics, and aggregation have greater impact on jobs and poverty.
Another challenge is deciding which models can truly scale what works. In Kenya, “last-mile” agents who link farmers to input suppliers have shown promise. So do anchor firms with out-grower schemes that bundle harvests from many smallholders, and producer groups that strengthen farmers’ bargaining power, particularly in parts of Latin America. The difference in potential often depends on the type of crops.
What are the pros and cons of technology?
Mechanisation, which helps increase productivity and incomes, can reach small farmers through shared-use services—like hiring a mobile pump for a few hours instead of owning one—and markets for affordable machines suited for smaller plots, such as two-wheel tractors in India. Context dictates whether technology cuts or creates jobs. When machinery makes planting or harvesting easier, farmers can expand or intensify—and in turn hire more workers.
In wealthier countries, tasks like horticulture harvesting, milking, and meat cutting are rapidly getting automated. In lower-income countries, where automation is limited, these labor-intensive tasks still drive job growth. Government measures need to boost efficiency and at the same time ensure smallholders and workers benefit. This is especially true in today’s AI-driven era.
Can sustainable farming be a winning strategy for jobs?
Climate and environmental pressures make it essential to boost production while using less land and water and preserving soil health. This approach, known as “sustainable intensification,” comes with upfront costs, a steep learning curve and delayed gains.
In seven African countries, sustainable intensification has often meant more work and lower returns for families, while according to a study on groundnuts in West Africa, it translated into labor productivity gains. More evidence is needed to understand how this shift affects jobs and what policies can incentivise sustainable intensification.
What skill deficits need to be addressed?
Ultimately, ensuring more people can succeed in farming and agribusiness, young and old, requires that they have the right skills and access to necessary training. This starts with a clear picture of which skills are missing, where they’re missing—in the field or beyond—and whether today’s training programs and online tools are addressing the right gaps.
A practical study on upskilling Kenya’s food service industry outlines simple ways to assess gaps between the skills workers need and the ones currently being taught. The program combines classroom learning with on-the-job experience to improve technical and soft skills, and increase compliance with food safety standards. It has resulted in better salaries and job satisfaction. More of this type of work is needed.
