Young Africans find hope in farming as urban life becomes too expensive

By Mark Banchereau/AP

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 master’s 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