2. The REVA PLAN in Senegal: Does
modern farming of change minds of
young people about agriculture?
Mohamadou Sall
Professor of Population Studies
Cheikh Anta Diop University (Dakar, Senegal)
Contact: sallmoham@yahoo.fr

3. The State of the question
• Agriculture was and still remains the solid prop of
domestic economy
• Agriculture is the main occupation of Senegalese
active population
• Farming is not considered as a good job by young
people
• Engage these young people in agriculture will
help Senegal to catch demographic dividend and
his economy to take off

4. Research Questions
• Did the engagement in modern farming through
the REVA Plan change livelihoods of young
people?
• Did this engagement change minds and views of
young people about farming jobs?
• Did these changes lead young people to consider
building a future in agriculture?

5. Hypothesis
• First hypothesis: Young people engaged in modern farming
through REVA Plan discover that agriculture can provide
substantial incomes and that this discovery will change their
minds and views about agriculture.
• Second hypothesis: The change of minds depends on social
characteristics of young people (gender, age group, wealth
class, origin of residence: rural/urban)
• Third hypothesis: The change of minds is associated with a re-
consideration of their future engagement with farming.

6. Methodology: a qualitative approach
• Semi-structured interviews with young people
working on 11 farms set up by REVA plan.
• We also interviewed REVA staff along with the
personnel in charge of training young people. So,
70 persons were interviewed in total. Two focus
groups were formed. Three agriculture
technicians posted on the REVA plan farms with
four REVA plan executives were also interviewed.

7. The Reva Plan: on overview
• Set up by the act n° 2006-1336 on 29th November
2006
• Set up in a particular context : illegal migration
(mass exodus of young people using risky boats to
reach Canary Islands).
• No official statistics but according to many
sources, 3000 deaths

8. Departments of the REVA Plan
• Research, Settling and Infrastructures
Department
• Formation and Exploitation Department
• Administration and Finance Department
• Informatics, monitoring and Evaluation
Department.

9. Objectives of REVA Plan
• Increase the speed of land settlement
• Equip the new settlements
• Define and organise the agricultural working
areas
• Engage young people in farming jobs to fight
against illegal migration and unemployment
• Attract private investment
• Define the vocation of farming areas.

10. Organization (1)
• Modern farms in Senegal River Valley, Big Coast,
Mbour area, Kaffine and Nioro departments,
sylvo-pastoral area, Tambacounda Department
and the South.
• Choice of sites depends on : land availability and
quality, accessibility of water (surface, and
underground), types of crops likely to be
produced in that area, proximity of an electricity
source.

11. Organization (2)
• Selection of Young farmers by a Committee
Selection. This committee includes Subprefect,
President of the Rural Community, a
representative the youth and one of the women,
and one National Rural Agriculture Council
representative.
• Process is participatory and inclusive.

12. Organization (3)
• 80% of youth working on the farms are from
neighbouring villages. In the targeting process, the
REVA plan is particularly interested in areas stricken by
rural exodus and illegal emigration. At the domestic
level, young men are selected from households that
are deemed eligible however. However, in cases where
the household has given out an important land
surface, two or three young people may represent
them. If a household gives out a large piece of land
and does not have any youth to sit for them, an adult
may then join.

13. Key findings (1)
• Break away from Fathers’ farming Ways :
- First change : farming all time ;
- Second change : using modern farming techniques : drip and sprinkler
irrigation ;
- Diversity of the crops vegetable crops (cabbage, tomato, red pepper,
gombo, green peas and eggplants) and fruit (melon and water melons).
The interest in this diversity resides in the production of high added
value products such as green peas and water melon ;
- Training support for young farmers ;
- Creating or recreating social areas in the vicinity of the farm so that the
farm area becomes an extension of village and its social life

14. Key findings (2)
REVA plan and change of youth living conditions: different
viewpoints
• Important earnings to satisfy common needs : food,
health expenses or ceremonies (weddings, naming
ceremonies)
• Prestigious actions :The building of a cement house is
symbolic in Senegal because it stands for social success
(this action is traditionally permitted by financial
remittances) : Seen from this angle, agriculture via the
REVA model can be as important as migration in fulfilling
the dreams of young people

15. Key findings (3)
Apparently, the involvement of women in the REVA
plan has changed their living conditions and has
increased their social status. Working on the REVA
plan farms, the woman earns incomes equal to
those of men, which helps her to satisfy needs
and to get autonomy.

16. Key findings (4)
• However, despite the breaks in tradition brought
about by the REVA plan and the innovations in
the farming domain, some young people remain
doubtful and disappointed by it.

17. Key findings (5)
• Some elements are pointed out : low income, sharing of the
earnings, organization of the work (including black market)
• If low incomes have been sometimes associated with the
weakness of harvests, parasites attacks (worms in the case at
Tivaouane Peulh), the low revenues were also attributed to
the mode of work and how income was distributed. In fact the
number of people sharing the income was in some cases high.
The intercompany management syndicate (IMS) include a
minimum of 20 people. After each harvest charges (for
fertilizer and pesticides, fuel for irrigation, pay for agriculture
workers ( “Sourghas”) tractor rent on farms like Ngomene and
the expenses for carrying the products to markets) are
deducted.

18. Key findings (6)
Some of them stress the fact that those who
dropped out in order to go to town keep keep
their status as REVA farm workers by engaging
others “on the black market” to be farm workers
“sourghas”. These “Sourghas” after toiling hard
have to share the income with “Sunday farmers”
or “missing farmers” who live from the ground
rent

19. Key findings (7): Careers in agriculture ?
• The first category consists of some diehards who
having picked the farming as a job, keep thinking
of it as “a job by default”, meaning there was little
if any choice. Generally in this category we find
the most educated, like the young people from
suburban areas already mentioned.

20. Key findings (8): Careers in agriculture ?
• The second category consists of farmers with
another job. They organize their schedule so as to
alternate among the two activities. There are
predominately traders and workman. That double
job entails the reinvestment of gains from first job
in the second.

21. Key findings (8): Careers in agriculture ?
• The third category consists of those who have
known about agriculture but mostly via the REVA
programme which as we have seen can generate
more income. That category includes many
women – the REVA income gives then financial
autonomy and increased social status.

22. Conclusion
• From the analysis of the data collected, we see
that the REVA Plan begins to change livelihoods
and perceptions of young people about
agriculture. Even if some young people remain
doubtful and still consider farming as a “job by
default”, we find a category of young people
whocan envisage having a career in farming under
certain conditions, like when there is a break from
the old farming ways.

23. How to engage young people in
agriculture ?
Some recommendations

24. Recommandation (1)
• Improve the earnings by undertaking bold actions
intended to reduce costs that erode profits ; by
identifying the circuits where young farmers can
stock up with quality inputs (fertilizers, pesticides)
at a lower cost. By negotiating with the
Senegalese National Electricity Company –
SENELEC - on preferential tariff arrangements for
electric power at lower cost.

25. Recommendations (2)
• Renegotiate at a lower cost “the Tenant Farming”
with private companies that set up the irrigation
system so that they provide system and irrigation
network maintenance.
• Develop a Plateform which is a kind of Trade
Point, where the Economic Interest Grouping
(EIG) of different farms will showcase their
products indicating the harvest periods. Partners
who are then the buyers will look at the products
that interest them

26. Recommendations (3)
• Involve young farmers in the FIDAK (Annual Fair of
Dakar) and integrate them in the Agricultural fairs , per
exemple delegation of the Ministry of Agriculture
which flies annually to the Agricultural Fair of Paris.
Finally, familiarize them with the different export
systems to developed countries like the AGOA system
for exports to the United States. For this, the REVA
Plan can arrange presentation sessions of the Plan
itself and conduct mission field visit at the farm for the
benefit of embassies’ economic missions.

27. Recommendations (4)
• Set up a support and advisory committee destined to
support young farmers in establishing contracts with
partners.
• Set up a participatory mechanism that organizes and
controls the work on the farm
• Promote in management bodies of EIG internal,
democracy that allows workers to express their views,
to question the heads of the bodies on issues of work
organization, management expenses and income
distribution. Establish a regular mechanism for the
accountability of bodies’ leaders

28. Recommendations (5)
• Create the conditions for securing land rights of
young farmers (entitlements). Therefore,
encourage eventual fragmentation of land
allocated to EIG so that each beneficiary is
awarded a plot.

29. Recommendations (6)
Insert into the television space (RTS state television and/or
private television (2STV, TFM, WALF TV, CANNAL INFO NEWS
AFRICA 7) a program designed to publicize cases of young
successful in agriculture that can inspire others. Choose a
catchy title like “The Young Farmers in the Heart of
Modernity” or “The Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow,” “Being
Young, Modern and Entrepreneur in Agriculture,” and
broadcast this program on a regular basis (once a month or
once every two months) at prime time. Provide broadcast
pages just before the events that are very watched by young
people from all backgrounds like wrestling or international
football matches of the national team.

30. Recommendations (6)
• Allow a flexibily in farming ?
Supporting young people in combining farming with
a another job (out of farming).