Improved farming spurs job growth in Central African Republic
New farm cooperatives benefited from International Trade Centre (ITC) support through the PAPEUR-Rural programme to improve their operations. That’s resulted in the creation of thousands of needed jobs in one of the world’s poorest countries.
The Central African Republic, a landlocked country in Central Africa with a population of about 6.5 million, is among the poorest countries in the world. About two thirds of the population live in extreme poverty.
Since 2020, farm businesses working with the International Trade Centre (ITC) have created thousands of temporary jobs, with the prospect of permanent employment. Many of these jobs are on farms, vital to the government’s goal of reviving agriculture.
The jobs were created through the Programme d'Appui à la Promotion de l'Entrepreneuriat en Milieu Urbain et Rural (PAPEUR-Rural), funded by the European Union.
Between 2020 and 2022, the programme supported the creation of 35 cooperatives. Two work in poultry farming, and the rest in agriculture. In three years, these cooperatives created 7,978 jobs (temporary and permanent) linked mainly to farming.
‘Each season, the cooperative hires labour to support weeding and harvesting operations. Last year, around 30 young people from the village were employed to carry out these operations. These temporary workers provide the support we need to save time,’ said Christine Binti, President of the Toumba Nzara seed cooperative.
Anicet, one of about 20 seasonal employees who worked in the cooperative's fields last year, said he earned 11,000 CFA francs ($17) during last year's season, an unusual amount for part-time work in the region. ‘I was in charge of filling the sacks after the harvest and I was able to earn 11,000 CFA francs, which I used for my personal needs. I hope to be among those who will work again this year,’ he said.
In 2023, PAPEUR-Rural deployed farm equipment in three regions of the country. That led to the creation of 417 permanent jobs, including drivers for the new tractors and co-op members who work in the fields.
The farmwork supported by PAPEUR-Rural also generated 7,561 seasonal jobs, with 41% of them going to women:
• 19 cooperatives employed 6,722 people to farm and harvest crops on 842 hectares, in the first 2023 growing season
• 839 people cultivated 153 hectares in the second part of the 2023 growing season
The implementation of the PAPEUR-Rural project is expected to create several hundred permanent jobs, especially as new processing equipment arrives at eight cooperatives and seven local businesses by the end of 2024. The new equipment will generate several hundred jobs, both permanent or seasonal.
