A generation of rural youth is showing Ecuador that agriculture can be a business

Ecuador’s agriculture sector has an average farmer age of 58. That figure has prompted concern about who will keep working the land, but it has also focused attention on young people in rural communities who are turning farming into formal employment and business.

The Agrojoven program began in 2024 with the former Agriculture Ministry and support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It aims to create formal jobs for rural youth, give them reasons to remain in the countryside and help them produce goods for Ecuadorian consumers and export markets.

FAO representative Gherda Barreto said 1,345 rural young people currently participate in the initiative, while another 1,800 enrolled in 2026. The figures were presented at the Mano de la Mano por el Empleo AgroJoven business event, held on Sept. 1 at Quito’s Metropolitan Convention Center.

Three hundred young people traveled to Quito to display their products. Seventy took part in business meetings with 26 companies, including hotels and factories. Barreto said the invited businesses showed strong interest in learning about the products and buying them. Organizers hope to conclude preliminary purchase agreements worth $100,000.

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The objective is to generate formal employment for rural youth and generate more opportunities for them to stay in the countryside and produce quality goods for national consumption and even for export.

The offerings included chocolate bars, chocolates, guayusa drinks, specialty coffee, honey, liqueurs, chochos and yogurt, among 200 products. The young entrepreneurs, aged 18 to 29, included university students, graduates and people with master’s degrees. Their products stood out not only for their taste, but also for packaging, design and brands reflecting their communities and roots.

Brothers Giovanni and Andrés Ruiz attended with chocolate and specialty coffee from Manabí. They grow cacao and coffee organically under an agroforestry system at the Poza Honda Wildlife Reserve in Santa Ana, which also operates as a tourism destination.

Economic and Productive Development Minister Sariha Moya and Ecuadorian Vice President Maria José Pinto attended the event. They pledged to support financing through loans, market access and public policy aimed at creating jobs for rural youth. The article says 15% of young people in Ecuadorian agriculture are self-employed through agricultural ventures.

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The goal is to close preliminary purchase agreements for $100,000.