ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the livelihood strategies and aspirations of young people living in a rural area of northern Zambia, in particular to examine their decision to either stay in or leave their village. It shows how, contrary to the trend in much of sub-Saharan Africa, many young people are choosing to stay in their rural villages and engage in farming. The chapter draws on data from studies undertaken as part of the Youth and Employment (YEMP) project in the villages of Bwacha and Ngoma in Kasama District as well as in Kasama town, the urban and administrative centre of the Northern Province. It explains the opportunity the rural youth have responded positively to favourable market conditions and external agricultural policy. The Northern Province of Zambia one of the poorest in the country is physically and psychologically located far from the capital of Lusaka in the south.
