Food creates jobs and increases incomes. This enables families to afford education, improves people’s health, and allows local businesses to grow. When food is produced and processed locally, value stays where it is created.

The food system is one of the most powerful engines for job creation in developing countries. Already today, more than half of all jobs in many low-income countries come from the food sector spanning agriculture, processing, transport, and trade. When food systems function well, they do not only create more jobs, but also higher incomes, reduced poverty, and a foundation for long-term economic growth.

That is why investing in food is also investing in jobs.

The world’s largest employer

Around 916 million people work in agriculture globally. When the entire food system is included, from transport and processing to trade and retail, roughly two out of five jobs worldwide are linked to food.

In many low- and middle-income countries, this is the single most important source of employment, especially in rural areas. In Africa, nearly half of the population works in agriculture. In 2023, the sector accounted for 46 percent of total employment on the continent.

But jobs do not stop at the farm.

Jobs across the entire value chain

Food creates employment far beyond primary production. As food production increases, so does the demand for transport, processing, storage, trade, and services. As economies develop, a growing share of jobs shifts to stages beyond the farm, often where employment is more stable and better paid.

When more food is processed where it is produced, value is retained locally. This creates jobs in processing, packaging, transport, and sales, while making local communities less vulnerable to global price shocks. Strengthening local food value chains is therefore not only about food security, but about employment and economic resilience.

This is how food becomes a driver of local business development.

The people behind the numbers

In many countries, food and agriculture provide a key entry point into the labour market, especially for young people where other job opportunities are limited. The food system offers a wide range of jobs, from production and processing to services and trade.

With the right skills, access to equipment, and connections to markets, work in the food sector can provide stable income and opportunities to build a future. For many young people, this becomes a first step into working life, as producers, entrepreneurs, or employees in local food businesses.