Table 2 Summary of common themes obtained from FGD transcripts in both Ghana and Cameroon.

Theme 1

Who are considered youth in your community?

35

30

40

34

A young person is a person capable of carrying out physical activities. His age is between 18 and 45 years old.

A young person is someone who has the physical capacity to work; he is still enduring according to the tasks. His age is between 18 and 50 years old.

A young person is someone who still has the energy and the strength to exercise the different trades. His age between 15 and 35 years old

Youths are above 15 years of age but below 55 years.

Theme 2

What are your aspirations for your daughters

35

30

44

42

We will never allow our children to farm and suffer in the same manner as we are suffering.

We will send them to school to become prominent people in society, e.g., doctors, lawyers, nurses, teachers etc

Farmers suffer more compared to those in other professions

Theme 3

What are your aspirations for your sons

131

33

145

53

I would like my son to be educated in order to exercise a profession that will allow him to be financially independent in order to be able to help his wife later.

Sons need professions that provide independence

Theme 4

What can you say about youth and agriculture?

Agriculture is a noble profession accessible to everyone, young, adult, man, woman. It’s a job that opens doors both in the country and abroad, it’s the most beautiful job, I think I’ll spend the rest of my days in agriculture, and I already own a field and I’m going to invest myself more because I did a training at the school of agriculture.

I think agriculture is a good thing. In my experience, I saw my grandmother feed her family and send her children and grandchildren to school just through farming. Besides, when you cultivate, you sell, and you can help other people who don’t cultivate. We sell both inside and outside, we can transform.

Agriculture is not as rewarding as other professions. I think the youth should focus on education

Youth prefer agriculture but are discourage by inherent challenges

Theme 5

Are the realities of young men and young women different or the same in relation to what they want for themselves in the future?

100

21

108

44

I think we have the same education, the same training and all think we have a job, for our comfort at first, but later the boy thinks even further, he pushes further than the girl, the girl limits herself at one level and no longer continues studies because she thinks of getting married and founding her family and once married, the weight of household responsibilities weighs more on her.

The girl normally takes care of household chores, the children, and the whole family, the boy focuses on bringing money home for the whole family’s well-being.

Young men and young women’s aspirations are relatively the same.

Theme 6

What challenges do youth face becoming bean farmers

100

21

124

34

They face the problem of lack of fertilizer, or the land is no longer fertile and requires fertilizer

There is lack of farm inputs to enable the youth to have a better performance in the market

Lack of land and farm inputs is a major challenge for young farmers

Theme 7

Are there opportunities that can make youth better farmers

35

30

40

30

Funding is needed for young people, fertilizers, and transport to be made available to them, building huts to house them in the fields during the working period, training them on everything about agriculture: agricultural calendar, technical itineraries, how to use fertilizers, etc.

You need fertile land, so you need the means to get started.

Funding, and access to land and farm inputs can make youth better farmers