A growing number of Guineans are part of an ambitious experiment to turn one of the world’s poorest nations into a major pineapple producer and reduce dangerous economic migration. Despite large bauxite and iron ore deposits, the West African nation has an annual per capita gross domestic product of just $885. More than half of the country’s 12 million-strong population is under the age of 25, and that combination of youth and poverty has long fueled migration. The country’s government — through a “development unit” called the GDU — is partnering with Guinean smallholder farmers and international supporters to offer youth an economic opportunity aimed at dissuading them from fleeing and is also targeting returnees. Since starting in 2017, this initiative has already roped in 400 farms and more than doubled the area under pineapple cultivation in Guinea, from 250 to 550 hectares, under the supervision of the smallholder association.
SOURCE: OZY