AcknowledgmentsExecutive summary1 Where tomorrow's jobs are: Feeding local and regional marketsReferences2 The food economy today: Low productivity and bad jobs-Employment in the food economyYouth employment in the food economyWorking conditions: Informal and vulnerable employment, earnings, and skills mismatchRural versus urban food economyYoung women in the food economyCOVID-19, youth and the food economy: Focus on South AfricaConclusionNotesReferences3 Booming demand: A new dawn for local food economiesThe emergence of a "global middle class" and rapid urbanisationEmployment forecast in the food economyEvolution of the downstream sectors of the food economyConclusionReferences4 Turning local food economies into engines for more and better jobsLivelihoods and environmental challenges of current food systemsThe challenge with upgrading from low value-added to high value-added participation in agri-food global value chainsThe domestic and regional food market opportunityThe contribution of different local food system models in advanced economiesConclusionNotesReferences5 Policy options to stimulate local food economiesOvercoming economic barriersOvercoming social barriersOvercoming environmental barriersNotesReferencesAnnex A.A Methodology for the descriptive statistics on youth employment in the food economy (Chapter 2)B Methodology for the employment forecasting (Chapter 3)References