This study examines current land access and livelihood choices of rural youth in Southern Ethiopia. We found that youth in rural south have limited access to agricultural land because of land scarcity and land market restrictions. We hypothesize that this forces the youth to abandon agriculture in search of other livelihoods. Our study shows that only 9% of the rural youth plan to pursue agriculture as their livelihood. We also found a sharp increase in youth outmigration in the past six years. Our econometric analyses confirm that lack of land access is forcing the youth away from an agricultural livelihood.