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| YOUTH IN AGRICULTURE AT BANVIM,NORTHERN REGION |
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Agriculture, is undoubtedly Ghana’s most important
and dominant economic sector with huge potential,employing more than half the
population on formal and informal basis and accounting for
almost half of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and export earnings.The sector in
this regard contributes significantly to reducing poverty and achieving
economic growth.
The sector which is divided into five
sub-sectors(cocoa, crops other than livestock, fisheries and forestry) though, it is bedeviled with a lot of challenges
such as low productivity,little or no access to credit or
financial resources and modern technologies
and post harvest losses among
others, it still contributes tremendously to economic and national
development and growth.
This article, I must say will explore the role the youth of
Ghana can play to reverse this seemingly unfortunate trend and what specific
contribution they make in that regard.
Indeed, it is not a hidden fact that when agriculture is mentioned,
many of today’s youth shy away from it, obviously because of reasons best known
to them. Indeed, many are those who attribute this profession to the
illiterates and the downtrodden in society. They do not see it as a job for the
graduate and do not think that by their actions they are contributing
negatively to the reduction in production of food for the sustenance of the
Ghanaian people and the economy.
Arguably, agriculture
provides for a majority of Ghana’s population. Increased productivity in
agriculture ensures food security and contributes immensely to the health and
well-being of the people.
My question is what we do as a country to reverse this
seemingly threatening attitude of the youth to agriculture? What do we do to
encourage them to engage in agriculture?
| Youth using irrigation to enhance agric production |
In an interview with Alberta Nana Akyaa
Akosa, Exhibition Director
of the National food and Agric show(FAGRO) on what can be done to encourage the
youth to develop interest in agriculture she indicated “that she strongly believes that there is
the need to develop strong strategic interventions and approaches that will
attract the youth to this sector, particularly youth in informal sector, the
provision of resources for the participation of the youth in modern agriculture
she said should be a priority of the
government and that the youth should take advantage of this where necessary to
promote agriculture”
Indeed, I absolutely agree with her on the views expressed
above. If as a nation we want the youth to be active participants in
agriculture, then we must make it a national priority by investing hugely, in
the provision of significant resources that will make it easier for them to
participate. This should not be treated lightly at all, because the business of
agriculture to a larger extent is capital intensive and one needs to have
resource like land, equipments, fertilizers and access to water among others to
ensure that he or she can be successful in such a venture.
We must as a nation, equally promote the participation of
the youth in modern agriculture as a viable career opportunity for the youth
and as economic and business option. The time where we promote the white color
jobs as the only lucrative jobs available to the detriment of agricultural jobs
should be a thing of the past. We must let the youth know that agriculture pays
and really pays well. People who decide to pursue agriculture at the secondary,
college and university levels as a course and career path must be given special
incentives to encourage them and others to walk that path.
Then again, it is important to encourage people who are
successful or people who make giant strides in agriculture to give open or
public testimony of how agriculture is rewarding. This I strongly believe will
serve as an antidote to encourage the youth to take up careers in agriculture.
It is my candid opinion that if efforts
are not put in place to promote agriculture among the youth. The agricultural sector will be incapable of
safeguarding income, employment and food supply and therefore unable to contribute in reducing
poverty among the rural population thereby falling short of its current
potential.
It is an undenying
fact,that agriculture consitute a central objective of the Ghana Poverty
Reduction Strategy (GPRS),whose main goal is to make Ghana become a middle
income country by 2015.This dream is however a mirage than a reality given our
current circumstances. For me however,I am highly optimistic that
this strategy can be achieved through a vibrant,modernized and competitive
agriculture industry
of which the youth of Ghana have a centre role to play in ensuring that Ghana
get positive results from this growing industry.
By Steve Kubate Salifu, the writer is a
freelance Journalist and the Director of Media Relations of IHAV foundation.
s.ksteve2020@gmail.com
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