African population trends show that the continent is youth “full.” With 420 million people aged from 15-35, there is a lot of opportunity for the continent to employ the next generation of farmers.
In Africa, though new technology is becoming available, farming is stigmatised as backbreaking work with a small reward. Even so, young agripreneurs are confident that farming is not the same as what grandma used to do.
Uwintwaili’s information technology firm facilitates agriculture sectors in Rwanda. She encourages young farmers to use mobile devices to enter markets, connect with stakeholders and gauge new opportunities. When older farmers are intimidated with new technology, she asks them to turn to the next generation that will ultimately be responsible for feeding their communities and the world.
“Agriculture was Africa’s past, but agriculture as a business is Africa’s future,” Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank and 2017 World Food Prize laureate said.
Dr. Adesina
Dr. Adesina’s father grew up as a farmer, and like most African farmers, he did not want his children to stay in the profession. But Dr. Adesina was still drawn to agriculture, and saw that there were missing linkages in the supply and demand chains that were preventing the full potential.
The ENABLE Youth Program out of the African Development Bank encourages youth to pursue agriculture by providing resources that make farming accessible. Their goal is to help launch 300,000 agribusinesses and create 1.5 million jobs in 30 African countries over the next five years.
Initiatives such as the Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP) set up by the Food and Agriculture Organisation and Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have also helped youth invest in agriculture.
From Bello’s experience "there is still work to be done by entrepreneurs, policy-makers and the private sector if agribusiness is to attract more youth."
Bello says "The narrative needs to change, to draw more young people to agriculture. The perception that agriculture is a legitimate career is not enough. It is a necessity for employees to be trained and educated for businesses to compete. Proper access to resources and technology is also key."
Source: agweb.com
