The need for food security in a world with; a rapidly growing population, increasing age of Farmers in developing countries, and the need for employment opportunities to provide economic opportunities for Youths entering the labour force all establish a solid case for youth engagement in Agriculture and employment in agriculture and food systems. Thus, this makes the development of this report more relevant than ever.
Here are some notes on perspectives on the subject based on my experience in the developing world:
The declining interest of youths in agriculture is widely assumed or may be exaggerated. Some relevant datasets may need to evaluated to establish the validity of this assumption. Agriculture may have fallen in the preference sectors for Youths to pursue a career, however, an enormous population of youths are still interested in the sector - some out of passion and interest, while for others it is one of the most accessible of their few career options. In 2017, the OpenFarm Network whose team I currently lead partnered with the largest youth Agricultural training school in Nigeria (6 campuses nationwide). For years, applications to its call for trainees have in multiples exceeded the available slots in the institute. Though it is targeted at youths with a secondary school leaving certificates, a majority of the applicants have a first degree and others have a second degree.
Openness to Careers in Agribusiness with Entrepreneurship as an Option.
Though there has been a strong emphasis on entrepreneurship in recent years, which is commendable. This is not necessarily the recommended first step for the majority of Youths in the Agri-food sector. Several of the youths we interacted with at the training institute shared the intention of starting their own Farms (note: less emphasis on Agribusiness) on graduation. Once things do not work as planned - this becomes a big blow to several of them. Exploration of careers in the Agri-food sector offers a lower hanging fruit. Several Agribusinesses need youths to join their workforce. Internships and Programmes matching Youths to Agribusinesses can be established. This provides a springboard for several youths to establish a career in Agribusiness or further pursue entrepreneurship having gained some experience.
Emphasis on the Agricultural Value Chain and the Opportunities it Offers. Not “Millionaire Farmers”.
Though Agriculture is the one of the most inclusive sector in terms of employment opportunities, as it becomes innovation-driven, it becomes less of a numbers game. To establish this point, compare the percentage population of Farmers in the developed world and the developing world. Though the former is far lesser, it remains incomparably more productive than that of the latter. This means there is a huge opportunity for Youths to contribute to improving the productivity of the currently large but inefficient population of Farmers by playing in other components of the value chain. Several nations need to go further beyond the call for Youth participation to a call for innovative solutions in the Agri-food sector. Though this is on the increase, there is a need to take these solutions beyond media-hype to the real-world.
There is a need shift from Attracting Youths to Fostering the Success of Youths in Agribusiness by Establishing Pathways for Growth.
On interacting with several trainees of this institution, I realized that though they were optimistic about having their own farms and aware of their challenges, they seemed not to understand how to overcome them. For example, we asked during a seminar how many of them knew about Agric insurance, less than 5% of the class had any idea. Though “Access to Information” seemed like a cliche to me due to its repetition as a barrier to success, it’s a real challenge. A commendation digital initiative was USDA’s Start2Farm to meet the information needs of new Agribusiness owners. This has since evolved to USDA NewFarmers’ Portal. We also replicated some of these ideas at OpenFarm. Success evangelizes itself, the more the barriers to success for youths in agriculture collapses and youths are successful in it, the more attracted youths become to it in an age of information going “viral.” As several initiatives focused on attracting youths in the agricultural sector, there is also a clear need for initiatives to support the growth of Youths in agribusinesses and the training of entry-level professionals in the Agri-food sector. Some of these may be as simple as linkages to markets or complex as conditional-based access to resources such as meeting milestones.
Reliance on Pull Approach over Push Approach to Development.
As shared by Clayton Christensen et al in the Prosperity Paradox, established markets draw to itself infrastructure. Nigeria’s Farm settlements were attempts to push infrastructure into rural areas to encourage more farming activities. Unfortunately, most of these declined with the decline in the Nation’s agricultural sector. Amenities for the improvement in the quality of living standards in rural areas can be best accompanied by developments. They are more of results than attempts.
The Agri-Food Sector Needs to Learn from other Booming Sectors.
The Agri-food sector has been playing on the defensive in many countries in the recent decade. This has made it heavily reliant on government policies. There is a need to go further by understanding and tailoring agricultural interventions to how markets work. With youths marginalized in the governance of countries, reliance on favourable government policies is not likely the best bet on the long-term. However, the market in recent year is proving to be age and gender agnostic, and even breaking geographical boundaries until the recent USA-China Trade wars. Youths need to be equipped with information and tools to take advantage of markets.
Data Requirements for Supporting Policies
Some important datasets include the age and gender representation across the different activities of the Agricultural and Food system value chain. Another phenomenon worthy of note is the seasonality of youth engagement in the sector. In several agrarian states in Nigeria, youths go to the farm more actively during land preparation and harvesting activities, while they engage in other daily income-generating activities in-between. However, most of these data would be difficult to obtain in several developing countries and there may need to rely on observations and interactions with actors.
Concluding Thoughts
Beyond advocacy to spur youth interest in Agriculture and food systems, fostering the success of Youths irrespective of the gender difference should be of utmost report. This implies the need to extend beyond Advocacy to interventions tailored to provide Advisory and Access for youths in Agribusiness. Hopefully, the discourse would soon evolve into spreading the gains and ensuring quality assurance in an Agri-food sector with an influx of Youths.
Some observations are not unique to the Agriculture and Food sector, but are more of fundamental societal problems. It is therefore imperative not to be caught off trying to provide solutions to this problem. Examples of this are waste discrepancy against women and the need for investments to improve the quality of life in rural areas. Though it is noteworthy to factor this in and feature solutions, solutions for Youths and Women on these issues in the Agric and food sector may be highly dependent on other factors beyond the scope of the report.
The need for food security in a world with; a rapidly growing population, increasing age of Farmers in developing countries, and the need for employment opportunities to provide economic opportunities for Youths entering the labour force all establish a solid case for youth engagement in Agriculture and employment in agriculture and food systems. Thus, this makes the development of this report more relevant than ever.
Here are some notes on perspectives on the subject based on my experience in the developing world:
The declining interest of youths in agriculture is widely assumed or may be exaggerated. Some relevant datasets may need to evaluated to establish the validity of this assumption. Agriculture may have fallen in the preference sectors for Youths to pursue a career, however, an enormous population of youths are still interested in the sector - some out of passion and interest, while for others it is one of the most accessible of their few career options. In 2017, the OpenFarm Network whose team I currently lead partnered with the largest youth Agricultural training school in Nigeria (6 campuses nationwide). For years, applications to its call for trainees have in multiples exceeded the available slots in the institute. Though it is targeted at youths with a secondary school leaving certificates, a majority of the applicants have a first degree and others have a second degree.
Openness to Careers in Agribusiness with Entrepreneurship as an Option.
Though there has been a strong emphasis on entrepreneurship in recent years, which is commendable. This is not necessarily the recommended first step for the majority of Youths in the Agri-food sector. Several of the youths we interacted with at the training institute shared the intention of starting their own Farms (note: less emphasis on Agribusiness) on graduation. Once things do not work as planned - this becomes a big blow to several of them. Exploration of careers in the Agri-food sector offers a lower hanging fruit. Several Agribusinesses need youths to join their workforce. Internships and Programmes matching Youths to Agribusinesses can be established. This provides a springboard for several youths to establish a career in Agribusiness or further pursue entrepreneurship having gained some experience.
Emphasis on the Agricultural Value Chain and the Opportunities it Offers. Not “Millionaire Farmers”.
Though Agriculture is the one of the most inclusive sector in terms of employment opportunities, as it becomes innovation-driven, it becomes less of a numbers game. To establish this point, compare the percentage population of Farmers in the developed world and the developing world. Though the former is far lesser, it remains incomparably more productive than that of the latter. This means there is a huge opportunity for Youths to contribute to improving the productivity of the currently large but inefficient population of Farmers by playing in other components of the value chain. Several nations need to go further beyond the call for Youth participation to a call for innovative solutions in the Agri-food sector. Though this is on the increase, there is a need to take these solutions beyond media-hype to the real-world.
There is a need shift from Attracting Youths to Fostering the Success of Youths in Agribusiness by Establishing Pathways for Growth.
On interacting with several trainees of this institution, I realized that though they were optimistic about having their own farms and aware of their challenges, they seemed not to understand how to overcome them. For example, we asked during a seminar how many of them knew about Agric insurance, less than 5% of the class had any idea. Though “Access to Information” seemed like a cliche to me due to its repetition as a barrier to success, it’s a real challenge. A commendation digital initiative was USDA’s Start2Farm to meet the information needs of new Agribusiness owners. This has since evolved to USDA NewFarmers’ Portal. We also replicated some of these ideas at OpenFarm. Success evangelizes itself, the more the barriers to success for youths in agriculture collapses and youths are successful in it, the more attracted youths become to it in an age of information going “viral.” As several initiatives focused on attracting youths in the agricultural sector, there is also a clear need for initiatives to support the growth of Youths in agribusinesses and the training of entry-level professionals in the Agri-food sector. Some of these may be as simple as linkages to markets or complex as conditional-based access to resources such as meeting milestones.
Reliance on Pull Approach over Push Approach to Development.
As shared by Clayton Christensen et al in the Prosperity Paradox, established markets draw to itself infrastructure. Nigeria’s Farm settlements were attempts to push infrastructure into rural areas to encourage more farming activities. Unfortunately, most of these declined with the decline in the Nation’s agricultural sector. Amenities for the improvement in the quality of living standards in rural areas can be best accompanied by developments. They are more of results than attempts.
The Agri-Food Sector Needs to Learn from other Booming Sectors.
The Agri-food sector has been playing on the defensive in many countries in the recent decade. This has made it heavily reliant on government policies. There is a need to go further by understanding and tailoring agricultural interventions to how markets work. With youths marginalized in the governance of countries, reliance on favourable government policies is not likely the best bet on the long-term. However, the market in recent year is proving to be age and gender agnostic, and even breaking geographical boundaries until the recent USA-China Trade wars. Youths need to be equipped with information and tools to take advantage of markets.
Data Requirements for Supporting Policies
Some important datasets include the age and gender representation across the different activities of the Agricultural and Food system value chain. Another phenomenon worthy of note is the seasonality of youth engagement in the sector. In several agrarian states in Nigeria, youths go to the farm more actively during land preparation and harvesting activities, while they engage in other daily income-generating activities in-between. However, most of these data would be difficult to obtain in several developing countries and there may need to rely on observations and interactions with actors.
Concluding Thoughts
Beyond advocacy to spur youth interest in Agriculture and food systems, fostering the success of Youths irrespective of the gender difference should be of utmost report. This implies the need to extend beyond Advocacy to interventions tailored to provide Advisory and Access for youths in Agribusiness. Hopefully, the discourse would soon evolve into spreading the gains and ensuring quality assurance in an Agri-food sector with an influx of Youths.
Some observations are not unique to the Agriculture and Food sector, but are more of fundamental societal problems. It is therefore imperative not to be caught off trying to provide solutions to this problem. Examples of this are waste discrepancy against women and the need for investments to improve the quality of life in rural areas. Though it is noteworthy to factor this in and feature solutions, solutions for Youths and Women on these issues in the Agric and food sector may be highly dependent on other factors beyond the scope of the report.