A University graduate, It was understandable in our culture and though to see him in Agriculture primary production. But I started my agriculture career from second year of secondary school; here we did it as hobby (production of potatoes, small quantity of beans), we didn't have an ambition of producing profitably.
When I was 17, my father proposed me to start to crop Macadamia and learnt about them. It was discouraged to plant a crop of between 4-5 year for first production and he motivated me that It's for future cash in as well as feeding the future people as we increase and the land stay.
As an African youth engaged in Agriculture, I see that agriculture in Rwanda is a potential sector for forging money, but we hindered by limited cropping land, selected semens, conservation of naturally resource, dense population, financial resources (Investment),. We have a big market of agriculture produces but we don't have a good strategies of reaching. Another challenge we face is that market prices is not fixed. It fluctuates every season.
What motivate me to engage in agriculture is to feed my people. If there is no food even the life stop. The primary fuel for human life is food. The second is that as people increase, the food consumption also increase. Today, in Africa most young people look for smart (office) jobs. Agriculture is done by olden, they need someone who will get the heritage of producing for human consumption. Agriculture is my hobby. I will die by doing it.
Today, I have a farm of 97 macadamia trees. I had it before since 2004. I produced little amount of macadamia nuts in 2015. I flied to Israel for agriculture training and I appraised more skills related to archard production and I transferred into my plantation. Fortunately I shifted from 78 Kgs to 400 Kgs within two years, by next year 2019 I believe to harvest 2T. As experience, don't need to achieve more within short time. Enjoy the journey and gain more after. Work hard like slavery and life like King.
a). Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship:
- what do they expect to do to motivate young graduates to engage in agriculture sector?
- How do they assimilate the problem of youth unemployment situation and how they will contribute to alleviate it?
- What can we do to upgrade the agriculture wages?
b) Digital Innovation to Overcome Agriculture Value-Chain Constraints
- I will ask them if they are ready to produce a well and easy manipulated software for value chain that should help farmers to access all necessary information related to their daily activities.
c). Future of Work in Rural Economy - of the conference?
- The contribution of experts to shed down all necessary framework of developing rural areas economically through the agriculture.
- Their contribution to the development of the agriculture of small scale farmers.
Thanks
Mr. Prosper Ruterana