Dear Moderator
Thank you again for exploring this societal challenges after the recent discussion on farming system and nutrition, and now, to address this topic and the relevance of youth in the age bracket of 15-17. We need to have a global view of their situation analysis, in respect of availability of jobs, good education and their contribution to any national, regional or global productivity especially in their capacity in feeding the future.
The background study presented by the organizers adequately focused on the challenges facing this segment of youths in the world and most especially in the rural set up of the developing countries; we have seen from the report, that youths of ages 10 to 24 years constitute about 30% of the world population of 6 billion of which 47 millon in this age bracket are engaged in hazardous jobs or child labour jobs.
It is worthwhile for us to note that the various challenges well identified in this document constitute the aetiology of the present scenario of most African youths of this age bracket (15-17) mostly pre-punderance in Africa rural set up, where most of Africa farming population and natural resources like crude oil, minerals, livestock and cash crop are mostly found, and this set of youths can be characterized as:
· Restless, mostly vulnerable to poverty and insurgency.
· High level of joblessness and truancy for lack of financial support in their education.
· Easily recruitable to cause insurgencies (like Boko Haram) and found involved in cattle theft or as armed robbers and nuisance in most local areas of Africa.
We need to also project the future population of these youths by the year 2050, when the world population will show a further increase of 3 billion with a heavy decline in the present farming population. By this year, additional youth of this age bracket may constitute almost 1 billion.
Who will produce global food of plant and animal origin for human consumption? and what will be the assessment of the Africa food security by the year 2050? if we do not immediately target this youth segment and decode them of their present perspective and orientation.
I believe that every African state must evolve a National youth policy to encourage youth in agriculture of both plants and animal for food profitability and gainful employment.
These Government policies must address reformation, re-orientation, training, mentorship, soft loan provision, land allocation and classification of youths to preferred agricultural sectors.
I believe Government Public-private partnership is required to make the new agenda a success.
What I mean here, is that it will be unproductive to train this youths and send them directly to the farming system of their choices without attaching them to mentors, and this is where my views about the public-private involvement in the programme calls for attention.
In Nigeria today, where we have some of the challenges of youth like restlessness and unemployment, and where the Government is initiating a return to land to curb Boko Haram and other insurgencies such as the cattle rearers and arable farmers imbroglio, we need the co-operation of many private agricultural initiatives that are still very sustainable in Nigeria and other African countries to mentor these youths selected by government to return to sustainable farming of plant and animal food.
While Government identifies such successful agricultural enterprises they must be co-opted to allocate government land to these youths under the coverage of their organization as mentors.
The organization may be motivated by government to retain the allottees and provide technical support for their project to succeed.
Besides, the youths may grow crops that could be bought back by such organization to complement their annual stock requirement thereby providing regular income and market platform for their end products.
I also believe that the many Government parastatals currently holding idle lands can accommodate these youths and provide them with extension services and technical ideas, these youths can be engaged in horticulture, animal husbandry, poultry and many valuable agricultural ventures. For example, it is very obvious that cattle fattening as a farming enterprise is profitable and viable when raised on small plots of land intensively fed and restricted from roaming in many regions of Nigeria. A survey recently conducted by this author showed that a 20 herd of cattle weighing average market weight of 150kg can be achieved within 6-8months fattening of the heifer or poorly fed cattle bought from pastorialists. The Northern region of most south western states and other states in th south of Nigeria can economically practice this ranching system as a style of life for many youths of this region. Our studies show that a return on investment of 35-40% is achievable in 8 months. This kind of farming system is highly recommended in Oke-Ogun region of the Oyo State, Yewa region of Ogun state, Ila region of Osun state, Ikole region of Ekiti state as well as the Akoko region of Ondo state all in south western Nigeria.
Similar venture can be recommended in all eastern and south south states of Nigeria. This can also be established in the river basins of the northern part of Nigeria with encouragement of grass plantation to restrict roaming tendency of patorialists.
The success of Youth feeding the future, will primarily depend on market accessibility and introduction of value chain to diversify product marketing and possibly generate foreign exchange to Developing countries with declining foreign reserve.
While I believe that this idea is laudable it must be widely debated with concrete strategic output as recommendation to the vulnerable developing countries of the world.
Dr. Stephen Adejoro is currently the Head of Marketing of Research and Marketing of Zartech Limited and a co-founder of AFRICA LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY SUSTAINABILITY
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Dr. Stephen Adejoro