Youth interest in agriculture commendable
From all reports, the interest youth have shown in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security’s “Grow Well, Eat Well, Live Well” Schools’ Gardening and Picture Board Competition, which is now in its third year, is commendable.
The competition itself, which falls under the Ministry’s “Grow Well, Eat Well, Live Well” initiative, has been helping to spread the message amongst youth, about the importance of agriculture, namely the need to grow more of what we consume and to live healthier lives by eating more wholesome foods. Of late, focus has been placed on the “Live Well” component and the National Nutrition Centre as a partner has been doing its part to stress to young people, that they need to avoid the non-communicable diseases, (NCDs) which are wiping out a significant percentage of our population.
That said, I was heartened to hear messages also being sent that youth interest in agriculture should not only be limited to working in the fields. Whilst we need to support our local farming community and work with those in the agricultural sector to ensure that we can cultivate more of the food crops which we import, we must also recognise that careers in agriculture do not just centre solely around the act of farming, such as producing crops or rearing livestock. There a number of agribusiness professionals who can bring life to the sector and they can use agricultural products and by-products to aid the economy.
A call has also been made for more agronomists and entomologists on the local front, to aid those in the agricultural sector in having better quality crops and of late, key officials in the agricultural sector have been encouraging youth to also check out some of the “cool”, but less known careers, which can also be found in the agricultural sector. Possible career choices youth could explore include, but are not limited to, becoming an Agricultural Engineer, an Animal Nutritionist, an Aquaculturist, a Botanist (Plant Biologist), a Fisheries Scientist, a Food Scientist, a Geneticist, a Horticulturist, a Marine Scientist, a Plant Pathologist, or a Veterinarian. The list really and truly could go on. Youth just need to explore all avenues and get creative, whilst taking into account the skills that they have or likely want to develop. There can be a number of inter-sectoral linkages as well, that could prove beneficial to youth who want to pursue work in the agricultural sector and other sectors as well. For instance, graphic artists may prove useful to those who have agri-businesses and want to develop products using indigenous materials, local crops or agricultural by-products.
It is truly time to think outside of the box, to see how we can build out our agricultural sector, whilst capitalising on the youth interest we are currently seeing. With the right backing, our youth can truly soar and help to boost this local economy, if they truly are given the tools, skills and capital to turn viable ideas into enterprise and agriculture may just be the vehicle they can use to achieve their goals.