Evidently, Agriculture is becoming one of the most important sectors in our world today. Over the last few years, more people have become dependent on the sector, not just because of the food we get from it, but also because of its economic benefits. Agriculture is one of the country’s economic pillars as the link between Ghana’s ability to achieve its food and nutrition security goals and agriculture development is inevitable.
As the future of every nation depends on the youth, it is important that nations encourage their younger generations to take advantage of their youthfulness and give them the opportunity to make a living for themselves at an early stage. Thankfully, the agricultural sector is a great place to begin.
In Ghana today, Youth and Agriculture are taken very seriously as a number of projects are being started to ensure that the youth are not left to stand alone and that agriculture thrives as it rightfully should. Programs such as NEIP and YIAP have been created to facilitate the introduction of young people into the agricultural sector.
The NEIP (National Entrepreneurship & Innovation Programme) is a government initiative which focuses partly on the funding of young businesses to enable them to grow and succeed. On the 21st of January, NEIP opened applications to train and fund young Ghanaians in innovative agriculture business. In this programme, young people between the ages of 18 to 40 in the agriculture business are trained and funded, receiving an amount from 10,000 to 10.000 Ghana Cedis as aid.
Similarly, among the many reasons for the creation of the project, YIAP (Youth in Agriculture Project) aims to facilitate food and nutrition security to increase employment, particularly in rural areas. Increased productivity in the agricultural sector is said to depend on the youth who make up about 20-30% of Ghana’s active population as their numbers and energy contribute tremendously to the increase in agricultural productivity. This programme seeks to motivate the youth to accept and appreciate farming and food production.
Although the agricultural sector does not seem as attractive as other sectors, there are so many great opportunities that must not be taken for granted. As the world becomes more industrialised and the need for machine use scales up, more and more people will be needed to be employed in the labour force, and it is without a doubt that the younger generation will be needed. With the strength and zeal carried in young bodies, there is no way that youth and agriculture will not have a good impact on society. Perhaps one day, the youth will become the main investors in the sector.
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