Making Agriculture Attractive To Address Unemployment

Nigeria is a leading country in agriculture in West Africa and one of the oil-producing countries in Africa with over 206million population. The Country is blessed in diverse natural and human resources, among these resources, are youths – making over 60 percent of her population. Nigeria is not exceptional among the countries faced with issues like global crises, climate change, food insecurity, unemployment, and underemployment population, etc.

Annually, Nigeria records hundreds of thousands of graduates produced into the labor market with fewer chances for employment opportunities and are more vulnerable in the street. Most lack of interest in agriculture whereas they are asset and potential catalysts that have a tremendous impact on agriculture development; youths are the primary productive human and valuable resources for socio-economic development.

Government identifying the various opportunities in the agriculture value chain and made attractively and lucrative will accommodate young people to gainfully self-employed. Agriculture is the largest sector of the Nigerian economy and fully funding the sector possessed the capacity to address the problems faced by the youths in terms of earning livelihood and employment. Assumed that 25% of unemployed youths are gainfully involved in agriculture, there would be rapid growth in the nation’s economy. Every youth has a role to play in any part of the agricultural value chain.

To make the agriculture sector attractive to young people, there is a need for a holistic approach and of both government and non-governmental organizations intervention in the Nigerian agriculture system. Collaboration within stakeholders is key to address the hurdles that have to decline the prosperity of agriculture development in Nigeria.

What are the factors that will attract youth engagement in Agriculture?

1. Access to land: Accessibility to arable land for farming in communities at free or subsidized return is a key to attract young people into farming. Youth’s inability to access arable land is a big challenge to youth who are interested in farming. Many lands in Nigeria is not leased for farming because of ancestral, clan, and family acclaim entitlement to them; and if made available the price to acquire them is expensive for the starters.

2. Access to knowledge and information: Most of what aging farmers’ practice in agriculture particularly in Nigeria is the olden method of farming and has resulted in a decline in agriculture production. Youth have this capacity to learn and implement new knowledge. Inadequate information and inability to acquire modern knowledge especially in communities thwart agriculture production and entrepreneurship. Agricultural training and education must also be adapted to ensure that youth are well equipped to meet the needs of agriculture and labor markets.

3. Access to credit facilities and low-interest loan: Apart from youth having the passion to participate in agriculture, providing farmers with micro-credit and farming facilities that are free or subsidized reduce pressure and motivate youth’s participation. There is a level their strength can go and stop when there is no support for continuity.

4. Access to social amenities: Poor road transport network; storage facilities, farm tools, electricity, irrigation, etc, contribute to a setback in Nigeria agriculture, many young farmers run away out of the business due to their past experience, loss and damages that emanate before or during post-harvest. Nigeria government must put all these up-together to encourage the youths from the fear of loss of return in their investment.

5. Access to the target market: With the current technology innovation farmers should find it easy to connect with their target market both locally and internationally. This factor will involve mass education of young farmers in the use of ICT tools like phone and internet to meet their network.

6. Security: The government must ensure to restore security in every part of Nigeria. Massive youth participation in agriculture development will fail to exist when they feared to go to their farm. Communal crises, farmers-herders conflict, banditry, and kidnapping, etc, should be addressed and be brought to rest in the communities. To attain meaningful development in agriculture security of life and properties is very vital.

The global population is expected to increase to 9 billion by 2050 and much expectation for food is from agriculture. It is expected that the world’s youth cohort will grow, employment, and entrepreneurial opportunities for youth – particularly those living in developing countries. It is much expectant of Nigeria to drive ahead in developing the agriculture sector to build an ecosystem of creating massive employment to youth both living rural and urban areas. When the green job is paying off and there are testimonies, there will also be a balance in pursuing white-collar jobs and remaining unemployed.