By Clifford Akumu
Africa’s decreasing crop yield and increase in population is already piling pressure on the fragile food production sytem.That is why experts have warned that if the current situation persists, Africa will be fulfilling only 13% of its food needs by 2050.
This grim statistics, experts agree, will be put to check through funding youth in agriculture, advocacy on alternative value chain opportunities and championing of tangible climate-smart farming initiatives to win the youth to ‘agripreneurship’.
But, that talk of “young agripreneurs” will largely depend on government initiated funding mechanisms to support youth in agriculture if the continent is to meet the globe’s growing population expected to reach 9billion by 2050.
“Africa governments have done minimal to entice youth to venture into agribusiness and, do not perceive youth as a dynamic resource people who can contribute to the economy .” Said Food and Agriculture Organization representative in Kenya, Gabriel Rugalema.
According to the 2014 Africa Progress Report, 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land is located in Africa, meaning the continent has the potential to become the world’s food basket.
However, food insecurity still persists in many parts of Africa.Rugalema is optimistic that the continent is poised to rise and achieve a ‘green revolution’ as shown in robust innovation and technology use in agriculture.
“Most governments are maturing; by locating resources aside for strategic grain reserves and research on new drought tolerant seed varieties. We are better placed than we were during the famines of 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s”noted Rugalema at the sidelines of the just concluded TICAD conference in Nairobi.
Governments’ investment in agriculture in Africa is significantly low.FAO puts these investments to be pegged at about 50%. Developed economies such as China, India and USA provide their farmers with subsidies and have seen a burgeoning agribusiness industry.
“If we don’t subsidize agriculture where will we get people especially the youth to invest in agriculture? We need to find suitable capital packages to make the youth more flexible in investment and production.” said Rugalema.
In order to give the image of agriculture a complete ‘sexy makeover’ in Kenya, for example, some agricultural institutions have partnered with media houses to promote farming to the youth through success stories of agripreneurs-read Seeds of Gold.
Foreign commercial farmers too are also contributing to African agriculture’s image transformation by moving into the countryside, where they farm and live with the rural folk.
Rugalema took issue with youth contentment with agricultural production only stating that “Youth can engage in other value chain opportunities such as private extension officers, suppliers and manufacturing to improve their livelihoods”
Investing in processing factories for the youth is also another avenue that governments could pursue to involve the youth in agriculture value chain.
“Producing starch from cassava which is in high demand in China does not need very complex machines that the youth cannot operate. The problem of Africa is to export jobs” he said.
Instability among African governments has strong and ambiguous adverse effects on food security and nutrition.
According to the FAO representative, building resilience through peace building is critical in fixing the problem. Data from FAO’s 2014 Peace and Security report suggest that proportions of undernourished people increased in countries in protracted crisis to about 34%.
“Instability in Africa remains one threat to food security because it frightens people, disrupts the farming cycle. When you are so poor, you need to maintain peace to build your economy both in agriculture and infrastructure” said Rugalema.
Unsurprisingly, Rugalema believes that youth must curve out interest in agriculture and shun extremism in order to remain relevant to their country’s economies.
“I think there is opportunity for young people to participate in Agriculture and play economic role in their countries. But, they have to be smarter themselves to spot those opportunities.” He concluded.
