Agricultural development can aid economic development within and outside of the agricultural sector, and lead to providing good jobs and growth creation. High productivity of agricultural products raises farm incomes, increases food supply, reduces food prices, and provides greater employment opportunities in both rural and urban areas.
When I hear government officials and politicians encourage unemployed youths to venture into agriculture as a means of livelihood, it amuses me because they still think of agriculture like the one practiced in their youthful years where land is free, labour is cheap, fertilizer is free, chemicals are cheap and running cost is minimal.
They are unaware that every agricultural equipment and materials needed for production of crops are expensive. Even organic manure like animal droppings which used to be a waste years ago are costly.
Gone are the days when practicing agriculture is affordable, these days if you don’t have anything to fall back to after a likely fail at your first attempt, you may forever dread agriculture because investing in agriculture is a huge risk on it own.
Encouraging unemployed youths to venture into agriculture, (commercializing purpose) without providing them proper education and strategy to help them, seem to me its just a political gimmick without substance.
Agriculture is not just a poverty alleviation profession, don’t be fooled, it may look like the ‘poor man’s option’ but its not. Agriculture is capital intensive and no amount of desire to perspire can change that fact.
In recent times, technology has made agricultural ventures and activities easy. It has progressed and markets have become increasingly global, agricultural business has rapidly developed to meet and solve high-tech farming needs and problems.
With continues increase in global population, agricultural products have come to stay for good in the market. The 3 basic necessities of life which is food, water, shelter and clothing. Food is the most important because one of the last things people are willing to cut from their budgets is food and this means there will be a continues high demand for agricultural products. It is projected that, by 2050 the world’s population will likely increase by more than 35%. Consequently, to feed that population, crop production will need to double and Africa is ideally said to become a premium food supplier.
If you’re involved in agricultural business or thinking of venturing into it, you have to begin now because sustainable wealth is guaranteed.
