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Sunday, June 2, 2013

Youth Can Change Agriculture With Motivation

Boys from Bwake school on the school allotment learning how to grow kale in preparation for their future life as farmers.

TANZANIA needs to undergo youth mindset transformation to change their negative perceptions towards agriculture in a bid to attract more youths in agribusiness undertakings, a move that will curb the current unemployment challenge.
This can be done through provision of education to youth on entrepreneurship initiatives through trainings, workshops, media and making an easy access to capital through provision of loans with lower interest rates and grants to attract their effective involvement in the pliantly available agribusiness.
This stems from the fact that agriculture has continued and remains the only sector that has provided employment opportunities to 70 per cent of the population in the country, leaving only 30 per cent to be shared by other sectors of economy and the formal sector.
Activities like poultry keeping, dairy farming, training and advisory, agroforestry, fishery and cottage as well as agro-processing industries for agri based foods, are important avenues for youths to focus on essential sources of income and livelihood. Speaking at the launch of the Tanzania Youth in Agribusiness Forum (TYIAF) held in Morogoro recently, Prof Lascelles Chen said despite the challenges youths face; they remain key drivers and ambassadors of agricultural sector transformation in the country.
"Youths have the greatest potential of changing agricultural business landscape not only in the country but also at the global level, they only need courage, determination and positive attitude towards embracing agricultural sector," said Prof Chen, the Managing Director of Magadu Entrepreneurship and Business Training Institute (MEBTI).
"Despite the ups and downs encountered on the road towards achieving business success or effective involvement in agriculture, youths must have a focus and a determined mindset that will take them to the next levels of economic prosperity," he said.
Prof Chen was of the view that youths need to be in groups that will make them have an easy access to important services, specifically financial assistances from both public and private entities. "If you are standing alone, the bus of development will bypass you, but if you are standing in a group the bus will stop and take you and your group on board," said Prof Chen.
Citing the experience from Uganda, he said; "The fastest growing section of the Ugandan middle class is creating their wealth from enterprises based in the agricultural sector. Comparing to the old generation, he said youths have all what it takes to drive the future of agricultural sector in the country due to their versatility to changes.
Statistics show that the market for African staple foods like maize, milk, meat, banana, sorghum, rice and millet is estimated at over $150 billion a year and growing at between 3 - 8 per cent annually. The forum (TYIAF) was organized by Agri-Hub Tanzania - a network that deals with promoting farmer entrepreneurship in Tanzania in collaboration with the Tanzania Graduate Farmers Association (TGFA), Sokoine University Graduate Entrepreneurs Cooperative (SUGECO) - the two entities, the product of Sokoine University envisaging on the practice of commercial farming among graduate farmers in Tanzania together with 4-H and Farm Africa The event with a theme: "Kilimobiashara Ndio Mpango Mzima" attracted hundreds of youths, youth-led organizations and companies in agricultural sector and civil society organizations to discuss the role of youths and the future of agri-business in Tanzania.
"This forum is meant to awaken youths to know their roles and responsibility in fostering agribusiness practices in Tanzania, and as well connecting them with networks of potential funders," said Mr Juma Ngomuo, TGFA Membership and Advocacy Coordinator. Speaking at the forum Katarina Mungure, Agri-Hub Tanzania Assistant Coordinator said that the forum is aimed at improving business linkages between youth in the East African region through partnership with other Agri Hubs in East Africa.
Ms Mungure said that through Agri-Hub Tanzania online platform youths have managed to network and connect with markets of their products as well as taping into existing and emerging agribusiness opportunities in Tanzania. On the other hand Mr John Chobo, the Managing Director of Chobo Investment Limited pointed out that many youths still lack the daring spirit to venture into doing businesses - a situation that makes the fight against unemployment a difficult undertaking in the country.
"At the moment the rate of rural to urban movements among youths in the country has been rampant, but these could have just stayed in the rural to produce enough crops and sell them profitably, and create employment for others too," said Mr Chobo. "Let's stop sleeping, let's wake up and work hard to seize all the available opportunities. If we don't, then our neighbours will come to help us," Mr Chobo told youths at the forum, adding that, "the opportunities to be an entrepreneur are all around you right now if you take time to examine the challenges you face and filter them through the prism of business."
For some time now in Tanzania, youths have invested in creativity and innovations to improve and get involved in the sector, though there are some policy challenges that need to be addressed to attract many youths commercial agriculture undertaking. Furthermore, apart from the strides youths are making in agricultural sector in the country, the biggest challenge remains that most of these agricultural undertakings in the country are rain-fed, that they can't be done throughout the year.
Agricultural stakeholders say this situation too needs strategic measures to make it possible even during dry seasons. At the TYIAF stakeholders proposed that the deliverance of measures should be in a range of development interventions from the grassroots/ community level through a network of both private and public sector as well as development partners.
They said even though there are various efforts to promote the involvement of youths in agribusiness, still, this is not perceived as a viable business or employment option among the learned graduates - due to the wrong perception that farm work is the last option and activity for rural poor.
This, however, has attracted a number of media outlets ranging from websites, social Media, radio and televisions as well as magazines and newspaper venturing into publishing issues relating to agriculture to remove the wrong perceptions. Agri-Hub Tanzania as well, uses an online media platform as modern Information and Communication Technology tools (ICTs) to promote farmers entrepreneurship in partnership with TGFA, SUGECO and 4-H as well as Farm Africa to attract and promote youths in Agribusiness.
These organizations have been working on bringing voices of youths to the table, providing information on opportunities in agricultural development, sharing success stories of young role models in agriculture and advocating for greater youth engagement and representation.
It is also important to note that young people also demand products and, in the near future, they will be the world's largest group of consumers. As such, young people can play another key role: as consumers, a group that is already recognized as a potential driving force for change in our food (and other) systems. Change will not take place if consumers do not demand sustainably produced foods.
Source: Daily news

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