GCARD3: Let’s be inspired!

As we live in the times of globalization and increasing urbanization, the problems of agriculture are becoming more and more obvious. Youth is no more interested in staying at farms because they want to go out and experience the world, or at least the opportunities that only bigger cities can offer. Unfortunately we are not usually connecting the term AGRICULTURE with anything like innovation, development or improvement – it is always about something old-fashioned or boring… So then why don’t we change that?!

To develop, we need knowledge. To have the knowledge, we need research. GCARDs are one of the few good things that empower that. Agriculture is a basis for economic growth in many countries, and we shouldn’t take it for granted. That’s what young people should be more aware of. Agriculture is an ancient activity, and the fact that it survived so many decades until now should make us realize its importance.

Every man can become an expert in his field if he really wants to and works hard to achieve his aim. In order to do that, he or she has to have a strong objective, a purpose why he is doing that. We all notice the problems in our society, education or politics, but it takes courage and time to change them, not to mention creativity and ideas we need to have to do so. That’s why we need to encourage young people and give them opportunities to do research, to study and improve their knowledge. Conferences are great places for exchanging ideas, making connections and meeting new people with similar mindsets.

Creating online platforms could help farmers and young experts in their work by connecting and supporting them financially. We need to acknowledge them as an important part of our society and help them make the most of their work. We need agriculture in order to survive, which is an inevitable fact. New generations are the one who will decide what the future times will be like. That’s why we cannot let them forget about agriculture. On the contrary, we should make them realize how important it is. We should also inspire them to think sustainably, be curious and creative! :)

Jovana Popovi? is a student of Environmental Engineering at the University of Belgrade in Serbia. She is currently on her third year of studies, during which she attended many international student conferences and volunteer work camps. She was also a part of GFAR’s Regional Congress about Rural Communities in 2015, and now is looking forward to the global conference for agricultural development in 2016. 

This blog post is part of the GCARD3 Youth blogpost applications. The content, structure and grammar is at the discretion of the author only.

Picture: Taken at the volunteer work camp in Tramonty, Italy, while building a shower which would use solar energy. Taken by one participant of the camp, Alla Oskina.