Youth in Agriculture for Business, not for Food

Nowadays, with the rising of youth unemployment in Africa, young Ghanaians can find opportunities in the agricultural sector as entrepreneurs. However, they lack the means and the space to do so. The perception of agriculture as a mere farming for food needs to be changed in order to see agriculture as a viable business within the value chain. 

This was the main outcome of a one-day participatory youth workshop held at the AgriHub Ghana Knowledge Space. The event, organized by the Global Youth Innovation Network (GYIN) and the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change (AYICC) Ghana chapters, was hosted by Syecomp Ghana Ltd. on the 10^th January 2015.

Through a Sir Peter Elworthy research grant from Oxfords’ Rhodes scholarships, Ms. Grace Mwaura collaborated with youth organizations and the AgriHub to organize the research workshop aiming at understanding the role of young Ghanaians in country-level agricultural development programmes. 

Diverse backgrounds, similar aspirations

Participants were selected from a diverse group of educated young people from different career backgrounds - unemployed graduates, university students, engineers, youth activists, IT experts, extension officers, teachers, community health workers, and youth programme coordinators among others. Each of the participants expressed interest in understanding the agricultural landscape as an opportunity for youth employment opportunities.

The research builds on the increasing interest among the international development community to understand the contexts of youth in agriculture, in a continent where half of its population is below 25 years of age and the majority are unemployed. 

It shall also provide empirical evidence on feasible pathways to engage young Ghanaians in agribusiness. It further contributes to the AgriHub’s core mandate of providing evidence-based advice to youth in agricultural programmes in the West African region.

Agribusiness: Opportunities in disguise?

While agribusiness remains a viable entry point for young people into Ghana’s agricultural sector, and could significantly reduce youth unemployment currently approximated at 40% in Ghana’s rural areas, there are major obstacles yet to be overcome by the government and non-state actors.

Among those highlighted at the workshop including lack of skills (especially technical and soft skills such as business management); youth financial knowledge and inclusion (a majority still lack knowledge on where and how to access capitals and there are limited financial products favouring young entrepreneurs in Ghana); access to productive resources (including land, access to input and output markets); as well as unfavourable policy environment. 

Additionally, with the changing climate, Ghana’s agriculture sector is faced with increased challenges of unpredictable weather conditions, new and increasing pests and diseases and as well extended periods of dry season. All these obstacles require innovations, which most farmers do not have access to in Ghana.

This notwithstanding, and aware of the prevailing obstacles, Ghana's youth is far from changing the perception on agriculture as a meaningful work opportunity relative to white collar employment. The workshop revealed that most of them still viewed agriculture, not as a lucrative business venture, but as a mean occupation for the uneducated, rural poor people with no other option.

Whilst they are aware of the potential of the agriculture sector to boost the country’s economic growth, few understood government’s investments in the sector (especially those targeting youth), and how they could benefit from them. They were in need of information and motivation to change their attitude.

Rebrand agriculture to attract educated youth

Educated youth would rather remain jobless than soil their hands with farm labour that is not rewarding. The workshop participants were willing to change this perception only if they acquired the right information on how to overcome the said obstacles and if the government continued to play a central role in ensuring an enabling policy for youth in agriculture. Some programmes already exist in Ghana that are changing young people’s perceptions while working with the government to ensure the development and implementation of favourable policies.

The 4-H programme in Ghana is assisting in changing young learners perceptions of agriculture by targeting school going children between the ages of 6-25 years. This programme, which has been ongoing in the Eastern region for the past three years, has helped schools establish school gardens that are used as learning tools, produce food for the school, and eventually become learning grounds for the parents and the wider community.

AgriHub Ghana Knowledge Space serves multiple purposes of changing the attitudes of young people towards agriculture, equipping them with skills, exposing them to innovations in the agricultural sector, and connecting them with sources of productive resources, e.g. financing, land, etc. The space shall also provide a platform for dialogue on the agricultural sector policies and collaborate with policy makers in ensuring voices of young people are heard.

Farmer groups were lauded as having potential to enable young people access capital from financial institutions, acquire land as an enterprise, and bargain for better prices on the input and output markets. However, few youth are willing to join existing farmer groups given their lack of farmland, and knowledge on how these cooperatives operate. This is why it is important to assist young farmers from their own cooperatives to address their key obstacles in agribusiness including access to finance, markets, skills training, and land.

Green Jobs for Changing Climates

It is more evident than ever that the impacts of climate change have accelerated, and these will continue affecting development sectors, agriculture being the worst affected. How then do prospective young farmers respond to the impacts of a changing climate on agriculture? 

Participants discussed the feasibility of green jobs in the agricultural sector and viable climate smart agribusinesses they could engage in, and the kind of support mechanisms that shall be required to realize this. 

To enable young people become climate smart entrepreneurs, investments shall be required in equipping them with a new skills set, ensuring an enabling policy environment at a national and local level, and providing start up capitals for their green enterprises. A few examples of climate-smart farming already exist in Ghana, but very little has been documented.

Way Forward

The AgriHub opened its doors to young people willing to undertake research in the agriculture sector, particularly in documenting the green jobs available in the country. Prospective young farmers were invited to become incubates while partners are being sought to provide training and materials to the AgriHub to advance its mandate of agricultural information brokering and agribusiness development. 

Other platforms where young people could build their capacity and build networks to support their agri-enterprising ideas included the Global Youth Innovation Network, the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change, and the Honey Project.

Click here to read the original article published on GYIN website.