What are the biggest challenges youth in Africa face after going through youth-specific capacity development initiatives in agriculture?
Youths face many hurdles after attaining capacity development initiatives in Agriculture. The prerequisite for a production venture is to own a farm and many land tenure systems especially in Africa does not support land ownership by youth. Alternatively, the start-up land can be lease or rented but most microfinances and banks either give high interest rate on loans or refuse youths of loans because they often have little or no collateral.
Many youths are of the opinion that agriculture is a money making venture and therefore everybody wants to practice agriculture even without preliminary knowledge in order to be “rich”. One would really not expect anything fruitful if such persons go through capacity development trainings. I always say if you don’t like the colour green = plants, there’s no need wasting time attaining these initiatives. Capacity development is about the growth of the individual in knowledge, skills and experience and these programmes are often short duration such that the required knowledge and skills is not got by the end of these initiatives and therefore youths cannot make informed decisions.
Many agricultural policies often fail to account for the heterogeneity of youth, and so do not provide them with effective support. Policy makers must ensure that youths have a solid stand in their laws in order to increase youth’s participation and to curb the knowledge gap after capacity trainings.
Youths often engage in ventures without identifying their markets. In some instances, you find that many youths are skilled-equipped after capacity development initiatives but the sustainability of what they do is often lacking since they failed to consider the whole agricultural value chain, say, from selecting disease- free and improved seeds for planting to harvesting, and to the final consumers.
The way forward
Where serious and focused youths are identified, governments through youth capacity development mentors can allocate pieces of lands to these youths to engage and practice their acquired skills which will be monitored by their mentors for some years, say 5, the government later re-owns the land while the net returns be used by the youth for a venture that is solely his/hers. Similarly, Agricultural banks can give loans to youths through their capacity development mentors and the above explanation holds true.
Within and between youth groups, Mobile apps can be developed to constantly share agricultural information between themselves and link them to extension agents and plant doctors.
Agricultural value chain and not just a specific section, for example production, be considered and the risk evaluated with anticipated solutions before engaging in any programme.
Ms. Nkafu Therese
Hi there, happy to be on this forum.
What are the biggest challenges youth in Africa face after going through youth-specific capacity development initiatives in agriculture?
Youths face many hurdles after attaining capacity development initiatives in Agriculture. The prerequisite for a production venture is to own a farm and many land tenure systems especially in Africa does not support land ownership by youth. Alternatively, the start-up land can be lease or rented but most microfinances and banks either give high interest rate on loans or refuse youths of loans because they often have little or no collateral.
Many youths are of the opinion that agriculture is a money making venture and therefore everybody wants to practice agriculture even without preliminary knowledge in order to be “rich”. One would really not expect anything fruitful if such persons go through capacity development trainings. I always say if you don’t like the colour green = plants, there’s no need wasting time attaining these initiatives. Capacity development is about the growth of the individual in knowledge, skills and experience and these programmes are often short duration such that the required knowledge and skills is not got by the end of these initiatives and therefore youths cannot make informed decisions.
Many agricultural policies often fail to account for the heterogeneity of youth, and so do not provide them with effective support. Policy makers must ensure that youths have a solid stand in their laws in order to increase youth’s participation and to curb the knowledge gap after capacity trainings.
Youths often engage in ventures without identifying their markets. In some instances, you find that many youths are skilled-equipped after capacity development initiatives but the sustainability of what they do is often lacking since they failed to consider the whole agricultural value chain, say, from selecting disease- free and improved seeds for planting to harvesting, and to the final consumers.
The way forward
Where serious and focused youths are identified, governments through youth capacity development mentors can allocate pieces of lands to these youths to engage and practice their acquired skills which will be monitored by their mentors for some years, say 5, the government later re-owns the land while the net returns be used by the youth for a venture that is solely his/hers. Similarly, Agricultural banks can give loans to youths through their capacity development mentors and the above explanation holds true.
Within and between youth groups, Mobile apps can be developed to constantly share agricultural information between themselves and link them to extension agents and plant doctors.
Agricultural value chain and not just a specific section, for example production, be considered and the risk evaluated with anticipated solutions before engaging in any programme.
Nkafu Therese
MPhil, agricultural entomology
University of Ghana.
From Cameroon