The Untapped Potential In Agriculture: Why Youths are the Goldmine.

Agriculture is a major driver of Nigeria’s economic growth, accounting for more than 25% of the country’s GDP. It is the nation’s food source, and its activities are primarily focused on the production of all basic human needs. Other opportunities presented by the agriculture sector include being a source of raw materials for various industries, assisting economic diversification through the production of export products, providing space for entrepreneurship ventures, and playing a significant role in achieving food security.

Agriculture provides multiple appealing opportunities for youth participation. Agriculture jobs are the most common ones that young people can take advantage of. The rise of technology and mechanisation in agriculture creates more modern job roles and functions for young people to fill. With the growing demand for aggregation, storage, processing, logistics, food preparation, restaurants, and other related services, many job opportunities will emerge off the farm in larger agri-food systems.

The agriculture sector employs more than 36% of the country’s labor force, making it one of the country’s leading and largest employers of labor. Youths must be aware of and prepared for these job opportunities.

According to Twentytendaily, Statista released a report forecasting Nigeria’s unemployment rate for 2022 at the beginning of the year. The report estimated the year’s unemployment rate at nearly 33%, a 0.5 increase from 32.5% the previous year. Because of the increase in unemployment, many young talents have migrated to well-developed countries in search of gainful employment. In the long run, the unemployment crisis may slow the country’s economic development.

To reduce the potential damage of unemployment, it is necessary to invest in youths through training and the acquisition of in-demand skills. This is due to the strong link between youth and national development. Youths are the most productive human resource in terms of socioeconomic development. This age cohort is the most active and vital to the country’s growth.

This bond is so strong that each side relies on the other for survival. As a result,it is essential to provide youths with the skills they need to be gainfully employed and discover more ways to be actively involved in the future of agriculture in Nigeria.

A great way to begin is by encouraging youths to engage in entrepreneurship development programs to enhance their skills.
We are currently accepting applications for our 2022 Poultry Development Programme, which will better prepare youth for agricultural jobs. The program is designed for Nigerian youth agripreneurs who want to gain hands-on experience managing and operating a poultry business.

This program offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity for young graduates interested in pursuing a career in agriculture to be mentored by experts and equipped with the technical, managerial, and entrepreneurial skills needed to thrive in the agricultural sector. Interested applicants who wish to participate in this training should register on the website.

It cannot be overstated that today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders. For youths to become great leaders, they need to be shaped into one with adequate mentoring, self-motivation, teaching and reflections on what they learn. This is why a society that prepares its youths for the future will secure its future development and train its next set of leaders to tackle its challenges. Youths are the untapped potential that needs to be harnessed in and beyond agriculture.