What is youth in agriculture?
Youths are young and energetic group of people who can play an important role to build agricultural sector. We can say that young people immediate after undergraduate level can be youths for agriculture. After undergraduate level of education, people will have some sort of technical knowledge so that with energy, enthusiasm and knowledge, these youths can bring some changes in agriculture in Nepal.
Why is youth for agriculture development?
There are heavy number of youths in Nepal who are highly active but unemployed. These people have will power, ‘to do’ attitude, enthusiasm and energy, however they are draining because of low or no opportunity in Nepal. We can utilize this potential force to bring changes in our agriculture.
Current agriculture system is just subsistence in nature and we need to revolutionize our production systems from multiple aspects. There is need to bring change in our current Agri-system to make it more productive, adaptive and healthy. Existing improvement strategies, approaches, supports and programs are firstly not effective and secondly not efficiently working. We are still running with traditional methods, formulae, approaches and strategies to run our agriculture. However, we now need a transformational change. Therefore, to bring transformational change, we have to change the way we are doing agriculture right now from technical and physical way. Hence, here we need potential youths to reform agriculture using their technical knowledge and physical power. Youths are counted as active member of workforce having dynamic energy and enthusiasm. We need to make youth realize their full potential along with their engaged, educated and empowered ability that can help bring revolution in Nepalese agriculture development by implementing technical knowledge sharply in targeted Agri sector. In this way, youth can help to decrease the poverty in Nepal and can effectively help in strengthening agricultural sector for future generation.
How to utilize youth in agriculture?
A. Education
Education is the key important part to bring positive mindset in people. In agriculture, technical education plays significant role in bringing practical skills in people, however technical education is comparatively expensive than others. Hence, to build our youth as potential workforce for revolution, there should be schemes provided for youth in Agri-education. Highly attractive scheme to get formal education in agriculture can make youth more potential and enthusiast, therefore, if we are thinking to build effective youth force for Agri-development in Nepal, at first, we should provide them a very good education for agricultural science. Several skill building practical classes, trainings and short courses can be given to as many youths to make them technically sound. Involvement in seminars, expos and other technical education not only make them educated but also make them technical human resource. Therefore, they can either be ready to support government from employment opportunity, or by thinking out of the box for developing Agri-entrepreneurship.
B. Encouragement
Entrepreneurship is a potential opportunity to industrialize our agriculture which ultimately helps in creating employment opportunity. So, youth should be encouraged to come in Agri-entrepreneurship through technical education and finance scheme. Technical education prepares youth as skillful manpower whereas financial schemes such as loan, crop and animal insurance, health insurance and infrastructures support will give them courage to develop Agri-entrepreneurship. There should be multiple opportunities available for youth in agribusiness, Agri-enterprises and Agri-industrialization which can lure them towards agriculture system. Positive revolution, transformation and constructive changes over Nepalese agriculture requires massive industrialization, commercialization and entrepreneurship. Hence, if there are any schemes available to attract youths in agribusiness, it will encourage them for Agri-entrepreneurship, thus our agriculture will positively transform from traditional to industrial agriculture.
C. Support
We have to support the youth who are already in agribusiness. In our society, we perceive agriculture as low-level work. If someone decided to pursue agriculture, people make ridiculous joke over them and sometimes mistreat them as well. Youth who have started to work in agriculture usually have to face low level treatment as if they are wasting time by engaging in agriculture. Now we have to change people’s understanding about agriculture that agriculture should be valued equally. Youth who choose to be Agri entrepreneurs or engage in agriculture sector should be provided with supportive and motivational programs in order to encourage and appreciate them.
“From different ways we have to first educate our youths, prepare them as technically and academically sound workforce, and lure them in agriculture from different entrepreneurship opportunities, schemes, and benefits. Once we become able to utilize this active but unemployed youth force in agriculture, we can imagine revolutionized transformation. Our existing system can be significantly better, productive and efficient.“
Encourage and motivate youth💚💚
