No, agriculture is not sexy; and it doesn’t need to be

Agriculture is sexy! Farming is cool!

These are some of the messages that have been used to lure young people into agriculture in recent years.

With the average age of a farmer in Kenya being 60 years, many people in the industry have been scratching their heads trying to figure out how to get new blood in this all important profession. These figures are replicated in numerous countries across the continent.

Reports on the state of agriculture across the continent have been saddening. Young people, who were raised by peasant farmers, are abandoning the fields in search of blue and white collar jobs in the cities.

To these African youth, farming is an occupation for the poor. You rise early, toil in the fields, get filthy and you barely break even at the end of the year.

In a continent of close to 1.2 billion people, that is already struggling to feed itself, this spells out doom.

The situation looks even worse when you take into account the estimated population growth. With the largest demographic of Africa’s population aged under 35, Africa’s population is projected to multiply to 2.4 billion in the next 30 years.

Where will we get food for 2.4 billion mouths if youth are not getting involved in agriculture?

Faced with this problem, industry players have launched numerous programs to get young people interested in the industry. From getting top African artistes to sing about farming, to trying to position the industry as sexy-much money has been spent in marketing efforts.

While the efforts are commendable, the return on the ground is dismal because the problem statement is flawed.

Youth will not be drawn to agriculture because it is sexy; they will be drawn to it because it makes them money.

“You have to ask yourself, why young people fall for these quail eggs scams? The people who went to buy quails were not interested in poultry farming. They were doing it for the promise of quick and bountiful returns,” says International Livestock Research Institute scientist, Fidalis Mujibi. “The truth is that youth are looking for anything that will make them cold hard cash.”

Mijibi’s point is backed by data.  According to a recent study by the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP), 80% of Kenya’s unemployed are youth aged between 15 to 35 years old. This does not take into account the number of individuals who are underemployed.

Agriculture requires multi-sectoral support

Beggars are surely not choosers. With a viable business opportunity that assures them of returns one hand and a poverty and unemployment on the other, young people with almost definitely chose the former.

The actual problem is the manner in which agriculture has been practiced, and the support structures needed to make the industry lucrative.

“For the longest time, we have looked at farming wrong. We have been practicing agriculture and not agribusiness. When you get into farming with a business perspective, you will streamline your operations and multiply your revenue streams,” says Kaahwa Jean.

Jean, who is the founder and CEO of Uganda-based Shalom Fish Farms, says that the commercial outlook helped him increase his company’s bottom line tenfold.

“When I started out, I was producing fish for sale. Over the years, I expanded and diversified my business. I now sell fingerlings to farmers, offer aquaculture consultancy to aspiring farmers, run marketing and export operations for my farms and those of others. I have even published a book on fish farming,” explains Kaahwa.

But for agricultural ventures to be successful there needs to be multi-sectorial support.

Financiers need to come up with innovative products that are tailored to the agriculture sector so that farmers can get the best possible inputs. While young people may have access to family land, they lack the title deeds to put up as security. Worse still, there are few insurance options for the farming sector.

Governments need to invest in getting proper extension services out to farmers to ensure that best practice if followed. Many youth burn their fingers when they first try farming because of ignorance.

Farmer cooperatives need to aggregate and organize farmers so that they can supply their crops to retailers like Nakumatt and Uchumi in a sustainable manner. Often retailers shy away from local producers because of erratic supply and logistical complications.

This is where efforts need to be made. By working towards improving the internal workings of the sector, we will gradually change the perceptions held about agriculture.

When youth see more examples of profitable and successful farming ventures, they will be drawn to the sector. Attempts to make agriculture sexy are at best cosmetic. Focus should remain on the real.