To farm or not to farm, opportunities that exist for youth to prosper in Agriculture & Agribusiness.

BY ALLAN BUSUULWA.

Research shows that the Ugandan population is made up of 78% youth, yet most of them leave the rural areas where they originate from and head to the urban centers to look for what most of them term as “white collar jobs”, yet it turns out that only about 20% of them are able to get Jobs, leaving the other 58% stranded without any source of income generating resources , resulting into massive demonstrations by the youth, claiming that they don’t have jobs yet they have the qualifications, others start getting engage in criminal activities like robbery, leading to moral decay among youth, which in the long run burdens the government.

A French philosopher Henri Bergson once said;” The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend”, in today’s situation I think most of the youth are ready to understand the true potential they have if they closely looked at the only option left, and that’s Agriculture and Agribusiness. In order to fully understand their potential, the youth have to change their mind set about agriculture, for long agriculture has been seen as the only option for those who have failed in life, when told about agriculture, youth envision the poor farmer deep in the village who wakes up early in the morning, and goes off into the muddy field to dig, further more agriculture is seen as a punishment in schools where students are told to go and dig or slash the compound, furthermore the government’s neglect for agriculture has also driven more youth from it, plus the education system in Uganda puts agriculture last, no emphasis is put on it yet it is truly the back bone of Uganda’s economy. As an Agriculture student at university, I see a lot of potential for the youth to prosper in Agriculture and Agribusiness.

Youth can engage in activities directly or indirectly involved in agriculture, some of these include; acting as middlemen between producers and small scale consumers, this has so far proved to be the best and most successful since it requires less training and one earns quickly, for example I have for long been involved in retailing local birds to market vendors and this has turned into a reputable business for me.

Furthermore, youth can also be involved in value addition of local products, this can include parking, and processing, here youth can make more profit from such an enterprise. Seed production and baking is also an option though it requires more capital and skill, poultry production on the other hand a good profitable business venture for the youth provided they start with manageable breeds like coilers that are like local breeds thus easy to manage, since they require less input. Vegetable farming on the other hand can be used as a supplement since it requires less time and yields income faster (3 Months) since vegetables have market throughout the year. Those venturing in the ICT field can develop plat forms that link buyers and sellers to suitable market for their products earning the developer income in return. If we take advantage of the stable political climate in Uganda along with the available resources provided by government inform of youth funds and agricultural loans, youth can be able to maximize their potential in Agriculture by incorporating the latest technological advancements to improve production to increase on their marginal returns.