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Vangu ard.MONDA Y, APRI l. 6 , 2012 -45
uard
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Agric: Experts dissect ways for youth involvement Bf J IMO H BABATIINDE lh agency reporu
~
armers In AJrica arl!: getting older and F younger ones are not
interested in filling the gap, leaYlng uncertain future as many farms are concentrated In
the hands of older farmers
Many youths today are said to tnlgrate from the J'\U1I.l areas becau.e they do not nnd enough inCentIVes, profitable economic opportumtles and attractive ellYlfOnments to live and work on the farms So, youth engagement In agncultural policy dUllogue was one enllca! issue thai emerged al the recently held intemauona1 conference on the future of the Agritood sector in Africa
Dlvergent
views
emerged from diSCUSSIons on how the youths should be mvol ... ed in polley (ormuJatlon
food had ill one 01 its key messages the need for re5earch and polley 10 take full account of loclal differences among young people In tbe plenary session. an expert panel discussed problems facing African agnculture, growlDg populauons. job losses and nutnuon ill well as lome of the various solutions being attempted Dr Samuel Kojo Dapaah said Increasmg prod UctiVity IS Vital 10 address the problems of hunger and unemployment; he cited siallshcs on hunger in Africa and youth unemployment He pouled Ihat there IS need to create a strong Ilnk. betWeen lood production and every olher bit of the value cbauu l1.k.e food processing, packagmg and marketing
Prof Rabmalu AI-Hallan reminded the partictpanll of the dynamics surrounding agriculture and young people . Ihe flse of uroarusaUon, mecbarusallon, food lafety Itandards and cbmate change. She added that mobvallon, encouragement, gUidance and tr41rung are needed to harness the optimilm felt by lome young people about a career in agnculture. Fananeal confidence and investment was also needed as re -it erated by Dr. Namanga Ngongl who descnbed under-investment in young people as a waste 01 human resources and taJent. adding . "there iI a g reat and palpable momenlum toward5 agnculture in Alnca." H e said that to make agriculture attractive 10 the young . " we must invest in
education at all levels . support agricultural innoval1on, build market infra5trudure and Improve the bUSiness envltonmenl in ways Ihal Will raise incomes and Hpand the agricultural value chaIn," SlIhemblie Ndema Mwamakamb of the Food. Agriculture and Natural Resources PoHcy Analysts Network (FANRPAN) In one of the prelentatloni noted thai youth knowledge In I CT and new media can be harnelled lor Ihe development 01 agriculture, espeCIally In the Comprehenuve Alnca Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and iuues of climate change She . however. observed that engaging the youth in policy dialogue wtll firlt lovolve documenllng the evidence of youth involvement In agriculture
processing
Accordmglo Dr Samuel Koto Dapaah. a Special Advisor to Choln.', MUUller of Food and Agnculture, the r.oU1h should be better off 10 ong as thelr concernl with aguc mecnanaauon. transportabon. waler and other bauc amemtles are proVlded For him, these provutons are more cnhca! than bnnging young people to duectly engage In polley dJalogue and polley formulaoon The view wal, however. challen9ed by Dr Namanga Ngongl. Preudenl of the Alltance for a Green Revolution an Alnca (AGRAI, who believes there should be new ways 10 haVing youth expressthe1r \flews collectively in poltey formulation ''As l eaders 10 agricu ltural development, pollcymokers and professionals, we must articulate new visions of agriculture tbat can be atlrachve to young people and align with their asplliltions and interests." ALRAhas an uuuauvewhich helps governments bulld thw pohcy-malung capaCIty and formulate appropnale agncullural pohClet One of UI key components 15 Ihe creation of national policy hubs which bnng together andIY51 •. government offlClals and representallves from folttnergroups, ClW iOCIety and the pnvale sector,to dehne pnonUes and develop pollCles that benefit smallholder larmers and olher key players along the agnculture value. chOIR Dr Ngongl laid such poliCY hubs should have youth representallon to offer them the plallorm 10 arllculate theIr oplOlon 10 agriculture polley formulation The Accra conference on young people, larmlllg and
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• Yo ulh working on a school farm
BRIEFS Lagos ~o
sanctldn ownerS of stray animals,
inaugu~tes
contro c 'ttee By 0 45 AXON.
K'ANMI
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T agOil S41te Gov~ent L..h .. mauguraled stray animal conlrol policy committeI'! .tllmed al eracbcating Ittay ammals m the state. Speaking while mauguratmg thecommlttee, whIch COincided With the World Stray Arumal Day, the Commissioner for Agncultule and Coope rative, Punce Gbolahan lawaI. s61d the slate government could no longer lold ll &mlS and allow the mella c e to persIst unabated. laYlng own~ 01 lucb animals would ~fortn. be prosecuted as the aDlml.l WIll also be confiscatod Lawai declared such places hke; Thud Mamland Bridge, IbeJu Lekb and. Opebl iOregWllmk Bndge and other rT OJOt highways In the metll.polls a. f1ah potnll, common With 5lray aruma1l To totally rup the problem In Ihe Lud. lawai said mauhals would be appointed rofU all 57 Local Government and 37 Local Counci l Development Areas. to n ,omtor and llIert govenunen ' on cases of stray arumaJ. In !heu areas "Bues trom 5tray arumab could also oe lnJunoUi and as well as caUU: mfectlons that can lead to deathM. he added
Obasanjo lauds /ITA for leading efforts in developing vit amin A cassava eStimated al over USS 1.5 emphasize< thai Ule root CAiS ... v vdneues would y~Uow ·
rmer NlgenaD PresIdent Glusegun Obasanlo hal COif ',lded the Intemallonal Ins Ite 01 Tropical Ag · "Illure (lITA) lor 5Uc\ .:.fuUy leadmg etfolU m de" lop ing provllamln A caS!. ,iva vanella .. , Ie efforl pul In the deY. IIJpment of these vaneUei 15 ·o mmendable." said Oba~anJo dunng a closed, doo lueetmg wllh the IITA Oil' (tor-General, Dr Nte ran ya Sanglnga. In Abe ~uta The pro·Vltamm A cassava vanetlel which are the r fst ever blo-fort1fied cops m"'lgena. weredeve!.opedby liT ~'lth lu n dlng (rom
H arvHtPlus The Nauona} Root Crops Research Instllute was a local partner ChuanjO laid '"1lle vanelles will offer consumers more nutnltoUS food teClpel espectaUy gama loml of processed cassava lhat IS grated and roa:.ted mto granules " In Nigena. Vllamm A defiCleney alOlcu about 20 per cenl of preg nanl women and 30 per cent of chlldren under five Most ot those affucted bve tn the rural areas where poverty II relatively higher. Economically, annual lones lR Groll Domesltc Product (GOP) as a result 01 vita mID and minerai dehclencles m Nig ena are
bdbon. accorrung to NIgL-na's Mlrusler of Agriculture and Rural Development. Or AkIn Ade5Lna on March 17 dunng the launching of the hew pro VltaIDln A cassava vant!lle5 Apart from oflt'llng mort" access to Yltamlll A, lht: unproved vanetlel will reduce the cost of produeng c.u~aVd recipes luc h ,n ganl by ehmlllaUng the ule of palm 011 wtuch tulherlo has beell used by many farmers to atlam tbe yellowah (:olour "11us means that the gam being produced from these vaneues Will hA\e ill higher shelf hIe." says ObasanJo wh. , 15 also 'ITA's Ambassador fOI Nnc. The former Presldenl
help UI ta( kJmg Yltanlln A deftclen<y and also make c assavIII PlodUCI. sUl,:h as gam mor.· I utnltoUi In )us rcs,,)Quse, 540910ga .. aid that ~h: developmelll of the van( ties wall a mlllior breakthrough that would change tI,e nutnllonal5tatUi of people h ~'lng 011 cassava based fOOlI -{ealso noted lhat plans by Ihe Nlgenan goverun,e ,t to Include cauava III "retld would get a boost Will, to ,e tDCh1510n of the more nutl.tl JUS \;anet1eS " But Iheaoe eflorls requite Ihe support pI " II ~Iakehohters<· he added