agricultural careers- peter cookey

8/8/2019 Agricultural Careers- Peter Cookey

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OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH

INVOLVEMENT IN

AGRICULTURE

Presented by:Peter Cookey

Steering Committee Member Representing Anglophone

African CountriesWater Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, Geneva

Lecturer, Rivers State College of Health Science & TechnologyPresident, Earth Watch Research Institute

0802 324 5314peter@earthwatchnigeria.org

What is Agriculture?

An aspect of human endeavour concerned

with the cultivation of crops and rearing of

animal for the purpose of producing food

and fibre for human and industrialconsumption. (Allison-Oguru, Berepubo

and K alio 2002)

It includes: Fisheries, animal husbandry andforestry

Lumbering, hunting and gathering of wild

fruits, ta pping of r affia palm.

Importance of Agriculture As an industry, agriculture also embr aces the aspects of

human endeavour concern with the supply of physical and

ser vice inputs to f arm sector as well as processing and

marketing of f arm produce.

Agriculture constitutes the backbone of economic growth and development

It supplies food for human population and agricultur al r aw

materials for agro-based industries

It also provides a large domestic market for products of themanuf acturing sector

Provides employment for the la bour force

Neglection of agriculture results in stagnation of growth

and development

What is Opportunity? Opportunity is an auspicious state of aff airs or a suita ble

time: "If you prepare yourself . . . you will be able to grasp

opportunity for broader experience when it appears"

(Eleanor Roosevelt).

An opening is an opportunity affording a good possibilityof success

When preparation meets opportunity, it creates success

In simple terms Preparation + Opportunity = Success.

Synonyms: opportunity, occasion, opening, chance,break

These nouns refer to a f avor a ble or advantageous

circumstance or combination of circumstances.

What is Youth Development?

As: "...the ongoing growth process in which all youth are

engaged in attempting to

(1) meet their basic personal and social needs to be safe,

feel cared for, be valued, be useful, and be spiritually grounded, and

(2) to build skills and competencies that allow them to

function and contribute in their daily lives." (Pittman,

1993, p. 8)

Youth development, then, is a combination of all of the

people, places, supports, opportunities and ser vices that

most of us inherently understand that young people need to

be ha ppy, healthy and successful.

More Young People in the World Global population numbers are on tr ack to reach 7

billion in 2011

Virtually all of the growth is in developingcountries like Nigeria

And the growth of the world¶s youth population(ages 15 to 24) is shifting into the poorest of thosecountries

In developing countries 75% of poor live in rur al

Agriculture is thus vital for poverty reduction andfood security

But interest among young people in agriculture

seems to increasingly decrease

Source: United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects, The 2008 Revision.

World Population (in Billions): 1950-2050

World Population Growth Is Almost Entirely

Concentrated in the World's Poorer Countries

Source: Carl Haub and MaryMederios Kent, 2009 World Population Data Sheet.

Population Ages 15-24 by World Region: 1950 and 2050

1950 2050

The World¶s Youth Population Will Become

More Concentrated in Africa and Asia

Source: Carl Haub and MaryMederios Kent, 2009 World Population Data Sheet.

Population Ages 15-24 by World Region: 1950 and 2050

1950 2050

The World¶s Youth Population Will Become

More Concentrated in Africa and Asia

Agriculture in Rivers State

The economy of Rivers State is natur al-

resources-based

Despite the her oil and gas industry, thestate is essentially agr arian (Allison-Oguru,

Berepubo and K alio 2002)

This is because over 65 percent of the people of the state are engaged in

agriculture related activities.

Farms in Rivers State

Farms in Rivers State are small in size

They r ange between 0.25 to 5ha with an

aver age of a bout 1.5ha

They are owned and oper ated by the f armer

and his/her household

Other features includes: limited use of

ca pital inputs (Allison-Oguru, 1995 andAllison-Oguru et al 1999)

Farm Household Char acteristics

Farm households in Rivers State are obser ved to engage in

subsidiary or secondary occupations in order to remain

employed all year round and supplement f arm incomes

Farm household incomes in the state are relatively lowcompared with incomes from other sectors of the economy

Women account for more than 50% of the f arming

population

The age of f armers in the state is between 18 and 58 years

Involvement of some educated youths in f arming and

animal production shall be a welcome development.

Farming Calendar of Major Crops in Rivers State

Crop Planting Time Harvesting Time

Cassava All year round All year round

Yam December-March September-November

Plantain/Banana All year round except

periods of very high r ainf all

and drought

All year round

Maize December - March April-July

Melon December - February April-July

Rice June-September August-December

Cocoyam All year round except period

of high r ainf all

All year round

Pinea pple January - April December - March

Sweet Potato March - June September - November

Cowpea August - October December - January

Soya bean July - August November - January

Oil Palm February - May 3-4 years later

Animal Production in Rivers State

Animal production in the state is very low and

scanty

Largely as a result of rudimentary methods of

rearing and management

Animal species r aised in the state include native

fowl, ducks, turkey, goats, pigs, r a bbit, gr ass

cutters Exotic or imported chickens do exist but their

numbers are not consider a ble due to scarcity of

feeds.

Constr ains to Livestock Production in Rivers State

Prevailing high temper ature, humidity and solar r adiation affectlivestock and poultry which suffer excessive heat load

High cost of feeds for the f arm animals which is estimated to

account for 70% of the cost.

Lack of gr azing reser ves and well tended pastures High infection r ate due to the climatic condition

No baseline data on livestock species

Insufficient ca pital outlay

Dearth of suita ble technology for inoculations in livestock production

Poor tr ansportation network and inadequate marketing outlets

or agencies

Rivers State Agriculture Policy

o r aise the output of the agricultur al sector for increasing population and to make the state self-sufficient in food

production

To ensure adequate supply of r aw materials for the envisaged

agro-based industries

To provide greater employment opportunities in agriculture by

development of private and government owned f arm

To provide institutions and f acilities such as agricultur al

research centres, credit, stor age, marketing, machinery hire etc

To provide tr aining f acilities for workers and f armers with a view to increasing agricultur al and f arming skills

To promote mechanization of agriculture production.

Government Progr ammes in Agriculture

Risonpalm Limited esta blished in 1975 Oper ating in Elele, Ubima, Bori has a mill with installed

ca pacity of 20 tons/hrs in 2 production lines. Ubima mill

has not be performing very satisf actorily

Delta Rubber Company esta blished in 1976 Oper ating in Elele, Abar a, Odagwa and Umuoye/Akpoku.

Production has dwindle due to lack of maintenance of the

f actory

Pa bod Food Company esta blished in 1976 To produce poultry and pigs along with animal feeds at

Elimgbu

Presently the company is a comatose condition

School to Land Authority esta blished in 1985

With 9 f arms located at Iriebe, Agbeta, Bori, Bunu-Tai,Egbek a-Nwuba, Kpaa,

A number of young school leavers were also tr ained and

settled

However, it is not known whether the tr ainees settled arestill working on their f arms

Agricultur al Development Progr amme (ADP) esta blished

in 1988

Its ob jectives were to increase crop, livestock and fisheries

production

The positive results of this progr amme were not sustained

Challenge of Youth in Agriculture The picture of agriculture the youth have is that of strenuous andunpredicta ble occupations

Frustr ated village f armers who barely make ends meet

Poor image of persons involved in agriculture

Low productivity and subsistence f arming Ina bility to expose the youth to the business of agriculture

makes them see µagriculture¶ as a form of punishment and signof poverty

The agriculture gr aduates they know end up as µfrustr atedschool teachers¶ or they turn to other professions

This makes agriculture very unattr active to the youth andunderstanda bly they will run from it

Eight Major Career

AreasProduction Agriculture

Agriculture MechanicsAgriculture Sales & Service

Agriculture Processing

Forestry

Rural Recreation & Natural Resources

Agriculture Marketing & Business Management

Horticulture

Production Agriculture Raising

* Field Crops

* Poultry

* Fruit

* Vegetables* Livestock

Agriculture Mechanics Involves

* Planning &Constructing Buildings

* Machinery

Maintenance

* Welding

* Electrical Work &

Plumbing

Agriculture Sales & Service Involves Occupations

such as:

* Veterinarian

* Ag Commissioner

* Equipment Dealers

* Feed Dealers

* Ag Flying

Agriculture Processing Involves

processing and

distributing food

* Examples

include:

Butchers

Plant Workers

Egg Processing

Horticulture Involves

* Landscaping

* Floriculture

* Turf Management

* Nursery

Management

Forestry Involves

* Producing &Harvesting

Timber

* ManagingForests

* Reforestation

Agriculture Marketing &

Business Management Involves

* Business Economics

* Developing Markets

* Successful

Marketing

Research Opportunities in Agricultural Institutes

There are numerous opportunities for jobs in the agricultur al research institutesin Nigeria

± Ar a ble Crops Research Institutes

± National Agricultur al Extension Research and Liaison Ser vices (AERLS)

± Institute for Agricultur al Research (IAR) ± Institute of Agricultur al Research and Tr aining (IAR&T)

± National Cereals Research institute (NCRI)

± Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI)

± National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI)

± National Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI)

± Forestry, Horticulture and Tree Crops Research Institutes ± Forestry Research institute of Nigeria

± National Horticulture Research Institute (NIHOR T)

How you can start planning at different levels?

Secondary School Career Plan: ± Develop science pro jects with plants, animals,

soil, water, energy, ecology, conser vation, andwildlife

± Join Agriculture clubs and choose agricultur al pro jects

± Volunteer to work on lawn, garden,greenhouses, f arm or conser vation pro jects

± Enroll in agriculture or other career education pro jects at school

Higher Institutions

Enroll in agriculture classes including plant science,animal science, agricultur al mechanics, agribusinessand f arm management

Enroll in ± prepar atory courses in English, math andscience

Join Join Agriculture clubs and relevant youth organization and participate in leadership andcitizenship activities

Develop a broad, super vised agricultur al experience pro ject

Acquire hands-on, skill-development experience

Conduct agricultur al research pro ject

Career Plan After Higher Institutions

Obtain an agricultur al job and plan waysto get additional tr aining while on the job

Enter relevant institutes or college andtake courses that will tr ansfer to the

college of agriculture or life science of your choice

Enter a two-year progr am in technical

agriculture Enter a college of agriculture or lifescience and obtain a bachelor degree(B.S.), master degree (M.S.), and/ or

doctor ate (Ph.D)

Where to Obtain Agriculture

Career Information?

www.ff a.org Look for the Career Center under the Site

Index.

Careers Opportunities in Youth Organizations in Agriculture

Youth Organization in Agriculture is anorganized group of young people under theguidance of a leader for the purpose of ca pacity building in the field of agriculture.

Youth organizations are important to helpyouths to see agriculture as a dignified

profession from which people can earn a decent living and not as one in which the

pr actitioner are condemned to poverty and

compelled to experience hell on earth. Youth organizations in agriculture arenecessary to develop responsible leadershipand followership skills.

Young Farmers Club

A young f armers' club (YFC) is an organization in which young

people (9-20 years) are encour aged to learn a bout better f arming

and homemaking.

The members are under the guidance of the agriculture teachers,

agricultur al extension personnel and local voluntary leaders.

The members of the club are allowed to elect their officers, plan

their own progr ammes, execute these progr ammes and hold

meetings regularly

They also carry out worth-while pro jects or activities in

f arming, homemaking, community development and other related areas

The philosophy of Young f armers' club progr amme is a

pr actical one that emphasizes "learning by doing".

What¶s In Your Area

Depends on 3 different factors

Population Climate

Consumer Demand

What¶s Right For You?

What areas interest you?

Where to look«

Teachers

Friends Family

Industry

Newspaper Professional Assoc.

Internet

How To Contact People

Letter

Word of Mouth

Some Recommendations For Youth Involvement In Agriculture

1. Improved access to Tr aining and Ca pacity Development

± 1.1. Improved tr aining at the primary and secondary school level ± 1.2. Linking School Agricultur al Oper ations with Gener al Curriculum

± 1.3.More opportunities for on f arm tr aining for youth

± 1.4. Enterprise development tr aining particularly in value added activities such as food processing and pack aging

2. Improved and easier access to resources such as:

± 2.1. L and

± 2.2.Ca pital

± 2.3.Technology and Information 2.3.1. Facilitating access to and encour aging the use of a ppropriate technology

2.3.2. Developing a data base of agencies that can provide access to youth on information inagriculture

3. Facilitating Market Opportunities

± 3.1. Providing targeted marketing opportunities for primary and value-added agricultur al products produced by young entrepreneurs via special arr angements with schools, hotelsetc.

4. Providing motivation and improving the image of agriculture ± 4.1. Upd ate policies and incentives

5. Facilitating networking among youth

± 5.1. Providing incentives to encour age colla bor ation and group activity of youth

Plan and Execute the First Youth Award for Excellence in Agriculture in 2011 in con junction

with relevant government agencies and organization Develop special scholarship schemes in agriculture(based on merit) for young people fromagricultur ally via ble communities in Rivers State.

This inter vention will assist with motivating andrewarding youths involved in agriculture which iscritical to their involvement while unearthing themany innovations that are certain to surf ace

Some Recommendations For Youth

Involvement In Agriculture

If agriculture is in your future ««

It is never to early to plan for your

personal career success.

agricultural careers- peter cookey

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