Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise in Niger Delta, LIFE-ND has called on youths in the Niger Delta to take up agriculture as business to earn decent living
This was disclosed by the National Project Coordinator of LIFE-ND, Engr. Sanni Abiodun during a youth sensitization programme tagged ” Youth in Agriculture Advocacy Platform” in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Represented by the Rural Institution Gender and Youths Coordinator of LIFE-ND, Dr. Clement Uwem, Engr. Sanni Abiodun said the dialogue is intended to highlight the challenges confronting youths in agriculture and proffer practical solutions towards addressing them.
Engr. Abiodun noted that LIFE-ND as a youth sensitive programme in collaboration with the Government is poised to create employment for the youths through agriculture.
He stressed that as a country with a youthful population of 49% using agriculture as a means to create jobs will solve the unemployment quagmire, pointing out that inorder to make agriculture attractive there is the need to make it a vocation.
He stated that ” Today basically, we are having a youth in agriculture dialogue which is a platform for youths to bear there minds on the challenges they are facing as agribusiness operators.
” Recall that the current government in line IFAD and other donor agencies is trying to use agriculture to create employment for the youths and Nigeria with a youthful population of 49% you realize that it is a very laudable project when you approach the youth with agriculture as a vocation to earn a living.
” You know before now, agriculture was regarded as a cultural activity, but the government in it’s wisdom realized that if we must create massive employment what International Labour Organisation (ILO) called decent jobs you should explore areas like agriculture which is an extractive industry.
” But just bringing youths into agriculture is one aspect, the other aspect is to know the challenges they face for instance there are challenges that revolves around infrastructure, there are challenges that have to do with access to land, there are challenges that have to do regulations and policies, access to credit is also challenges.
” But a youth sensitive programme like LIFE-ND want to hear from the youths themselves, so that is why the youth in agriculture dialogue is being held today in Bayelsa State and is also streamed live to give opportunities to youths that are not here. So what is affecting them, they need to say it the way it affect them.”
The National Project Coordinator of LIFE-ND noted that at the end of the dialogue a policy brief would be produced describing it as a document intended to advance the needs of the youths that could ultimately lead to the enactment of new laws or adjustment of youth friendly laws to aid ease of doing business in agriculture.
In his opening remarks, the Bayelsa State Project Coordinator of LIFE-ND, Dr. Paniebi Ugo said LIFE-ND is a federal government projects in collaboration with IFAD designed to alleviate the poverty level amongst youths, people with disabilities and women headed house hold in the Niger Delta.
Dr. Ugo stated that LIFE- ND has trained over 3000 youths during the three years of its existence in various agribusiness enterprises in four commodity areas of poultry, aquaculture, cassava and plantain as well as their value chain.
He called on participants to open up in discussing the challenges confronting them while carrying out their farming business in order to proffer solutions on better ways of improving agribusiness in the state.
A graduand incubatee, Abraham Akpokpo lauded LIFE-ND for coming up with a programme for Youths to discuss the challenges they face in agriculture, and expressed the hope that at the end of the dialogue there will be workable solutions to the challenges discussed.
Also speaking, a participant, Mrs. Beketin Taiwo from Agricultural Development Programme, ADP appreciated the organizers of the programme as it an avenue for the youths to bear their minds of the problem they facing in agribusines.