Youths' involvement in agric, key to sustainable development – Rhoda

Young Farmers

Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union Commission, Ms Rhoda Peace Tumusiime had said that involving youth in agricultural development and decision making processes is key to ensuring sustainable development in Africa.

She said this at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia while officiating a workshop on youth, ICT and entrepreneurship in agriculture co-organised by Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Co-operation (CTA) and NEPAD E-Africa Programme.

In her address, the AU commissioner said that African's population has over 60 per cent youths and 40 per cent of the 70 per cent people in the rural areas are also youths.

The continent, she noted can leverage on the youths available as the current youths are more educated and learned, enterprising and ambitious.

"We can therefore reap the benefits of the demographic dividend and create a virtuous cycle from a healthier, better-educated and more economically productive and focused workforce, if this potential is well harnessed,” she said.

She also said there is urgent need for the expansion of access to secondary and tertiary education, creating and expansion of rural job opportunities and building capacity and promoting entrepreneurship among the youth.

Ms Rhoda Peace Tumusiime

CTA Director, Mr. Michael Hailu affirmed Africa's unemployment standing at 50 per cent, adding that most of the unemployed are young people and females.

He said CTA would not relent in its effort to support activities that encourage youth in ACP countries to consider agriculture as a viable career path, including seizing ICT chances in that framework. "Modern information and communication technologies provide opportunities for creating jobs and entrepreneurship for the youth."

Acting Head, NEPAD e-Africa Programme, Dr. Edmund Katiti insisted that African development and youth employment could be strengthened through the promotion of e-applications and e-services, the promotion of mobile payment systems, agricultural information systems, open software development and adequate capacity building.

The workshop, NaijaAgroNet gathered involved 30 youths and experts from diverse disciplines, countries and international organizations in Africa, and aimed at exchanging ideas about the use of ICT in agrobiz by African Youths.

The workshop also sees to strategies to strengthen their opportunities in agricultural sector. 

Better promotion of successes in agrobusiness was part of the recommendations from participants, other recommendations include improving opportunities for youth in rural areas using ICTs, providing funding arrangements and policies that support youth business in agriculture and youth companies engaged in the development of ICT solutions for agriculture.

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Southern African states to launch climate change study centre

Southern African Science Centre for Climae Change and Adaptive Land

Five Southern African states have agreed to establish a common monitoring centre for climate change studies for the region, reports TheNewAge.

The study centre, Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management NaijaAgroNet learnt would be launched in Windhoek, Namibia by the five countries, namely South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia.

Also, NaijaAgroNet gathered that German government supported the initiative with 50 million euros, about N10.38 billion aimed at streamlining the regional scientific research about climate change trends and management of natural resources.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that a similar centre was recently launched by 10 West African states, supported and funded by Germany.

John Phiri, Zambian Science minister said, "This initiative will bring knowledge, data, information and services generated by our own scientists with support of their colleagues from Germany." 

The centre would also coordinate research and share information, with a secretariat based in Windhoek.

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FCT Secretary urges youths to take hold of Fadama III

Secretary to the Agriculture and Rural Development of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mrs. Olvadi Madayi has urged youths in the FCT to embrace Fadama III project, repots Leadership.

Highlighting some reasons for the project, Madayi said the project was designed to assist in the alleviation of poverty and to also improve the living standards of the people.

The projects, NaijaAgroNet learnt has touched lives of people at the grassroots and the Agriculture and Rural Development secretary had promised that the FCT administration would not relent in its effort to pay its counterpart funding which she also urged area councils’ chairmen to do same so that the project would be sustained.

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Agricultural loan scheme for Kwara youths

Sen. Bukola Saraki

Serving senator of the Federal Republic and former governor of Kwara State, Sen. Bukola Saraki has expressed resolve to introduce a revolving loan scheme for Kwara youths, reports DailyTrust.

Sen. Saraki said that the loan for youths in the state is to enable them embark on agriculture.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that the former Governor said that taking up agriculture production as a way of guaranteeing food security in the state and country at large, would assist in eradication of unemployment among the youths.

“If all the youths  coming  out of  Nigerian  institutions  of higher learning are properly incorporated into agricultural production within a short period of time,  the country  will  stop  importing certain items  and in turn start  exporting,” he said. 

He also said, there is need for proper implementation of agriculture as it has more capacity to increase the nation’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP) than oil and other mineral resources.

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Incorporate natural resource to sustain food security - Experts

Experts have said that incorporation of natural resources in farming practices will provide sustainable solution to food insecurity in Africa, CoastWeek reports.

Natural resources incorporation in farming, NaijaAgroNet gathered that will help in the face of climate change, decline in soil fertility and shrinking size of arable land.

Addressing the Beating Famine conference, the regional Leader of World Vision East Africa, Mr. Charles Owubah reportedly said that restoring ecosystems will boost the resilience of food production systems in Africa.

The conference was organized by the Nairobi-based World Agro Forestry Center (ICRAF) and International Christian Charity, World Vision.

“Fighting hunger should go alongside reversing environmental degradation that has worsened this challenge in the region,” Owubah said. 

He urged countries to embrace ever green agriculture to boost crop and the resilience of small holders to climate change impacts such as droughts and floods.

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12 countries partner EU, FAO on managing obsolete pesticide

European Union

Twelve countries in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia are to work with the European Union (EU) and UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in order to handle their stocks of obsolete pesticides.

NaijaAgroNet authoritatively gathered that about 200,000 tonnes of obsolete pesticides could be found in 12 Soviet Union republics and are kept in tens of thousands of unprotected sites.

EU and FAO are making provisions for the sum of 7 million Euro, about N1.44 billion for the next four years to assist Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

The funds will be used in managing obsolete pesticides and to also reduce the risks of current stocks.

A press release made available to NaijaAgroNet indicated that the obsolete pesticides pose a serious threat to the health of the people around them and to the environment.

Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations

The joint effort will also see to the building of capacity to reduce risks from pesticides used in agriculture and avoid build-up of additional stockpiles in future.

FAO Director-General, Graziano da Silva said that pesticides may be an important input for farming but need to be used responsibly while protecting human health and the environment from their adverse effects.

"In our quest for sustainability and to meet the challenge of feeding a growing population while preserving our environment, we also need to take a good look at the different options we have to protect crops and improve productivity. This includes using natural means to protect and improve crop yields through sustainable crop intensification, or 'save and grow' techniques as we call it at FAO," FAO boss added.

EU Ambassador, Laurence Argimon-Pistre affirmed EU's established policy dialogue and cooperation on environment related issues with its eastern neighbours and Central Asian partners. 

"In its new Neighbourhood Policy, the EU will continue to pursue a higher level of environment protection with its eastern partners and be committed to combat environmental degradation," she added. "This includes obsolete pesticides and other hazardous chemicals, whose environmental and health risks are not only at stake for the region but also for the EU".

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Employ modern techniques to boost farm productivity - Experts

Mechanized Farming

Experts have called for incorporation of modern techniques and methods to boost farm productivity as the next revolution in farming, IBNLive reports.

The Deputy Director-General, Crop Science, Indian Council of Agriculture Research, Swapan Datta said at a discussion panel that biotechnology can improve biodiversity and also help with the improvement of farm productivity as well.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that Datta said science and technology can be used to develop value added genetically engineered or modified crops and that crops can support our environment and farmers' need. 

S L Kothari, Professor of Botany Department, University of Rajasthan, another member of the panelist laid emphasis on increase in farm productivity so that farmers can get more benefit from crops. Read more

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Horn of Africa famine position, still worrisome - UNICEF

A recent report by the United Nations International children Education Fund (UNICEF) made known that the outlook of the drought is still a threat as more than 8 million people are in need of emergency assistance.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that various international institutions, UNICEF included, lend helping hands towards the revival of the Horn of Africa, saving tens of thousands of children's live in 2011 when the region witnesses drought and famine, the worst in decades.

According to the UNICEF report, the outlook of the famine is threatening the tentative gains, the humanitarian support gotten so far, as it is really worrisome.

This was revealed to NaijaAgroNet in a press statement made available by UNICEF, despite supports received since 2011 the prospects for a sustained recovery are increasingly precarious.

UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Elhadj As Sy said the child survival crisis in the region is far from over, "Millions of children require sustained assistance in the critical months ahead. Otherwise we can easily see a reversal of the hard-won achievements."

Elhadj As Sy, who is also the UNICEF Global Emergency Coordinator for Crisis in the region said the most recent weather outlook in combination with prevailing insecurity and violence in many areas can lead to new shocks and disruptions, "A development which again puts the lives of hundreds of thousands of children at risk," he said.

NaijaAgroNet further gathered that almost one-third of Somali, about 2.51million are still in acute humanitarian crisis with over 323, 000 acutely malnourished children. 

Others include 463,000 Somali refugees in the Dadaab camps in north eastern Kenya, 142,000 people in the Dollo Ado camps in Ethiopia as well as 22,000 people in the Ali Addeh camp in Djibouti as well as 1.35 million Somalis displaced within their own country, totally over 8million.

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