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 [email protected]
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
areas
Agriculture is thus vital for poverty reduction andfood security
But interest among young people in agriculture
seems to increasingly decrease
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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)
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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.
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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
- ±
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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.
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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
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Rivers State Agriculture Policy
T
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.
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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
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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
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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
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Eight Major Career
AreasProduction Agriculture
Agriculture MechanicsAgriculture Sales & Service
Agriculture Processing
Forestry
Rural Recreation & Natural Resources
Agriculture Marketing & Business Management
Horticulture
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Production Agriculture Raising
* Field Crops
* Poultry
* Fruit
* Vegetables* Livestock
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Agriculture Mechanics Involves
* Planning &Constructing Buildings
* Machinery
Maintenance
* Welding
* Electrical Work &
Plumbing
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Agriculture Sales & Service Involves Occupations
such as:
* Veterinarian
* Ag Commissioner
* Equipment Dealers
* Feed Dealers
* Ag Flying
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Agriculture Processing Involves
processing and
distributing food
* Examples
include:
Butchers
Plant Workers
Egg Processing
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Horticulture Involves
* Landscaping
* Floriculture
* Turf Management
* Nursery
Management
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Forestry Involves
* Producing &Harvesting
Timber
* ManagingForests
* Reforestation
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Agriculture Marketing &
Business Management Involves
* Business Economics
* Developing Markets
* Successful
Marketing
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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)
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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
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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
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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)
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Where to Obtain Agriculture
Career Information?
www.ff a.org Look for the Career Center under the Site
Index.
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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.
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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".
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What¶s In Your Area
Depends on 3 different factors
Population Climate
Consumer Demand
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What¶s Right For You?
What areas interest you?
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Where to look«
Teachers
Friends Family
Industry
Newspaper Professional Assoc.
Internet
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How To Contact People
Phone
Letter
Word of Mouth
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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
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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
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If agriculture is in your future ««
It is never to early to plan for your
personal career success.