Rural youth are the future of the
agricultural sector. With a growing
world population and a decreasing agricultural productivity in combination with
a rural exodus, sustainable food production and supply are threatened. Young
farmers play an important role in ensuring food security for future generations
but they face many challenges.
The world population is projected to 9.3
billion in 2050 and to reach 10.1 billion by 2100. According to the World Bank, the size of rural
population is expected to continue to grow until 2020. This population growth
has resulted in the ongoing sub-division of land and in highly fragmented
parcels. Therefore, youth (especially
those with many siblings) end up inheriting just a very small piece.
There is a need to create more vocational
training centres for the youth to revive agriculture whose contribution has
come down to nearly 15% of gross domestic product (GDP) in the country.
Technological upgrading as well as social
engineering will be essential for improving the productivity, profitability and
sustainability of small farms. Educated youth can provide demand-driven
services such as farm health monitoring and enhancement, production and
marketing of the biological software essential for sustainable agriculture,
climate risk management, organisation of bioparks, food parks, bio-villages,
bioindustrial watersheds, and improved post-harvest technology.
For youth to be persuaded to take to
farming, agriculture must be economically rewarding and intellectually
stimulating. The development of the services sector in rural India will
increase income and improve the efficiency of farming. Once a large number of
educated youth settle in villages, much of the IT services work can be
outsourced from urban to rural areas. This will help in maintaining our global
leadership in this area by making such assignments very cost-effective.
Governments should promote policies and
programmes that result in real improvements in the quality of agricultural
jobs, especially through adoption of modern technology. They should also ensure
that mechanisms, institutions and support networks are in place so young people
can advance in these jobs. Because young people’s situations vary from region
to region, approaches must be flexible and sensitive to local socio-economic
realities.
As a responsible company working for the
benefit of the farming community, Crystal Group is committed to encourage youth
and support government’s policy for the need of youth in Indian agriculture.
