Planting for food and jobs - A nexus between job creation and sustainable food security
Planning is essential for the success of any venture and economic planning is no exception. It is equally essential that any plan in perspective must be comprehensive, scientific and rational. In a nutshell, a plan must be tailor-measured to suit, as well as adequately address the purpose of its formulation.
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Factors such as land, labour and balances between industry and agriculture, and also the various branches of the national economy but more importantly that of accumulation and consumption for a developing nation as ours must all be given due consideration if there is to be any meaningful economic planning.
It is from this premise that the government’s well thought-out policy of ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ comes to the fore for analysis. The programme aims to tackle the obvious and imminent danger of food insecurity and unemployment; since they remain two key triggers to national insecurity, hence cannot be overlooked and must rather be applauded and embraced by all of us, notably the youth of Ghana as a viable option to unemployment.
Key elements
Bearing in mind the policy contributions in the past by diverse schools of thought in mentorship and entrepreneurial endeavours geared at confronting youth unemployment, it is certain that the inhibitions of the past, crucial among them being funding for start-up businesses, have been adequately catered for in the programme through the five key pillars that the programme is anchored on. ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ is anchored on some key elements, including making available improved quality of seedlings and the services of well-trained and dedicated agricultural extension officers, increasing supply of fertilisers, marketing arrangements to curtail the challenge of post-harvest losses, thereby promoting a value chain continuum and finally making available an electronic platform to capture and monitor the activities of participating farmers.
It is the anticipation and firm conviction of this writer, that with the proper and effective management of these key elements, certain factors that have mitigated against the positive development of agriculture, as well as some defects in planning and implementing agricultural policies such as imbalances between industry and agriculture which often result in overproduction of certain produce during peak seasons and that are not immediately required, hence resulting in wastage, shall be curtailed.
Inaccessibility to fertilisers and the slow rate of agro-business development have all proven counter-productive to the development of agriculture in Ghana. It is for this reason also that the government’s policy of ‘One District, One Factory’ is brought into sharp focus in a bid to bridge the present divide existing between agriculture and industry. The youth, particularly, are thus encouraged to form cooperatives to not merely pursue agriculture in its traditional form but more importantly to also venture into agro-processing as a means of adding value to their produce.
From the above, the National Youth Authority, under the present leadership of its Chief Executive Officer, Mr Emmanuel Sin-nyet Asigri, joins all well-meaning individuals and institutions to throw its support behind the programme and congratulates the government on the successful launch of the programme.
Mindful of the current unemployment situation and its attendant security implications, the authority would like to propose some suggestions which we believe when adhered to in good faith, would contribute to the successful implementation of the programme.
First, we respectfully propose that the Youth Leadership and Skills Training Institutes spread across the length and breadth of the country -- in all 10 regions of the country -- be adequately equipped and resourced with a restructuring of the curriculum with emphasis on agriculture and agri-business development, given that majority of these institutes are cited in rural communities, which we believe is an added advantage. We also propose that these facilities be possibly given a facelift to make them modestly appealing to the youth to attract and bolster enrolment.
Finally, the authority would like to engender the youth of Ghana to take advantage of this strategic intervention as a viable and noble venture, particularly for those in the informal sector so as to position them to contribute significantly not only to the agric sector but to the national economy as a whole. We urge the youth to carry this vision forward. While we remain mindful of the long way to the final success to the attainment of the ultimate goal of total food security, defined at the 1996 World Food Summit as “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life”, we place emphasis on the remoulding and re-orientation of our youth to prepare them to move this revolutionary programme and our motherland forward.
God bless Ghana!