Youth should stop viewing agriculture as a sector favourable for unsophisticated rural folk, not the urbane “kleva” types. This is because the sector has huge economic potential to address the problem of joblessness throughout Africa.
This was the gist of the message from Buti Manamela, Deputy Minister in the Presidency, in a keynote speech at the first Young Africa Works Summit held in Cape Town.
While highlighting agriculture’s potential, Manamela acknowledged the the main obstacles which hindered youth from participating in the sector as lack of finance to access land and latest technology, as entrepreneurs and poor wages as employees. He singled out lack of access to land, low interest due to long held perceptions about agriculture, poor wage and lack of entrepreneurship.
“Agriculture can no longer be regarded as hard labour. Subsistence farming is not enough. The youth need the skills to manage the technical side of farming,” he said.
