Reflection: School Agric business is not a new thing

Commend, commend, commend as if life is all about commendation even when you know things are not going the way they supposed to go. On 20^th October, 2014, the Federal Government through the office of Senior Special Adviser to the President, Hajia Baraka Sani dragged Mr. President out of his tight schedule to the launching of Agriculture business club in secondary schools, a programme that have being with us for years without any impact. The fact is that the launching does not deserve much glamourous ceremony it attracted as these clubs did not go beyond the school level as many of the members do not really take up farming profession as expected. 

For once let us be frown with ourselves, rather than concentrating on building institution and more workable infrastructure that will make Agriculture more attractive as a sustainable career, we prefer engaging in laughable thing in the name of encouraging Agriculture among the younger ones in Nigeria secondary schools where majority have not really understood what future portend in the face of government policy and unfriendly economic environment that is making life difficult for young entrepreneurs and private sector generally. 

As I sincerely commend the effort of this present administration for at least trying to reposition the face of agriculture towards making every value chains of the sector as business with proactive Minister who recently gave a directive to National Agricultural Seeds Council for the training and engagement of youth corps in the improved seeds monitoring and certification, I must also quickly point that  the tempo must be vigorously pursued without unnecessary mellow dramatic of farming school clubs as we are aware many of the university graduates of Agriculture are stranded at home doing nothing based on decayed system of public sector doing the business by themselves rather than encouraging friendly sustainable policies. 

I was just coming out from a meeting organized by the National Council of Local Government Department of Agriculture (NACOLGDA) where high level of disconnect between the three tiers of government have really hinder the development and empowerment of our youths that reside in rural communities who may have likely taken more interest in agriculture if it had been well supported at that level. Let no one be deceived, Agriculture is meant for focused and serious minded people who are not passionate about luxury of life as you must be patient, persevere, resilient and pragmatic and be ready to endure especially in an environment like ours that is battling with unfriendly business policy occasioned by government inconsistency with many unfulfilled promises that have paralyzed many farmers. 

Majority people that are children of farmers in the past have left the villages where agriculture is being practiced for greener pasture of white collar jobs. As much as i agree with farmers’ school club as a way of encouraging youth into farming, also I want to sound that Nigeria do not need the whole lot population in the sector as we always clamour based on the small fractional people doing Agriculture in advance country where the system works effectively for development with mechanization farming. 

Majority of my school mates whose fathers were seasoned farmers today have left farming for other things as it is easier said than done  just as people who always say there is money in Agriculture. Even people that commonly say it in public functions would not allow their children to become one because of what it takes. Sirs our problem is not farmers’ club in the secondary schools because it has been part of us for years and till date, as many research Institutes have some of these schools as centres for rural farmers’ training and transferring of improved technologies to their parents, but yet many of them did not take to farming as a result of the long neglect to the sector’ development. We do not need to persuade anybody to do farming if there are right workings institutions that motivate and encourage one, like government buying back from farmers so as to allow them to immediately go back to cultivation.  After all nobody encourages anybody to play professional football but the gain is the driving force and our youths are day by day going for it and any other show business stuff like music and drama acting. My advice is that government should concentrate on building efficient structures that will lift the face of present level of agricultural development than making old practice new in the name of promoting farmers’ club in the secondary schools when many university graduates are there roaming about the streets .

 It is much unheard that the funding going into research has even gone below figure between 2010 and now. If you are not investing in research for the future, what would these children fall back to even when they finally choose to do farming? I want to believe there are other several better things to do in the development of Agriculture especially in the area of rural road infrastructure to open up farm lands for easy evacuation of produce to avoid wastages after production than show of drama in the name of farming club in the city centre schools, and not even the villages where there could be much catchment due to availability of land and what have you.