Agriculture suffers from entrenched negative perceptions amongst Liberian youths. In the minds of many young individuals, Agriculture is a poor man’s work that involves backbreaking labor and insufficient financial gains.
This myth is based largely on a misunderstanding of the range of opportunities available to young people in Agriculture and the numerous positive impacts youth actions have on the Agri-food systems. As a youth, identifying the value chain entry points, aligning entrepreneur mindsets and skill sets inorder to ensure food security and gainful employment for better socio economic stability cannot be overemphasized.
We need more youth in Agriculture and Agribusiness to help solve our food insecurity problems like the current Rice insufficiency problem and the high unemployment rate of our country while also boosting our economy.
To make this work, there is a very urgent need for the erection of a Youth Desk at the Ministry of Agriculture of Liberia (MOA Liberia) to work closely with the ministry of youth and Sports, Partners, donors and other government ministries and agencies in crafting, funding, implementing monitoring and evaluating programs that will make Agriculture more attractive to our Liberian Youth.
Decentralization of such programs should highly be considered inorder to make Agriculture sexy and attractive to Young people across the fifteen (15) counties of our beloved Mama Liberia.
Erecting a Youth Desk at the Ministry of Agriculture of Liberia (MOA Liberia) is key to making Agriculture attractive and sexy to our youth and solving our food insecurity and high unemployment rate problems.
We need more youth in Agriculture because the Future needs Real Food and the youth are key players in boosting our economy.
Liberia Feed Yourself Agriculture Initiative-Inc is recommending to the government of Liberia to take the following into consideration inorder to help the developmental agenda of the PRO POOR AGENDA FOR PROSPERITY:
I’m appealing to the government through the Liberians Senates and representatives to declare Agriculture as National Emergency under such declaration we create a bill title ,”Farmers’ Day” in that bill :
A.Every presidential appointees should own a farm
B.Every public schools and colleges operating in Liberia should have her own farm and teach Agriculture as major courses
C. Government should declared duty free on every Agricultural equipment coming to Liberia
D. Liberia should invest into mechanize farming.
E.Full founded Schoolarship program for all Agricultural students & provide capacity building training for all Agro-Enterprunuer in Liberia.
F. Highest producers of our Staples food yearly should be awarded with the following:
1. Pickup
2. Powerteller
3. Tractor.
4. Prize of $10,000 USD
G. Farmers should have easier access to loan , Grant, media, good marking system where government will take the responsibility to buy their produces , process it , sell it into the Liberians market and other countries in the world.
I. Availability of storage facilities and large good Banks .
J. National Agriculture & Food Museum that will attract tourists into Agri Tourism.
To know the local foods we grow here and eat ,how they can grown, and who are the farmers and value chain actors that are largly into that .
K. Hosting of Miss & Mr. Agribusiness and the winners can get a financial prize that can either Support their existing Agribusiness.
The best farmers’ of the year photo and statue can be erected there too….
When the government of Liberia provide all these opportunities for local Farmers ,for Liberia and Liberian to feed herself we will needs to do mechanized Farming…..not traditional farming.
This will encouraging the Youth of this country to get involved into Agribusiness and grow what we can eat, that alone will help reduce tension on government and leaders of country.
There Will be competition amongst farmers or producers of our Staples food Rice ,when it is done we stop the importation of foriengn food like rice in Liberia it will also help increase job creation and youth Empowerment.
The soil in Chine and India are now depreciating or dropping value for that reason they are now using hard chemical to produce all Agroimport in their country on the other hands in Liberia for us our soil is still rich we use it without using hard chemical
Let do this and see annually whether Liberians will not get involved in farming and Agriculture to feed the world.
James Kollie Galakpai CEO and Founder of Liberia Feed Yourself Agriculture Initiative-Inc.
Agriculture is Life therefore it everyone business let go back to the soil to grow what we can eat .