AN ARTICLE BY SAVANET ON THE SUCCESSES OF THE GHANAIAN YOUNG FARMER TOWARDS ACCELERATED AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN GHANA.

Ghana’s Agricultural sector employs about 50.6% (4.2 million people) of the country’s labour force and responsible for about 39% of Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Ghana’s Agricultural sector is therefore undoubtedly a major contributor to the nations strives at accelerated economic growth.

Ghana’s Agriculture is characterized by a large smallholder sector and a relatively large commercial sector comprising of: large Scale Commercial (LSC) farmers, Small Scale (SC) farmers, Semi-Commercial farmers (S-C), Non-Poor Complex Diverse Risk Prone Farmers (NPCDR) and Poor Complex Diverse Risk Prone Farmers (PCDR).

With Ghana’s economically active farming population (15-49 years) representing 50.6% (48.2% male and 51.8% female) of the nation’s labour force, the Ghanaian young farmer plays a vital role in the nation’s quest to accelerate its Agricultural growth and development.

The Ghanaian young farmer has therefore over the years engaged in successful Agribusiness enterprises which has enhanced Ghana’s food security and increased the Agricultural sectors contribution to the Nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The Successes of the Ghanaian young farmer towards accelerating Ghana’s Agricultural growth and Development include:

 v  The establishment of viable Agribusinesses across the Agricultural value chain; As the Ghanaian young farmer is gradually taking to Agriculture as a sustainable business and livelihood, they are successfully establishing viable Agribusinesses in diverse sectors across the Agricultural value chain.

These successful Agribusinesses include: commercial farms with  well structured nucleus farmer systems, small, medium and large scale animal/poultry farms, Aquaculture enterprises with rich investments, tree crop plantations, Agricultural mechanization companies, produce buying companies, Agro-chemical companies etc.

These viable Agribusiness enterprises by Ghanaian young farmers immensely contribute in providing employment and employment opportunities to the youth and the Ghanaian citizenry at large to curtail the surging rate of unemployment. This follows the valuable contributions that their Agribusiness initiatives are making in developing sustainable Agribusinesses across the Agricultural value chain.

These Agribusiness enterprises by Ghanaian young farmers are also contributing significantly in enhancing Ghana’s food security as their initiatives go a long way to address the setbacks in Ghana’s Agricultural production.

With a total export of 10,150MT in cereals and 9,040 MT in starchy staples during the 2010/2011 production year, the Ghanaian young farmer is indeed contributing significantly to the nation’s foreign exchange earnings from traditional and non-traditional Agricultural exports for Ghana’s accelerated development.

It is in this regard that I call on governmental and non-governmental organizations in Ghana to institute the needed mechanisms to develop a vibrant youth in Agriculture sector; with the requisite capacity development and resources to enable the youth spearhead productivity across the Agricultural value chain for accelerated national development.

 v  Ability to adopt and utilize ICT applications/innovations for increased Agricultural production: with mobile data subscription in Ghana increasing from 10,344,322 at the end of July 2013 to 10,564,180 at the end of August 2013 (indicating a growth rate of 2.1%) and an increase in overall mobile penetration rate of 40.0% to 40.7% at the end of August 2013, Ghana’s telecommunication industry is indeed growing swiftly with immense impact on the economy.

It is in this regard that Ghanaian young farmers are increasingly adopting and utilizing ICT applications/innovations to enhance their engagement in the Agricultural sector for   increased Agricultural production.

Following the implementation of innovative ICT driven Agricultural Extension initiatives by SavaNet, young farmers are able to access the requisite capacity development to enable them increase their Agricultural production.

ICT applications/innovations that most Ghanaian young farmers have successfully adopted include: the Audio conferencing mobile application to access Agriculture extension service, SMS for market access, mobile money, basic computing for book keeping and farm budgeting/analysis, GPS technology, mobile application for accessing weather forecast etc.

The adoption of ICT applications by  Ghanaian young farmers in their Agricultural production has resulted in; their ability to access demand driven Agriculture extension service, improved market access, improved financial transactions between Agricultural value chain actors, good book keeping, improved farm budgeting, improved access to weather forecast etc.

These benefits that the Ghanaian young farmer drives from the adoption of ICT applications has therefore resulted in an increase in Agricultural production and improved youth engagement in Agriculture.

The development of an efficient ICT4Ag sector in Ghana is therefore essential in accelerating Ghana’s Agricultural development with the Ghanaian young farmer playing vital roles across the Agricultural value chain.

 v  Reducing the Aging farmer population in Ghana: with 55 years as the average age of the Ghanaian farmer with a life expectancy average of 55-60 years, the commitment of the Ghanaian young farmer to engaging in Agriculture as a sustainable livelihood is contributing significantly in  reducing the ageing farmer population in Ghana.

This has resulted in the emergence of a youthful farmer population that is playing an important role in spearheading Ghanaian’s Agricultural development with the creation of viable Agribusinesses across the Agricultural value chain.

In a bid to develop of a vibrant youth in Agriculture sector in Ghana that spearheads productivity across the Agricultural value chain, SavaNet has over the year’s implemented innovative youth in Agriculture projects that are actively engaging the youth in Agriculture to address Ghana’s challenge of an ageing farming population for accelerated  national development.

The implementation of the youth in Agriculture entrepreneurship project by SavaNet is one of the tailor designed initiative that is nurturing and developing young Agricultural entrepreneurs to address Ghana’s challenge of an ageing farmer population, as it equips them with the requisite capacity development to actively engage in Agriculture for the  creation of viable Agribusinesses across the Agricultural value chain.

Following the successes of the Ghanaian young farmer over the years, it beholds on government, non-governmental organizations etc to institute well structured Private Public Partnerships (PPP) to drive the processes needed to develop a vibrant youth in Agriculture sector in Ghana; where the youth are able to establish viable Agribusinesses across the Agricultural value chain for the creation of jobs and job opportunities.

The development of a vibrant youth in Agriculture sector in Ghana will undoubtedly raise a youthful farmer population to accelerate Ghana’s Agricultural development and increase the contribution of the Agricultural sector to the nation’s GDP for accelerated national development.