THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAINS IN DEVELOPING A VIBRANT YOUTH IN AGRICULTURE SECTOR IN GHANA

INTRODUCTION

Agricultural value chains are well structured and coordinated relationships/networks between actors in the Agricultural industry that strengthens the needed structures for accelerated Agricultural development.

Agriculture value chains therefore play a vital role in Agriculture development as they  ensure  healthy Public Private Partnerships for the development of Agricultural value chains that ensure improved access to Agricultural inputs and services for increased Agricultural production.

Undeveloped Agriculture value chains in Ghana is therefore a major challenge to the development of successful Agribusinesses by young Agricultural entrepreneurs, as they are not able to effectively partner  with other Agriculture value chain actors to enable them access the needed inputs and  services for efficient Agribusiness development.

Effective public-private partnerships in Ghana’s Agriculture sector will therefore contribute significantly in developing efficient Agricultural value chain systems that promotes the development of a vibrant youth in Agriculture sector to improve Ghana’s  Agricultural production as it addresses the nation’s challenge of an aging farmer population.

This article therefore discusses the role that Agricultural value chains play in developing a vibrant youth in Agriculture sector in Ghana. These roles include:

Improve Access to Agricultural Extension Service and Research Innovations: the establishment of well structured Agricultural value chain systems improves access to demand driven Agricultural extension service and research innovations, as these Agricultural value chains establishes the needed partnerships between farmers and relevant Agricultural organizations and Research institutes in order to equip farmers and other Agricultural value chain actors with the requisite knowledge and skills to develop viable Agribusinesses.

Improving access to Agricultural extension service and research innovations will therefore promote the active engagement of the youth in Agriculture as they will be equipped with the requisite knowledge and skills to enable them develop sustainable Agribusinesses across the Agricultural value chain.

Agricultural Extension Service
helps young farmers increase
Their Agricultural Production
and Reduce post harvest losses.

To further enhance the engagement of the youth in Agriculture, Agricultural value chains ensures the development of Agricultural extension content that provides farmers with tailor made Agricultural extension service to develop their capacity on: Agricultural value chain development, Agribusiness development, Agricultural financing, Agricultural marketing etc.

These tailor made capacity development trainings will contribute immensely in developing a vibrant youth in Agriculture sector in Ghana, as it will equip young Agricultural entrepreneurs with the knowledge required to effectively engage in Agricultural value chain processes for the development of viable Agribusinesses  that creates jobs and job opportunities to address Ghana’s surging youth unemployment.

Improve Agricultural Market Access: the challenge of the Ghanaian farmer in accessing good market for their Agricultural produce continues to affect their ability to invest in developing large scale Agribusinesses for increased Agricultural production.

 The challenge of poor market access has over the years resulted in the collapse of many Agribusinesses by young Agricultural entrepreneurs; thus affecting the interest of the Ghanaian youth in actively engaging in Agriculture as a sustainable livelihood for the creation of jobs and job opportunities to address the increasing level of youth unemployment in Ghana.

Effective Agricultural value chain
systems improves upon the
transportation of farmers produce.

The development of well structured Agricultural value chains is therefore essential in addressing the challenge of poor market access as they establish the needed Agricultural value chain systems to promote Agricultural market access.

Developed Agricultural value chains also ensure Agricultural market access as they promote investment by Agricultural value chain actors in farming ventures to provide farmers with reliable access to markets and funding to develop their Agribusinesses.

The essential role that Agricultural value chains play in improving market access will therefore contribute significantly in developing a vibrant youth in Agriculture sector in Ghana as the Ghanaian young farmer will be able to profitably market their Agricultural produce to enable them effectively invest in developing viable Agribusinesses to promote Ghana’s accelerated Agricultural development.

Agricultural value chains helps
young farmers
access profitable markets.

Ghana’s efforts in developing a vibrant youth in Agriculture sector should therefore work towards developing well structured Agricultural value chain systems that provide the youth with reliable and profitable market access to enable them take to Agriculture as a sustainable livelihood.

Improve Access to Agricultural Financing: the challenge by many young Agricultural entrepreneurs in Ghana in accessing the needed funding to adequately finance their Agribusinesses continues to militate against the ability of the Ghanaian youth to actively engage in Agriculture as a sustainable livelihood.

As a result of this challenge, many innovative Agribusiness initiatives that have the potential of transforming Ghana’s Agricultural sector are not implemented; thus retarding the development of Ghana’s Agricultural sector.

Access to Agribusiness
Development funding helps
young farmers actively
engage in Agriculture.

Agricultural value chains improves upon Agricultural financing as they establish good business relationships between financial institutions and other Agricultural value chain actors in order to enable financial institutions better understand the financial need of their clients in the Agricultural sector.

A fair  understanding of Agribusiness financing by the financial institutions will enable them develop special banking products that provides Agricultural value chain actors with innovative Agribusiness finance packages, that better suits their financial requirement for the development of sustainable Agribusinesses.

Developed Agricultural value chains also promotes Agricultural financing by other Agricultural value chain actors, thereby increasing access to Agricultural financing to augment the strives made by financial institutions in investing in Ghana’s Agriculture sector for increased Agricultural production.

Agricultural value chains therefore play a significant role in developing a vibrant youth in Agriculture sector, as they provide young Agricultural entrepreneurs with wide range of funding opportunities to enable them develop sustainable Agribusinesses that propel Ghana’s Agricultural development.

Improve Access to Agro Inputs and Agricultural Mechanization services: Agricultural value chains improves upon farmers access to Agro Inputs and Agricultural mechanization services as they establish the needed relationships between farmers, Agro input companies and Agricultural mechanization service providers to promote the exchange of services for increased Agricultural production.

Access to Agro Inputs
helps young farmers
develop viable farming
enterprises.

The establishment of good Agricultural value chain relationships will ensure investment by Agro input companies, mechanization service providers etc in farming ventures to further promote farmers access to production inputs and services for the development of viable farming enterprises.

The operation of efficient Agricultural value chains are therefore essential in developing a vibrant youth in Agriculture sector in Ghana, as the Ghanaian youth will be able to access the needed Agro inputs and Mechanization services to  enable them actively engage in Agriculture as a business for increased Agricultural production.

The engagement of the Ghanaian youth in Agriculture will offer the nation with a new generation of farmers who are able to effectively utilize the nation’s vast and fertile Agricultural land to develop large scale commercial farms that offer jobs and job opportunities to address Ghana’s challenge of youth unemployment.

CONCLUSION

The development of efficient Agricultural value chains systems in Ghana’s Agriculture sector is therefore essential in developing a vibrant youth in Agriculture sector, as these Agricultural value chains will provide the Ghanaian youth with the needed partnerships to access production inputs and services for the development of  viable Agribusinesses that promotes Ghana’s accelerated Agricultural development.