Make Agriculture A Sexy Career Choice for Young Africans, Says AGRA Head

Jane Karuku, president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) believes that encouraging more people into agriculture can help increase productivity of African farmers. Karuku said that young people do not like agriculture because it is hard and treacherous. But according to her, "there is new demand now for mechanization, making agriculture sexy."

There are more exciting agricultural business opportunities than toiling away in the fields, according to Karuku. "I think there are many points at which you can attract the youth - it is not all doom and gloom, and take the hoe," she said. There is also a need for financing as people who want to go into agriculture find it hard to find start-up finance as many do not own land that can be used as collateral.

Karuku added that encouraging more young people into agriculture can also prevent them from migrating to city slums or being drawn into shady activities that pose a security risk.

For more on Karuku's interview, read: http://www.trust.org/item/20140701125915-l8gm6/.