ENTICING THE YOUTH INTO AGRICULTURE

AN OVERLOOKED ROLE OF AGRICULTURE IN OUR SOCIETY

INTRODUCTION

Agriculture is the art, science and business of cultivating the soil, producing crops and raising livestock that are useful to man through the production of food, feed, fibre, latex, tannin, oils, and biofuel.

Activities like handling, processing and storing crops, livestock, fish and bee products are all studied as part of agriculture. Agriculture also encompasses both on-farm (activities done on the farm from planting to harvesting) and off-farm (activities done from harvest through packaging till final consumption)

It is realized that many people are too focused on-farm activities, from harvesting to selling. Thus leaving excess harvested products or crops to waste. This is because they do not have the right mediums through which they can deliver their raw materials to help feed the processing industries. Some have little or no knowledge of post-harvest and its techniques for handling these products before they get to the industries or even process, brand and package their products for advertisement and marketing. 

OVERLOOK ROLES OF AGRICULTURE

1. Agriculture is not left out when we move to the health sector. Pawpaw seeds may be used as dewormers; 

  • Neem extracts and leaves are often used to cure malaria fever, and insecticides to control insects.
  • Insulin extracted from pigs (porcine or pork insulin) and cows(bovine or beef insulin) may be processed and packaged for the treatment of diabetic patients to gain more energy. 

It is important to note that all herbal medicines are extracts of plants we cultivate, and the pharmaceutical industry uses many medicinal plants to produce drugs.  Therefore, if there’s little knowledge of post-harvest handling, herbs cannot be stored for long; thus, farmers’ efforts will go down the drain.

2. Much agricultural produce is used to feed many processing industries to produce most of our cherished finished products. Some of these industries use raw products.

  • The Textile industry can use cotton, linen and fur/animal hair to produce thread, linen, clothing and blanket. Vulcanizing factories or industries can use rubber (latex) to produce car tyres, surgical gloves, medical devices, clothes, storage equipment, etc.
  • Food processing factories use maize and wheat grain, potatoes, etc., to produce cornflakes, bread or pastries, flour, etc.
  • Hide and skin animals by Tanning and shoe industries to produce shoes, leather bags and belts; sofa covers, crafts and arts for tourism, etc.
  • Milk from most ruminants by the Dairy industry to produce canned milk, cheese, yoghurt etc.

3. Shelter

The building industry uses timber (processed wood) for building bridges and parts of houses(doors, window frames, ceilings, rooftops, etc.).  Also, the wood and timber manufacturing sector into wood products, such as lumber, plywood, veneers, wood containers, wood flooring, wood trusses, etcPalm and coconut fronds, Straws (thatch), and cocoa leaves are often used for roofing mud houses and rural setting settlements. Trees serve as a habitat for various animals, both in the wild and domesticated, like birds, monkeys, and squirrels, among many others.

Conclusion 

Agriculture plays a vital role in our society, contributing a lot to life and the country as a whole. Its linkage to so many industries should be recognized and known, as many of these industries will collapse if these raw materials are not continually produced.  Often excess produce left after the sale is wasted because the channels are not available for processing.  Hence, if systems are not put in place, farmers may lose interest in producing these raw materials, which are important for these industries. They’ll only engage in subsistence farming, and this will, at large, endanger food security.

 In as much as agriculture’s role is recognized greatly in production, it plays major roles with the industries for processing, which means agricultural institutions should focus much on integrating factory tours and post-harvest handling, and food processing into their curriculum; more industries should be expanded and brought closer to the farming communities, and most importantly, channels should be put in place for marketing to these industries.

 

RUTH OBUO KUSI

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