Lead Transformation Initiative (LTI) Director of Operations Mr. Titilayo Femi Kings has stated that the poor perception of youths about agriculture was a direct impact of what they have been made to belief right from their early school days by the text books that painted agriculture as tedious and dirty profession that will make them remain poor. He emphasized that agriculture has been wrongly communicated to the youths from childhood and problem is not tackled from the root, it will keep discouraging youths from engaging in the green collar profession and might eventually kill agriculture in Nigeria.
Mr. Titilayo Femi Kings at the 2021 international youth day
This was stated at a program organized to commemorate the 2021 International Youth Day with the theme “Transforming Food Systems: Youth innovation for Human and Planetary Health” jointly organized by Lead Transformation Initiative and Kids and Teens Resource Center.
Mr. Titilayo added that our school systems are not helping in the development of our food system by making agricultural activities become punishment for students. Students are forced to cut grass or engage in land clearing activities as a means of serving punishment in school. Whereas no students will be made to play football or sing in the name of serving punishment. Land clearing is an important activity in agriculture that shouldn’t be used in any away to punish students, doing so will automatically polarize the students’ mindset and make them believe agriculture is punishment. He noted that sport industry, fashion industry, music industry and the likes have young people looking forward to take up career positions but agriculture doesn’t have such people. Every young person wants to become a footballer, musician, fashion designer, actor etc but no young person wants to be a farmer.
He therefore called on stakeholders in the agri-educational sector to take proactive steps at changing the poor societal perception about agriculture starting from the text books and stop all schools in the country from using agriculture as a punishment for students. This he believes will make agriculture attractive for young people and will eventually transform our food sector and will make champions of our future food system emerge from early stage.