TRAINING OF RURAL YOUTHS IN AGRICULTURE AND ITS VALUE CHAIN,

PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES BEING A PAPER PRESENTED BY DR. NASIRU

LADAN MOHAMMED, DIRECTOR GENERAL NATIONAL DIRECTORATE OF
EMPLOYMENT (NDE) AT THE INTEGRATED RURAL DEVELOPMENT
CONFERENCE 2017 ORGANISED BY THE RURAL COMMUNITY PROJECTS,
ABUJA HELD ON 28TH NOVEMBER, 2017 AT NNAMDI AZIKIWE HALL, NICON
LUXURY HOTEL ABUJA.

PROTOCOLS

Distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure for this
singular honour and privilege to make a brief presentation at this all important
conference on Integrated Rural Development.

I am not only delighted by the quality of participants and resource persons, but the
timing of this year’s conference with youths in the rural areas as its central focus. Of
particular interest is the obvious fact that the conference comes at a time when our
beloved country is desirous, and on the path of economic growth occasioned by the
paradigm shift to agriculture and youths employment within the epoch of mantra of
change. I believe all of us are expected to be change agents in our collective and
individual capacities.

Permit me to reiterate that our gathering here this morning is supportive of Mr.
President’s Agenda for Change. But you will also agree with me that change without
appreciable level of improvement in agriculture, its value chain and youths employment
becomes meaningless. Our gathering here primarily is to cross-fertilize ideas,
brainstorm and emerge with crystallized though not necessarily harmonious narrative
on promoting integrated rural development within the precinct of attracting youths into
agricultural value chain (agribusiness) activities, hence, re-engineer the economy of our
dear country.

To us in the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) an efficient and effective

engagement of youths in agriculture and its value chain would make our task in
employment generation easier. We shall see (in brief) the strategies adopted by NDE
towards promoting rural employment. It is also pertinent to note that agriculture is one
of the key strategies outlined in the Federal Government’s Midterm Economic Policy,
viz; the 2017 – 2020 Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP). Thus, this
conference is in tandem with current discourse on the economy of the country and the
quest for national development. Let me therefore congratulate the organizers of this
conference for a job well-done.

Distinguished participants, let me also remind you that in the world of learning there is
no superman “as no limit can be set to skills neither is there any craftsman that
possesses full advantage”. In everyday parlance, there is no single individual that has
monopoly of knowledge. In the light of the above therefore, I consider your positive
criticisms, contributions, observations, and comments as nourishment for this discourse.
May God Bless you as you listen attentively.

Distinguished participants ladies and gentlemen; my presentation is on the topic

“Training of Rural Youths in Agriculture and Its Value Chain, Prospects and Challenges.”

Perhaps, my main focus in this conference is to briefly present the strategies

implemented by NDE in training of youths in agriculture and its value chain. This will be
preceded by brief introduction, definition of some key terms, general perspective on
agriculture and agricultural value chain, its prospects towards creating decent job
opportunities and promoting national development.

INTRODUCTION

Every human organization irrespective of its nature and nomenclature: corporate,

public, formal, informal, big or small has a defined vision and mission it sets to achieve.
In achieving these organizational goals, (strategic, tactical and operational) certain
ingredients must be present. Notably: land, labour, capital and management.

Of these elements however, human element is the most critical factor because it is this
element that makes things work in the organization as it provides both the requisite
labour and the managerial know how needed for the successful operation of the
organization. Thus without the human element the organization will remain forever a
carcass. It is this single fact that makes man central to organization in that the
organization in itself is created, inhabited and ran by man. For man (humankind) to
interact and perform effectively in his/her environment, his/her skills have to be
functional and re-sharpened constantly so as to meet up with the dynamic challenges of
life. Since the world is a “global village,” the environment now is the world.

Therefore, constant training and retraining becomes essential for one to live within the
overwhelming competitive world of the modern time. For instance, the agricultural
values and practices hundreds of years ago cannot meet the demand and challenges of
the present time. Perhaps, this underscores the reason why the use of the short
handled farm tool (Hoe), attendant with the backbreaking technique for weeding must
have accounted for farmers production to be at subsistence level most times, must
have effect on rural youths discouragement in agriculture.

DEFINATION OF TERMS

a). What is Agriculture?

Agriculture is the cultivation, processing and marketing of crops, animals, fish, plants
and other forms for food, feed, fibre, medicines, industrial raw materials and other
products used to sustain and enhance human life ( Anga, 2008).

The agric sector is critical to the Nigerian economy being the only sector that provides
variety of investment opportunities for entrepreneurs at Micro, Small, Medium and
Large Scale as well as provides immediate and sustainable jobs.

b). Youth:

The ILO defines the youth as any person who falls within the age bracket of 15 to 24
years. The National Policy on Youth recognizes that the youths are a diverse group and
define them as any individual that falls between 18 years and 35 years of age.

The youth as a demographic entity is heterogeneous characterized by gender,

education level, geographical location (within the country) social background etc. This
group represents the most active and most valuable sector of the nation’s demography
economically and socially. Other stigmatize the youth as being deviant, criminals,
incapable etc. But as a politician and consultant cardiologist I view these traits as
circumstantial rather than being innate tendencies. The youth is active, adventurous,
agent of change and for that matter can pay a supreme sacrifice for change.

c). Value Chain; Is a set of linked activities that work to add value to a product; it
consists of actors and actions that improve a product while linking commodity
producers to processors and markets.  

Value chains work best when their actors cooperate to produce higher-quality products
and generate more income for all participants along the chain, as opposed to the
simplest kinds of value chains, in which producers and buyers exchange only price
information — often in an adversarial mode. Value chains differ from supply chains,
which refer to logistics: the transport, storage and procedural steps for getting a
product from its production site to the consumer.
In an effort to reawaken the interest of unemployed youths in agriculture along its
value chain for employment and wealth creation, the training of our rural youths in
agriculture becomes inevitable. The impartation of agricultural skills on our Rural youths
is to enable them embark on agricultural activities in a sustainable manner.

This is one of the strategies for creating employment for the teeming unemployed
youths in our rural communities and Nigeria in general.

Agriculture has been said to be up to four times more effective than other sectors in
reducing poverty, in the production of more nutritious food for the populace and in
improving the livelihood of a booming population, especially among the poor. Also
agriculture and its value chain can be a gold mine for young entrepreneurs, because of
the numerous potentials that can be tapped for job creation.

Rural youth’s participation in Agriculture and its Value Chain

There had been report indicating poor rural youth’s participation in agriculture and its
value chain. According to the National Bureau of Statistics report, 7.9 million Nigerian
youth aged between 15- 34 years are currently unemployed. Also more than 50% of
the country’s population is under the age of 25. Indicating that the country has a lot of
youth population. Nearly 60% of the country’s population resides in the rural areas and
majority of the youths (about 6.8 million of them) are unemployed and have shown
poor participation in farming and the agricultural economy.

Agriculture is perceived by many youths as a ticket to drudgery, hence their continued

mass migration to urban areas in search of a better life. Also, the current farming
population consist largely of the aged and barely literate farmers, who are more or less
dying off and even leaving a vacuum in the sector.

It must be noted that the youths constitute not only a formidable demographic force
but also make up the next generation of parents, workers, leaders and nation builders.

Hence, there is the need to ensure that rural youths are empowered through training in
agriculture and its value chain. This will make them to become productive assets and
take parts in mainstream society offering the best of their skills and talents. This
empowerment of the rural youths will go a long way in solving the multifaceted social
vices associated with idle hands and minds.

Prospect of the Training:

The prospect of training rural youths in agriculture and its value chain cannot be over
emphasized as listed below.
 1. The youths will be exposed to strategic vision of strengthening the agricultural
sector especially along its value chain.
2. Food security will be achieved in the long run.
3. There will be increased production of agricultural products.
4. There will be expansion and improvement of the rural economy for employment.
5. Increase in income generation.
6. Increase in food export e.g Current export of yam by the country.
7. Reduction in food importation e.g. Rice, Wheat and Poultry Products.
8. There will be acceleration of commercial production and development of the
agricultural value chain.
9. Improved access to agricultural information
10. Better access to global market.
11. Networking with relevant stakeholders and peers for global competitiveness.
12. Relevant technical know-how in the area of produce handling, processing and
storage will be exposed to the rural youths.
13. Reduction in rural and urban migration.
NDE’s PROGRAMMES/SCHEMES TARGETTED AT EMPOWERING RURAL
YOUTHS

The Federal Government’s desire to handle the social repercussions of high level of
unemployment in the country in 1985 led to the setting up of a committee known as
the CHUKWUMA COMMITTEE. The committee identified from survey that the informal
sector whose employee profile is characterized largely by low skilled, semi-skilled or
unskilled labour, accounted for up to 90% of the workers distributed unevenly in
agriculture and other self-employment ventures. Their findings led to the
recommendation to Government for the establishment of an employment creation
agency.

Consequently, the Federal Government approved the establishment of the NATIONAL

DIRECTORATE OF EMPLOYMENT (NDE) on 26th March, 1986 but its programmes were
launched nationwide in January, 1987.

The NDE’s enabling Act, CAP 250 of the Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999
(formerly Decree No. 34 of 1989) gave the NDE her legal backing as an employment
agency statutorily charged with the responsibility to design and implement programmes
to combat mass unemployment.

To further enhance and streamline the strategies of the NDE in mass job generation, a
committee- the AHMED JODA COMMITTEE of 1999, streamlined the activities of the
various Poverty Alleviation Agencies in the country. Thus, NDE’s activities were
streamlined and made to focus mainly on training for employment generation.

MANDATE/FUNCTIONS OF THE NDE

The law establishing the NDE presents its mandate as follows:
i. To design and implement programmes to combat mass unemployment;
ii. To articulate policies aimed at developing work programmes with labour
intensive potentials.
iii. To obtain and maintain a Data Bank on employment and vacancies in the
country with a view to acting as a clearing house to link job seekers with
vacancies in collaboration with other government agencies, and
iv. To implement any other policies as may be laid down from time to time by the
Board established under sections of the enabling ACT.
The NDE therefore derives its routine functions from this mandate. The main
goal therefore is to combat mass unemployment through skills acquisition, self-
employment and labour-intensive work schemes.
 NDE PROGRAMMES/IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES
In designing the employment creation programmes, the National Directorate of
Employment took cognizance of the following factors:

i) The declining interest of youths in the agricultural sector which had traditionally
provided the bulk of employment, particularly in the rural areas.

ii) The deteriorating condition of urban and rural infrastructure due to the dearth of
foreign exchange earnings to procure and maintain construction machinery and
equipment as against the surplus labour (unemployed hands) available in the
country.

iii) The tertiary institutions graduates’ expectation for non-existent white collar jobs
and accompanying employment while their background do not prepare them to
take advantage of the opportunities for self-employment in the formal and
informal sectors of the economy.

iv) The potentials of the informal sector and the traditional apprenticeship system of
skills acquisition to generate self employment.

v) The need to counsel the unemployed for attitudinal re-orientation towards self-
employment and self-reliance.

In a bid to awaken the interest of the unemployed youths in agriculture to exploit the
tremendous opportunities for employment and wealth creation in the sector and
consequently, stem the rural-urban drift of the youths, the NDE designed a special
training programme for youths in agriculture. The training programme covers modern
agricultural practices in the areas of crop production, livestock management, crop
processing, etc. The schemes under REP include:-

(i) Rural Agricultural Development Training Scheme [RADTS]

This involves the training of unemployed school leavers in modern farming techniques
in crop production, livestock production, food processing & preservation and Agro
services. It is designed as a three month training programme with a one month
theoretical component and a two months hands–on practical attachment training at
reputable farms.
(ii) Integrated Farming & Training Scheme(IFTS)
This is designed to impart skills to graduates of tertiary institutions which ultimately
channels their potentials to the proper management of mixed farming enterprises.
The IFTS training component adopts an incubation model. Business start –up loans
packages are disbursed to beneficiaries at the rate of 1hectare of land and pens
stocked with livestock and the start –up capital to manage their integrated farms at the
IFTS centre. The participants are provided the necessary extension and business
support services.
iii) Rural Handicrafts Training Scheme (RHTS)
This involves Training in viable handicrafts peculiar to the immediate farming localities
with emphasis on the peculiar resources (raw materials) available in such environment
with the objective of generating additional source of income to farmers during the off-
farming season.
(iv) Post-RADTS Training
Short duration training to up-grade knowledge & competence of graduates of RADTS in
agri-business techniques, in specialized areas such as; Fish fingerlings production, Bio-
fertilizer & Bio- pesticide production,
Export- grade fish processing & fish oil production, Feed formulation & production,
Seedling multiplication, Agro services, etc.
(v) Preparation, Processing and Packaging Training Scheme
Preparation, Processing and Packaging Training Scheme (PPPTS) is a scheme
conceptualized in order to key into the Agricultural value chain. The recent initiatives
by the Federal Government in Agriculture as the country tries to shift from a mono oil
economy to embrace accelerated agro investments will likely result in bumper harvests.
With this bumper harvest, food processing would become imperative, hence the training
of the unemployed youths on the art of food preparation, processing and packaging.

NDE Agricultural Park

The Agricultural Park is an all inclusive training and commercial hub with a high
employment generation potential. The Park mitigates barriers to successful
entrepreneurship by granting access such as; supportive infrastructure, equipment
leasing, developed arable land, common facilities for value addition, start-up capital ,
farm incubation and training in modern agribusiness techniques, management &
consultancy services as well as marketing/market linkages.

To ensure quality, standards, uniform curriculum and possible certification on trainees

of the agricultural skills, the NDE commenced the establishment of Agricultural Skills
Training Centres (ASTCs).

OTHER SCHEMES TARGETTED AT EMPOWERING RURAL YOUTHS

School On Wheels (SOW);

Community Based Training Scheme;
Solar Energy Training Scheme; and so on
Challenges

The challenges associated with training rural youths in agriculture and value chain is so
enormous and they are indicated below

1. Poor perception of agriculture by the rural youths as a ticket to drudgery.

2. Poor appreciation and sensitization on the potential economic benefits accruable
from agricultural activities and the value that it supports.
3. Poor access to funds.
4. Poor technical know-how in the area of produce handling and processing.
5. Poor storage facilities leading to poor quality production.
6. Poor Government regulation.
7. Inconsistent government policy on agriculture.
8. Infrastructural problems e.g. Bad road network, epileptic power supply etc.
9. Poor access to agricultural information.
10. Poor access to international market.
11. Agriculture still being practiced at subsistent level.
12. Low income from agribusiness due to lack of relevance information.
13. Poor input supply.
14. Lack of enabling environment for agribusiness to thrive.

Conclusion

Training of rural youths in agriculture and its value chain is a necessity now in Nigeria
more than before. This will enable the youths to become acquainted with relevant
information that will make them to embrace agribusiness as an income generating
venture, improve their socio-economic status and livelihood. Also, there will be
reduction in the social vices associated with unemployed and the country will be at
peace with itself.

NATIONAL DIRECTORATE OF EMPLOYMENT

TRAINING OF RURAL YOUTHS IN AGRICULTURE AND ITS
VALUE CHAIN, PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES

BEING A PAPER PRESENTED BY

DR. NASIRU LADAN MOHAMMED, DIRECTOR GENERAL NATIONAL

DIRECTORATE OF EMPLOYMENT (NDE)

AT THE INTEGRATED RURAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE 2017

ORGANISED BY

THE RURAL COMMUNITY PROJECTS, ABUJA HELD ON 28 TH NOVEMBER, 2017 AT NNAMDI AZIKIWE
HALL, NICON LUXURY HOTEL ABUJA.