HOW YOUTHS CAN USE ICT TO SUPPORT AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT?

I observe as a lot of young people today make use of ICT tools and applications in their day to day activities. The question that comes to mind for me as an agriculturist is how this can be used to improve agriculture. It is no news that many young people only see white-collar jobs as being prestigious. But then, agriculture can provide decent and gainful work too, especially when ICTs are applied to add value to the business. Young farmers are able to master ICT skills and tools, such as geographic information systems (GIS), to analyze and adjust farming practices to cope with prevailing climatic conditions, and ultimately increase profits. They also use technology to creatively and productively manage land, weather, water and other resources, develop maps of these resources and use the feedback from mapping exercises to profile and upgrade specific sites by identifying appropriate measures for planting, stocking materials and providing pest control facilities.

Young people make up a large percentage of the population in most societies. They are talented, enthusiastic and prepared to embrace existing and upcoming technologies, which is critical for boosting agriculture in particular and rural development in general. Most young people are based in urban areas, where there is high unemployment. Virtually any programme that taps into their talents, skills and abilities to introduce technologies to rural areas would be a worthwhile engagement. Contributing to the development of their communities, in turn, increases their self-esteem, and helps them to become more inspired and motivated.

The communities also benefit from the activities of the Youths through applying ICT to agriculture their efforts revitalize the food and nutrition sector, which enhances food security in more households. Their involvement in climate change adaptation boosts other aspects of environmental protection, and promotes the development.

Even at that there are challenges and some of them includes

1. Supply of energy
2. Lack of the technical know how
3. Non implementation of policies relating to youth issues by government and other service provider.
4. Lack of proper sensitization

However like any other challenge there are solutions and some of them are;

1. Youths can organize themselves into a coherent voice to lobby government, private sector and civil society.
2. Government and other concern bodies should make available accessible training programs for the youths.
3. Youths should make effort to get trained in one or two areas of ICT as it relates to agriculture.
4. Be ready to share ideas with others to encourage the use of ICT4AG
5. More research work should be done to provide alternative source of power. For instance in UGANDA a youth organization was able to come up with solar charged mobile phones for getting information to the farmers

Having said these here are a list of areas young people can tap into in providing ICT services or products to help the Africa’s agricultural sector develop to its peak;

1. The development of mobile application (apps). A mobile app is a small program that can be installed and run on a cell phone, or on a web. This could serve different purposes such as monitoring supply chains, checking meteorological data, current prices, giving agricultural advise and so on
2. Create an online presence to tackle agricultural challenges, issues and update about opportunities by opening a blog page. A blog is easy to set up and maintain. It also has Social sharing features.
3. Providing online services for farmers. Offer to help farmers with managing their ICT matters (websites, online presence, SMS, proposals etc).
4. GIS services for both new and old farmers. This aids visibility studies for agricultural development projects. It also helps farmers to have information before hand what their yields would look like.
5. Information dissemination through the social media. Don’t spend all the time chatting away on 2go, face book, twitter and the likes. Provide current and viable information for farmers and others in the agric sector. This requires lot of research but the joy of it is helping to add value to the lives of others

The world of agriculture is very vast and every youth can have a share by positioning their self in one segment or the other.

 

By OJO Olawale (Nigeria)

THE OVERSEAS’ DREAM

Nearly half of Ghana’s educated citizens live abroad while one in three skilled Angolans resides outside that country. Of the ten countries with the highest percentage of educated citizens living abroad, six are in sub-Saharan Africa, where many governments subsidize higher education.

With this little worrying statistics about how our skilled men leave their respective sub-Saharan countries, optimistic and well-meaning Ladies and Gentlemen of the first ever edition of iHAV join me as we ride on in discussion. Putting the African continent in perspective, i would like to inquire when truly the days of going overseas will be over.

I was challenged by a good friend that such living questions better not be asked as this exodus is not going to end anytime soon. And he had the guts to substantiate his stance with mind-blowing statistics. This is what he said: the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has estimated that Africa has lost a third of its human capital and continues to loose skilled personnel at an alarming rate. IOM and the Economic Commission for Africa gathered statistics showing that between 1960, when 17 African countries became independent and 1974 when most had achieved independence, an average of 1800 skilled Africans left their homelands for developed nations. Between 1975 and 1984, the rate had jumped to 4000 a year. Between 1985 and 1989, 12000 skilled Africans each year left for what they thought were greener pastures and since 1990, the rate has skyrocketed to 20000 annual African migration and brain drain. After his defense, all i could mutter was greener pastures indeed!

Then i was swift in replying that non-Africans also are in the same category, thus they also migrate and ply their trades on African soil. I later realized that it’s not the same whichever way i looked at it. They are developed or closer to development and as such if we go there we only help them develop faster alluring to the fact that the best leave for the west. Ravinder Rena of the Eritrean Institute of Technology puts it nicely that it will be impossible to achieve an African renaissance without the contributions of talented Africans residing outside Africa. Subsequently, a lack of skilled local labor means that the continent spends roughly $4billion a year to hire foreign skilled workers according to IOM. Yet again Joan Dassin of the Ford Foundation tells Voice of America that if you don’t have qualified people on the ground with strong local roots to carry out development projects, it’s not likely they will move forward in a sustainable way. This assertion is very true because we and only we know and understand our problems better save parochialism. You can therefore solve it better if you know and understand it better. The frequent dishing out of foreign aids to Africa will do no magic neither will the expatriates conjure any miracles whatsoever. It is that simple, there has been no country which has reached developmental pinnacle based on foreign aid and expatriates. The solutions thereby reside rightly within the African continent.

Maybe you have not really seen the adverse repercussions of brain drain, may be you will gladly leave if a ship docks at your port advertising free transportation to Europe. Maybe you are planning to sell your last property to secure a visa, but please hold on a little while; the days of going overseas are over. You see few blacks who have made it on TV doesn’t mean it is all rosy over there. There are many blacks who are stranded and can’t even afford a ticket back home whilst countless many have dreaded their decisions of leaving abroad. We have cattle and bees in Africa yet we seek for milk and honey outside. The climate is favorable here yet we seek for greener pastures outside. Not surprising right! Consider the patient to doctor ratio in Africa, what about the pupil to teacher ratio, currently Ghana has about 10000 nurses far lesser than the required national number of 40000.

If indeed we hold these truths to be self-evident, then why at all do we ply our trades elsewhere when we are more needed home. I once again reiterate that the days of going overseas are over, mother Africa deserves better. This is our continent, our Africa, Living a century long overseas doesn’t genetically change your roots. Folks make it work. Graduates applying for foreign scholarships all over the internet with the motive of leaving never to return again must cease. Young people do something worthwhile home. You have more than enough brains to awaken your entrepreneurial conscience. Our outlook about how we perceive people who have travelled outside must change. Long queues for visas must cease, constant rush for American lottery must reduce. We can make it here in our home continent. Remember Barack Obama pluralized his “yes we can” spirit from the word “African”. The last three letters translated into words read “i can”. There is therefore no reason whatsoever why we can’t.

One will argue that remittances sent home by our relatives abroad go a long way in reducing poverty. Whilst i don’t dispute that assertion, chronological analysis will attest that the mere fact of you making it there literally means you can make it here too. The only difference might be in the value and currency appreciation but that notwithstanding, you will have the joy and satisfaction of having contributed your utmost quota in making mama Africa develop.

This article would be incomplete without extending a note of appreciation to the Neil Turok of Cambridge University who run a science and technology postgraduate programme in South Africa that hopes to be expanded to fifteen African countries since this will entice more graduates to stay. Another new programme the African Leadership Academy which i am proud to have participated in their maiden finalist weekend at Tema SOS will waive tuition for most of its students but if they are not working in Africa by the time they turn twenty five, they will owe the school tuition fees plus interest. Again, the IHAV Initiative is very commendable and let’s feel at home as we enjoy a fruitful conference. Let’s live the African dream “For we are strangers before them, and sojourners, as were all our fathers.1 Chronicles 29:15’

BY MICHAEL DALE-ASIEDU (GHANA)

Africa’s beacon of hope

I rise hopefully like the morning Sun

Bracing my muscles for a season of change

For my beloved continent I choose to run

To run with the vision I have for Africa.

Africa my motherland, Africa my home

Africa my fatherland, to my home I come

I come with answers for the horn of Africa

Solutions for the palm of Africa

Celebrations for the pride of Africa

Here in the gold coast of Africa

From the heart of Africa

To the whole of Africa

I am the youth with the truth

At my lips is a herald of hope

In my hands is a gift of hope

On my mind are thoughts on the future

Dreaming, believing and daring

Trusting my heart’s consistent nature.

I dream of better infrastructure

Longing for peace without fracture

A transparent government structure

Adequate provision of divine nature

I have a vision for Africa

I envision a prosperous Africa

I am the youth with the truth

Africa’s beacon of hope

Beckoning for sustainable change

I have a vision for Africa.

By Faith Ndinda Ngila, (Kenya). 

 

Picture source-deviantart.com

The African Youth: Usual thinking

The thought and urge for change in Africa is eminent now. The avidity to see societal development and sustenance, governmental rule which is truly centred on the people, and most importantly character modification and transparency from leaders to servants is sincerely imbedded in the hearts of the Africans. There is a hunger within the African to be noticed and acknowledged for his talents, culture, language, wisdom and understanding without being tampered with by any other. However, he or she is willing to know more and embrace truth, interpret failures, address wrong, be brave to instill right to consequently conserve victory.
 

God has placed in each a unique dwelling, ability and intellect within which he or she in accord with His Spirit can humbly express, and we all marvel because it’s ‘God-given’. From the self-taught 15-year-old inventor from Sierra Leone, Kelvin Doe and William Kamkwamba, a 26-year-old Malawian inventor and author to great up and coming, and young footballers, athletes, doctors, teachers and leaders, Africa is expressing the a generational shift.

This is the previous youthful thinking we had some decades back but along the way we chose not to retain in our knowledge. The thought and act to see that which we perceived and dreamt, fully based upon our faith and depending solely upon the precepts, wisdom and guidance of God. To create that well sustained environment for each African to first see his or her neighbour as human and living and is willing to bring about mutual coherence. And not to be unwillingly or falsely influenced by any other and to be rid of from what so inheritance we gained but to learn from others and to work well with our hands.

This was and is still the African youth. The fresh mind, stable and firm with all judgments; the willing heart, desiring good and is truthful at all times and the diligent hands, holding on to see things materialize.

KEEP CALM,

Change is come.

JOHN BROBBEY AFRIFA, (GHANA)