How many of the youngsters today would want to become a farmer? Not many right? After all there are so many other ‘new’ fields to try their hands at; like information technology. This is not so only in Pakistan. Farming is becoming less charming to the younger generation due to investment of long hours’ but less monetary returns as compared to the other professions.
How many of the youngsters today would want to become a farmer? Not many right? After all there are so many other ‘new’ fields to try their hands at; like information technology. This is not so only in Pakistan. Farming is becoming less charming to the younger generation due to investment of long hours’ but less monetary returns as compared to the other professions.
However, it must be realized that our population is increasing at a rapid rate and food production is decreasing. Globally about 50 percent of the farmers are in the fifth decade of their lives which is compromising food security for the next generations, who are not contributing to it. The next generation is not willing to join the agriculture sector as a farmer.
What is alarming is that of the more than 2.5 billion population of the world is dependent on the agriculture sector. However, very little fresh blood is entering it. A quick analysis of the farmers’ demography in America, Europe, Africa and Asia shows that in USA every 7thfarmers is under the age of 35 and remaining 6 are over and above 65 years of age. In Europe 1/3rd farmers are under the age of 35. Contrary to this, the average age of an African farmer is also 55years but situation of Africa is somewhat different from the above mentioned developed continents. Here 65% labor is dependent on agriculture and 70% of the total population is under 35 years. However, this youth bulge is headed to the urban areas, creating a serious threat to the 32% GDP of the African economy.
Pakistan has a bigger rural population (more than 60 percent of the 180 million people) with 43.7% employed in the rural economy. Agricultural sector is contributing about a quarter of the Gross Domestic Product with around $51 Billion. There is a possibility of Pakistan becoming a regional and international hub for human resource in the agriculture sector because in the developed continents more than 50 percent of the farming community is crossing the age of 55 years. With 2/3rd of Pakistan’s total population under the age of 35 years, it can create a huge demand for the young human resource of Pakistan.
The college and university educated youth prefer jobs in offices instead of sweating it out in the fields in the summers and toiling from morning to night in the winters as a farmer. I have asked some agriculture university students who belongs to the rich farming families about their careers choices after completing the agricultural degrees and almost all said they would prefer a life of ease and luxury, maybe in the field of marketing for an agriculture company than working hard in the hot sun. The youth who do want to be farmers, lacking enough resources and proper assistance from the Government to start their own farming.
Decreasing number of farmers is a serious threat to Pakistan’s economy, especially because of its growing role to produce enough to feed a rapidly growing population, Figures show that 10 percent reduction in youth in the farming sector may cause a serious reduction of agriculture GDP, amounting to about Rs. 83 Million and output by 12 percent.
This will have a very negative impact on the economy and environment, and may compel Pakistan to import commodities. This would result in making our agriculture hostage to foreign countries and price hike for fruits, vegetables and grains, negatively impacting the common man.
The shift to urban areas will also result in increase in water use, and contribute greater pollution in the cities.
Year 2014 was the UN declared “International Year for Family Farming” On November 22, 2013 to highlight the potential of an estimated figure of 500 million family farms relying basically on family members representing up to 80% of all farm holdings around the world feeding billions. Pakistan has a big number of family farms but has nothing to celebrate as most of the family farmers would not even about the year.
The Government of Pakistan and the provincial governments had a big opportunity to showcase the struggles and contribution of the family farms, particularly the young farmers towards food security and hunger eradication in the world but lost the chance to celebrate the year but still the government, NGOs, academia and policy institutions can do many things to highlights the importance of family farms not only in Pakistan but around the South Asian region. Institutions can help youth to be empowered through creating friendly policies by giving them right to join the policy making process outside the Parliament. Young farmers and rural youth with no land should be allotted the agricultural land for future land cultivation of the non-cultivated and barren lands. Subsidies on crop inputs should be given to the small young farmers to create interest. Farm-to-fork value chain should be transparent and youth friendly. Agriculture committees should be constituted through a transparent process with at least two young farmers as members. Young farmers can make Pakistan become a great agricultural economy if the government invests in this sector properly.
About Author
Mr. Aamer Hayat Bhandara is a young farmer and serving as the member in various District Committees constituted by the Provincial Government in Pakistan. He studied Politics and Journalism during his graduation followed by studies in “Pro-Poor Market Development in Rural Areas” from the University of Queensland, Australia. He is also a Fellow of Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) Program. He is working for the well-being and stability of small farming community with main focus on Water – Food – Energy nexus.
For Contact: aamerht@gmail.com ,