Farming is a Profession of Hope

-Brett Brian

Agriculture is one of the most important sectors of the Indian economy, contributing to about 17% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employing about 60% of the workforce. However, the sector faces many challenges, such as low productivity, climate change, market volatility, and lack of infrastructure. Moreover, the sector is not attractive to the young generation, who often migrate to urban areas in search of better opportunities. According to the 2011 census, the share of youth (15-29 years) in the rural population declined from 35.5% in 2001 to 30.5% in 2011. This poses a serious threat to the sustainability and resilience of the agricultural sector and rural livelihoods.

In order to overcome these obstacles, it is necessary to encourage young people to get involved in agriculture and entrepreneurship. This will help to both employ and pay for young people and change the agricultural industry into one that is more dynamic, creative, and profitable. Young people getting involved in agriculture and entrepreneurship can be summed up as taking part in a variety of tasks linked to agricultural production, processing, marketing, and value addition, as well as creating and running their own agribusinesses. The following are some advantages of youth involvement in agriculture and entrepreneurship. Enhancing food security and nutrition by increasing agricultural productivity and diversification.

• Reducing poverty and inequality by creating jobs and income for the youth and their families.
• Empowering youth by developing their skills, knowledge, confidence, and leadership.
• Promoting social inclusion and cohesion by involving youth from different backgrounds and genders.
• Fostering innovation and sustainability by encouraging youth to adopt new technologies, practices, and business models.

However, youth engagement in agriculture and entrepreneurship also faces many challenges, such as:

• Lack of access to land, credit, inputs, information, and markets.
• Lack of skills, training, mentorship, and networks.
• Lack of enabling policies, institutions, and infrastructure.
• Lack of awareness, motivation, and aspiration among youth.

Therefore, there is a need to create an enabling environment that supports youth engagement in agriculture and entrepreneurship by addressing these barriers. Some of the possible interventions include:

• Providing access to land through land reforms, leasing arrangements (or) collective farming.
• Providing access to credit through microfinance institutions, cooperatives (or) government schemes.
• Providing access to inputs through input subsidies, vouchers (or) contract farming.
• Providing access to information through extension services, information and communication technologies (ICTs), or peer-to-peer learning.
• Providing access to markets through market linkages, value chains, or e-commerce platforms.
• Providing skills training through formal education, vocational training, or online courses.
• Providing mentorship through role models, coaches, or incubators.
• Providing networks through associations, clubs, or platforms.
• Providing enabling policies and institutions through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), incentives, cooperatives, regulations, reforms or social enterprises.
• Providing enabling infrastructure through roads, electricity, or irrigation.

Telangana is one of the states that has been aggressively supporting young people’s participation in agriculture and entrepreneurship.After a protracted campaign by the locals for statehood, Telangana, a relatively young state in India, was created in 2014.There are around 35 million people living in the state, and 66% of them are rural residents.Rice, cotton, sugarcane, and pulses are just a few of the agricultural products farmed in the state. However, the state also has to deal with several difficulties like debt, land erosion, and floods.

In order to overcome these challenges, the Telangana state government has launched several initiatives to support youth engagement in agriculture and entrepreneurship. Some of these initiatives are:

Rythu Bandhu Scheme:

This is a scheme that provides financial assistance to farmers for purchasing inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides. The focal point is to reduce the dependency of farmers on moneylenders and enhance their productivity and profitability. It also covers young farmers who have inherited or leased land from their parents or relatives.

Rythu Bima Scheme:

Rythu Bima Scheme provides life insurance cover to farmers in case of death or disability due to natural or accidental causes. The chief motto of this scheme is to provide financial security to the families of farmers and reduce their vulnerability. It also covers young farmers who are eligible for the Rythu Bandhu Scheme.

Rythu Vedika Scheme:

A community hall for farmers is created as part of this plan at the village level.The major goal is to give farmers a forum where they can communicate, exchange experiences, and pick up best practices. Additionally, it offers farmers access to facilities for training,exposure trips, and market connections. The program also caters to young farmers who are eager to pick up new techniques and tools.

The involvement of young people in agriculture and entrepreneurship in Telangana has improved as a result of these initiatives. The National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR)  conducted a study that found that the state has seen an increase in the number of young farmers and entrepreneurs in recent years. The survey also revealed that youth farmers and business owners’  income, standard of living, and wellbeing had all improved as a result of their involvement in agriculture and agribusiness. 

In conclusion, youth engagement in agriculture and entrepreneurship is a vital strategy for addressing the challenges and opportunities of the agricultural sector and rural development in India and Telangana state. By creating an enabling environment that supports youth engagement in agriculture and entrepreneurship, the state can harness the potential of the young generation to transform the agricultural sector into a more productive, profitable, innovative, and sustainable one.

References:

Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Home | Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare | MoA & FW | Government of India, India (agricoop.gov.in).

Suresh., B and Yuan., Z.2023. Youth Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness in India. International Food Policy Research Institute. Youth Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness in India VF.pdf (syngentafoundation.org).

Telangana state portal. (2023). Schemes related to agriculture for youth. Government initiatives. Telangana State Portal Government Initiatives.