Talking to young people about bean farming
Yesterday we shared with you the ideas our write-shop participants had about women and how to differentiate between women in farming households and women as heads of farming households. Today we are contrasting young people in farming households with young farmers.
These are their thoughts about these two groups. Do you agree?
Young bean farmers
- They are very conscious of the opportunity costs of engaging in farming
- Return on investment in agriculture is paramount motive for young people to participate
- Use role play to explain extension messages
- Inform them of opportunities in the value chain
- Inform on new technologies
- Encourage young people to be leaders in farming systems and groups
- Use mobile phones for improved development opportunities
- Inform about selling prices since they are relatively new to the business to avoid exploitation by aggregators – may hold true for all bean farmers
- Sustainable approaches should be explored
- Young farmers probably more likely to engage in new structures such as collective marketing
Youth in farming households
- They care what their peers think of them – many will experience peer pressure to not farm
- Can use clever plans and communications technology – especially interactive technology
- Involved youth in value chain – rather than just cropping – attraction for young people is generating more money
- Provided them with access to resources – land and finance
- Information can enhance their social standing
- Show how smart farming can be considered as an alternative to other employment
- They need quick changes more encouraging and motivation is needed to bring them into agriculture
- Like quick income technologies
- Leadership development for motivation of other nearby farmers on modern technologies and inputs
- Show them how good quality of farm gate produce increases the price
- Processing and storage messages are also important to this group
- Value additions on bean produce through processing and utilization of bean recipes could be important to youth to access different marketing channels
Veronica