Developing creative messages/methods that would attract young people to agriculture could help Africa to attract youth to agriculture and end the rising unemployment in the continent, Deputy Director General, Partnership for Delivery, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr Kenton Dashiell has said.
In a message to journalists to mark the 2017 Media Day, part of activities to mark the 50thanniversary of IITA on 24 July 2017, Dr Dashiell said addressing the food insecurity question in Africa required collective efforts from the different institutions operating in Africa, stressing that “IITA cannot succeed in isolation.”
He underpinned the importance of creativity in packaging and dissemination of information on agricultural innovation in a way and manner that would attract youth into agriculture, and clear illusions about the sector.
Dashiell explained that for IITA, “our message is this—agriculture is the way to become wealthy. But this cannot happen if it is practiced the way our parents did. Fortunately, IITA has advanced technologies that if used could make farming very profitable and fun for farmers.”
