Empowering Our Youth to Participate in Agriculture
By Olusegun HOSEA, Akure
9Th July 2026
The resource person at the Agriculture cocoa seminar section at the Akure-speaking Communities Development Summit 2026, with theme: Building a Smart, Integrated and Prosperous Development Corridor, held at the International Conference and Event Centre (The Dome), Akure have asked our leaders to empower our youth to participate in agriculture, particularly in cocoa cultivation and business. He said packaging their agricultural business in an attractive way was the best thing for them to do. He condemned the practice of farmers still spreading their cocoa on the floor, which attracts germs and other pests and diseases. He asked the government to cultivate the habit of addressing this issue. The participants were of the opinion that the government should encourage farmers to adopt technology in this age.
They also talked about increasing access to funds for farmers to have enough money to carry out their businesses. The participants also talked about the production of oil palm, which was not even enough for the people to explore. He urged the government to invest more in oil palm production for the benefit of the citizens. The preservation method was also discussed. According to the presenter, the use of salt on top of the palm oil and covering it was a good method of preserving it. Also, the jerrycan containing the oil must not touch the ground if it is to be preserved for a long time.
The issue of security was also discussed, as criminals were still terrorising farmers and their workers. They therefore asked the government to intensify its efforts in protecting farmers.
Cassava was one of the crops that the government needs to encourage farmers to cultivate because of the fertile land God has given us in Africa. They said that the TME 419 variety of cassava was the best because it yielded more crops. Due to the benefits of this type of cassava, the slogan “419” became popular in society.
The delegates continued advocating for the empowerment of farmers, as this is very simple for the government to do. The issue of partnerships in cassava production among civil servants has to be encouraged. The subsidy of farmers’ inputs by the government was encouraged to strengthen farmers in order to improve production. The participants also called on the government to grade rural feeder roads so that farmers could transport their products to urban areas. Warehouses and storage facilities for farmers’ crops should be established in order to ensure food security.
Small-scale snail farming and fishing businesses in the backyards of farmers living in urban areas should be encouraged. They kept emphasising access to funds for the youth to succeed in agricultural business if we truly want young people to go into farming. Fishing was one of the industries that investors should invest in and strengthen, while the supply of inputs also needs to be improved as emphasized by the delegates.
The production capacity of tomatoes has been taken over from the northern farmers, but there is a need for us to take over the marketing power from them in order to increase our economic system. The resource person concluded that there is a need for us to take advantage of the potential agricultural opportunities in our society to advance our economy.
The participants were of the opinion that the government should help them with land to cultivate, as most of them were still interested in farming. One of the recommendations was that traditional rulers should synergise with local hunters and other traditionalists in preventing insecurity in our communities. Training the youth, allocating land to them, and making finance available for them were also recommended. If the government could key into this system, it would go a long way in preventing insecurity, as more people would be working on the land simultaneously. AI should be used to promote agricultural businesses and make them more attractive to the youth. Schools should intensify their efforts in teaching agricultural subjects to encourage students to go into farming, as they need to catch them young. They also asked each community to have a security committee and create a security fund through which everyone could contribute towards the security of their community, as everything should not be left in the hands of the government alone.
