Tuesday 25 February 2014

Episode 1: Traditional agriculture

Being A Farmer in Cameroon (Full HD)

Youth and Agriculture in West Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s fastest growing population and also the youngest. This is a huge opportunity for West Africa as young people bring energy, vivacity, and innovation into the work force and can consequently have a transformative impact on economic growth and social development. The agricultural sector plays a key role in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and represents up to 35% of the region’s Gross Domestic Product.  It is currently the employer of most of West Africans with 60% of the active population engaged in this sector.
Although agriculture offers an opportunity to move out of poverty and build satisfying lives for young people, youth are not attracted by agriculture. The dynamism of the agricultural sector being a vital factor in efforts to combat poverty and food insecurity, we would like to further the possible options to make jobs in agriculture more appealing for the new generations.
FAO and the Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition invite you to take part in the online survey on Youth and Agriculture in West Africa.

You can also answer the question "How could agriculture become more attractive for young people?" by SMS to 00 233 26 81 81 81 2.

Link to the survey: http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/west-africa/

Deadline: 31 January 2014

Article originally published on this link: Youth and Agriculture in West Africa

Database Manager, Genetic Resources Centre at IITA

Database Manager, Genetic Resources Centre at IITA

Thursday 13 February 2014

Agri-entertainment in Nigeria

Agri-entertainment has been referred to at "Agritainment" and people who entertain at these agriculture based functions have been referred to as "agritainers" since 2008 with the founding of the Texas Crossroads Cowboy Gathering.

Agritainment includes not only farm and ranch tours, but also events such as cowboy music and poetry gatherings. The genres of cowboy music, cowboy poetry, and cowboy storytelling have their roots and material based upon the agrarian lifestyle of ranching.
Agri-entertainment and agritourism refer to consumer‑focused forms of agriculture, in which farms supplement (or replace) their traditional income from the sale of crops to wholesale markets by offering a variety of "entertainment farming" options.
These agri-entertainment options include: pick-your-own operations, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, farm stores, agricultural festivals, and educational activities.
There are three aspects to agri-tourism. The farms have:

Usually, the farms are themed, such as Halloween-related activities (pumpkin patches and corn mazes) or historic recreations (a working farm or mill from the 19th century). Things to see and do are often offered free, but farms still derive a substantial profit by selling refreshments and souvenirs to visitors.