Building corporate entre- preneurial mindset in farmers

Building corporate entre- preneurial mindset in farmers

‘Fresh agro tours necessary for agribusiness investors’

‘Fresh agro tours necessary for agribusiness investors’

I am fulfilled as a farmer, says microbiologist

I am fulfilled as a farmer, says microbiologist

‘Investment in youths, agriculture, way out

Two major directions by the Federal Government will determine its impact on the economy in 2012, a leading cleric and General Leader, Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, Ayo Ni O, Surulere District, Lagos Dr. Gabriel Fakeye, has said.

According to Fakeye, who spoke on the religious group’s position on the economy in Lagos on Saturday, the Federal Government needs to invest on agricultural development to end youth unemployment in the country in the New Year.

Fakeye, who stated this during a press briefing, said Nigeria needed to return to its root for development to take place. He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to give priority to the agricultural sector to provide employment for the youths.

He said, “Nigeria is like a house removed from its foundation, the collapse of such a house is inevitable. It is a pity that we moved from the initial foundation, which was based on Agriculture.”

According to him, the country must develop its human capacity to avoid importation of food products. He said that relying on other countries for food could not be the best solution to solve the problem of the masses.

“Nigerians are hungry, compared with what obtains in other nations. To boost our economy, we need to increase food production. Increasing import duty on rice to 100 [per cent cannot be a solution. Moreover, as those nations from whom we import are facing several production crises, e need to develop our own,” he said.

Specifically, he urged the Federal Government to restructure the agricultural sector to boost employment and export capacity.

“Our next agenda on the economy should be the revitalisation of our industrial sector. This will naturally serve the dual role of providing employment for our youths and also boost our export capabilities as a nation.

“The Federal Government should take drastic steps to make sure that Nigerians enjoy uninterrupted power supply, as this is the sure way to attract foreign investors and encourage local investors,” he said.

He also said the country needed to focus more on youth empowerment to secure the future of the nation and build personalities that will manage our institutions.

He said, “It is sad that this nation has over the years neglected its youths. They are the same people involved in armed robbery, terrorism, kidnapping and militancy. This has to stop and the first and most critical solution is the creation of employments for these youths.”

Corporate Farmers Reality Tv show hit your screen soon

SYNOPSIS

        Corporate farmers is the first ever Agric Media reality TV show from the stable of Hayzee Mind Concept of  which Thirty six(36) youths from the age of 18-30 within Nigeria through registration online in website www.corporatefarmers.com After which registered youth will be called upon for auditioning for Corporate farmers reality show to select the 36 contestants who will participate in the event that tends to bring back the dying habit of Agriculture amongst the youth in Nigeria and Africa..

Grow Africa

Washington DC, USA, 18 May 2012 – Over forty-five companies have committed to invest over US$ 3 billion in Africa’s agricultural sector as part of the G8’s New Alliance for Food and Nutrition Security initiative, US President Barack Obama announced today. The commitments were developed in collaboration with Grow Africa, an innovative partnership led by the World Economic Forum, the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).
“Today, I can announce a new global effort, bringing together all global players for a shared effort – African governments and donor countries, which agreed to align their donations, and private sector players, international as well as non-governmental organizations,” said President Obama, speaking at the Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security in Washington DC, an event hosted by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. “We will stay focused on clear goals, boosting farmers’ income and helping 50 million people lift themselves out of poverty. We can unleash the change that reduces hunger and malnutrition. This is the new commitment we are making today.”
Heads of state and government from Ethiopia, Tanzania and Ghana also participated in the event.
The investments span different stages of the agriculture value chain across three African countries, offering the prospect of economic development as well as improvements to food and nutrition security. Currently, the commitments comprise a total of 63 Letters of Intent, with African businesses making up 21 of the signatories.
“These investments, developed through the Grow Africa Partnership, represent a big step forward for African agriculture and offer further proof that today the handshake has replaced the handout as the principal partnership model for the region,” said Josette Sheeran, Vice-Chairman of the World Economic Forum.
“Private-sector investment can accelerate growth in a way that benefits Africa’s smallholder farmers,” said Jean Ping, Chairperson of the African Union Commission. “Through Grow Africa, we believe it is possible to build a platform that will benefit all of Africa.”
More companies are looking to Africa for long-term investing.
“We are making a major commitment to invest in expansion of Africa's agricultural productivity and food security by providing crop nutrition and knowledge,” said Joergen Haslestad, Chief Executive Officer of Yara International.
“Africa has become one of our strategic growth regions and our aspiration is to contribute to the transformation of African agriculture,” added Michael Mack, Chief Executive Officer of Syngenta.
The Grow Africa partnership, convened jointly by the African Union, NEPAD and the World Economic Forum, works to accelerate sustainable investment in African agriculture to improve food security. The Grow Africa Investment Forum, held on 9 May 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, engaged over 270 leaders, including heads of state and government from Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania, as well as leaders of African and global business, international organizations, donor agencies and farmer organizations. Seven countries showcased specific investment and partnership opportunities aligned to their national priorities for agricultural transformation.

Innovation in agriculture

The private market does a great job of innovating in many areas, particularly for people who have money. The focus of Melinda’s and my foundation is to encourage innovation in the areas where there is less profit opportunity but where the impact for those in need is very high. That is why we have devoted almost $2 billion to helping poor farm families, most of which are led by women, boost their productivity while preserving the land for future generations. Those funds are invested in many areas of innovation, ranging from sustainable land management, to better ways to educate farmers, to connecting farmers to functioning markets.
We do all these things with one goal in mind—helping people like Christina Mwinjipe, a farmer I met last year in Tanzania. Christina supports her family by farming cassava, a staple crop that provides a basic diet for more than 500 million people worldwide. (When dried to a powder, cassava is known as tapioca.) In the past two years, Christina’s crop has been invaded by two cassava diseases. The leaves of some of her plants are curled and withered, and covered in the white flies that carry mosaic disease. The roots of other plants are rotted by brown streak disease. Because of these diseases, she is depleting her savings to buy cassava to feed her three children. Her oldest son just passed his examinations to enter secondary school, but she doesn’t know where she’ll find the money to pay his fees. She is not sure what she will do about food when her savings run out.