The fifth edition of the All – Africa Students Union (AASU) conference, was held last week at the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons in Accra, to deliberate on how the youth in the Africa will take up strategies in building a better agricultural industry in the region.
The programme drew young agriculture enthusiasts across the African continent to the event with the theme, “Climate change and implications for food security in Africa: Students’ and youth Response”
Secretary General of AASU, Fred Awaah, said “we still rely on rain fed agriculture, and it is noted that by the year 2020, between 75 to 250 million people are likely to face challenges of water threats as a major problem to climate change.”
Mr. Awaah continued: “we must collectively think around the clock to put in place the necessary mechanism to climate change and food security on the face of the African continent” he remarked.
It is the core responsibility of every African child to see the future of Africa in a progressive manner. It is panicky to note that the farming population of Ghana averages 55 years, yet life expectancy is only 60 years in the country.
Generally, it has been noticed that, the average age in farming in Africa is 60 years; and the African continent is the most vulnerable when it comes to food security therefore agriculture and the youth, with one accord, must lead in producing agricultural food within the African continent.
The Executive Director of the Organization for African Development (OAD), Mr. Bonaventure Aguissi, stated that “food security exists when all people have access to a sufficient quantity of safe, nutritious, and affordable food to provide for the sustenance of their healthy, active and productive life.”
He added that about 70% of the African population lives by farming, with 40% of exports being agricultural produce, of which one-third of all the income in Africa is generated through Agriculture.”
According to a research done by Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), crop production, livestock and husbandry accounts for about half of our household income, yet the poorest members of the society are the most dependent on agriculture for both direct and indirect income.
Africa has abundant arable land and human resource that could potentially be used to increase production, and improve sustainable incomes and food security.
The African continent remains part of the world’s highest proportion of people who suffer from hunger with the largest population living below the poverty line.
B&FT