The importance of agricultural education can not be overlooked at this stage if we want to see a better and working agricultural system in the next few years.

The key thing to do is to build the next generation of farmers and agribusiness professionals who will take up the mandate of transforming the agricultural sector in the next few years.

In this podcast episode, our podcast host, Sharon Idahosa decided to address this issue. This is a wake-up call for players in this space to start taking action.

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Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of the Let’s Talk Agriculture podcast show. The podcast that connects you with the happenings and opportunities in the agricultural sector. My name is Sharon Hidahosa and I am your host.

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And today we have an exciting topic to delve into and that is the importance of agricultural education and how it can help to shape the next generation of farmers and agribusiness professionals.

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So guys, sit tight and let’s get the ball rolling. So we already know that agriculture plays a very crucial role in our society. And when we decide to educate the next generation, or better still, the young people, it is very

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vital for our economic growth and food production, sustainable food production, let’s put it that way. But first, let’s try to understand what agriculture education is all about. Now first of all, let’s try to at least still know what agriculture is as well for those

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of us that do not really have a good or a simple basic knowledge of what agriculture is. Now to me, agriculture is an art and it is also a science. It is the art and science of cultivating crops and rearing of animals for our use and also

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for industrial purposes. So in my earlier podcast, I talked about agriculture being an art and agriculture being a science. So if you’d like to learn more about that, you can definitely check our podcast from earlier on.

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So now when you combine education with agriculture, it simply means that you are getting a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach by that I mean you’re learning from several areas of or in agriculture.

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Now that encompasses knowledge, your skills and attitudes that are related to agriculture. So I hope this really helps. But then again, let’s move over to something very interesting. What is the benefits of agriculture education?

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Why should you really learn more about agriculture? So one of the beautiful things about agriculture is that it offers diverse opportunities for everyone who decides to delve into the sector.

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Now when you learn more about agriculture, it helps you in different ways. One of them being that it helps you to develop practical skills. Now when you have such practical skills, I mean it equips you with hands on experience

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in different areas in the agriculture sector. I mean we have farm machinery operations, we have soil management, we have animal husbandry and so much more. So you get hands on experience on these areas and much more when you decide to put your

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effort into learning more about the agricultural sector, which can of course open more opportunities for you and whatever it is you decide to do at the end of the day. Another thing is that it also fosters innovation and technology adoption as well.

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Yes, this will help you to embrace new techniques, advanced technologies and how to use them such as drones, robotics, precision agriculture and a lot more. I mean you can still check my previous podcast episode when we talked about the benefits

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of drone technology for young people in agriculture. That is the best way you can also learn and seek the best ways to get involved in agriculture. There are different ways you can get involved but we can discuss that as we move forward.

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So also when you have a good knowledge of the agricultural sector, it helps you to promote environmental stewardship where you can responsibly use natural resources to ensure that future

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farmers prioritise environmental protection. Now let’s move forward to more interesting and more interesting things that I believe that you should know. Now how can we build the next generation of farmers?

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This is very important because if we want to transform the agricultural sector, we need to build the next generation that would take the sector forward. It is not something that happens at the twink of an eye.

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It is something that you nurture. It is something that you put in so much effort in to ensure that the young generations, they are able to get involved wholeheartedly and seek different ways to advance and build the

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agricultural sector. But right here, let’s delve right into it. So one of the ways we can build the next generation of farmers is to address the ageing farmer population. What does that even mean? So we have so many people right now in the agricultural sector, correct?

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Yes. But the truth is that they are going to continue ageing. I mean, they do not remain young forever, right? So we have to train young people to take on agricultural careers. They should learn skills that can benefit the agricultural sector.

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Because just like I said, those that are involved in agriculture presently won’t be fit enough to carry on with the agricultural activities in the next five or few years. So training is very key to building the next generation of farmers.

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We have to train the young people now so they can really stand in the next few years to build and transform the agricultural sector the way that we want it to be. And as a youth who is also speaking to you and doing this podcast right now, it is very

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important that wherever you are, whatever you do, make sure that you have young people around you that you’re instilling this knowledge in. You’re training them, you’re teaching them what you know so that they can be able to

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get involved in the agricultural sector when you are no longer there. So yeah, another one is to encourage entrepreneurship. Now when there is an opportunity to encourage young people, young agripreneurs, please do.

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Please do, to be honest. I mean, as a young person myself, I still try to bring my fellow young people close to me to say, hey, let’s do this together. So long as I know that you have it in mind to want to get involved in the agricultural

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sector, then yes, I’m going to try as much as possible to bring you closer and let’s work together. That is the way to move forward. When you create an enabling environment for young people to thrive, it is very important.

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I mean, it helps them to put in all of the efforts that they can. When there is that environment, you definitely see so many changes, so many amazing changes.

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Yes, you definitely see something beautiful. And that is why whatever it is that you’re doing, please do try as much as possible to support young people that are very keen interest in the agricultural sector, because this is how we train. This is how we watch them grow and this is how we watch them contribute to the agricultural

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sector. So I hope this really sends out a message that you should know as a player in the agricultural sector. So another one is to connect agriculture with other disciplines. Now, agriculture definitely cuts across different areas, including science, technology,

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engineering and media. I mean, so many, so many technological advancement is coming into the picture now. We have so many young people getting involved in agriculture. And if you look closely, you’ll see that many of them are really moving towards the

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direction of technology. And it’s really amazing to see that because as they are moving, they’re putting in their creativity, the skill, the science. Like I told you, agriculture is an art and it is also a science. So if you are that creative, you can bring your creativity into the agricultural sector.

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And maybe you don’t have you don’t know so much of the science part of it, but definitely there’s someone there as well that can match your creativity and bring that thing into life. I mean, somebody sat down ready to think about how to make a drone work.

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Someone actually thought about the design, how the drone should look like. And someone with a scientific mindset was able to create something out of that. So all of these areas actually just don’t just actually connect.

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So there is no independent sector, basically. Everything just blends. Agricultural sector connects with different areas. I mean, before now, no one was talking about agritech or agri-media or something.

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Now we have public relations agency, just like Let’s Talk Agriculture, that caters to agricultural sector. Now, nobody was actually doing that. It is just so recent now that we’re seeing so many coming out and trying to create a

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media division for the agricultural sector. But nobody actually was doing so much in this area. So it is very important that we build the next generation of farmers in this direction.

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It is very important. So if they know that these things do exist, then things will change. And that is what I am doing at this point, because I feel that, of course, the agricultural sector deserves to be portrayed in the right manner.

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Right? Agricultural businesses that are striving so hard in the competitive markets need to get their businesses seen, get their messages heard. And that is the reason why Let’s Talk Agriculture came into the picture, to help

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agricultural businesses to grow. So we do not have to limit ourselves. We do not have to keep everything to ourselves or keep all of the knowledge to ourselves. So when you have a young person around you, do whatever it is that you can

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to help them create that environment for them to learn and show them the ropes. And trust me, in the next few years, we will be seeing so many young people getting involved in the agricultural sector, which is going to be really, really amazing,

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because I feel it is just going to be amazing to watch young people come into the picture. I know you remember when we were growing up, agriculture was more like the hose and cutlasses and nobody was interested in studying agriculture.

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Everyone thought, yeah, I’m just going to study medicine. I’m just going to become a lawyer. I’m just going to do this and that. But no one was actually talking about the agricultural sector because nobody wanted to have blisters on their palms. Nobody wanted to get injured or something.

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But times are changing now and we have to follow the trend. And since we know that this is where the younger generation are moving to, then we have to go in that direction as well. Yes, young people want agriculture to be attractive.

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So we have to do whatever it is that we can to make them know that agriculture is indeed attractive. You do not need to go with hose and cutlasses and so much more for you to get involved in agriculture. Now you can sit down in your homes just like me and make a podcast and share what

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is happening in the agricultural sector. That is you contributing to the sector. So you don’t necessarily have to be on the farm to get involved in agriculture. Not everyone is going to be on the farm. But it is a collective effort. So you’re on the farm.

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I am making a podcast. I am building a brand and we are doing everything together to enhance and grow the agricultural sector. And that is what we are talking about. Collective efforts, come with your different skills and let’s merge it together and

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transform the sector. That is what we are doing. So I really hope that you are learning a lot from this podcast episode and you get to share it with your friends, with your colleagues as well. So we know the agricultural sector plays a very crucial role or better still,

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agricultural education plays a crucial role in developing the next generation of farmers and agribusiness professionals. So if we do not educate them right now, then we wouldn’t see what we are looking for in the next few years. So when we equip students, I mean, it has to start from the school as well.

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So when we equip students and agripreneurs with practical skills and foster innovation, promote sustainability and encourage entrepreneurship, we can build a resilient and prosperous agricultural industry.

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I hope this really helps. I hope this really sinks in deeply, to be honest, because I feel this is a time for us to start building the agricultural sector that we want to see. And it starts with building the young people, get them involved.

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And we can all start seeing the changes that we want to see. The future of agriculture is basically in the hands of the next generation. And we have to start grooming the next generation at this point.

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So, guys, we have come to the end of today’s podcast episode. I hope you learn from this episode and always remember that the future of agriculture lies in your hands. My name is Sharon Idahosa once again, and I am your host.

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If you like anything around brand management, public relations, interviews, podcasts, speaking engagement, events management and so much more, we are basically your preferred

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public relations firm because we cater to just your sector and we are very much interested in your business growth. So if you like to learn more about Let’s Talk Agriculture, please do well to visit our website at letstalkagriculture.com or feel free to send us an email to inquire more

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about what we do and how we can help your business by sending an email to hello at letstalkagriculture.com. So, guys, see you in the next episode and do well to subscribe to our YouTube channel. It’s Let’s Talk Agriculture as well.

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So because we’re going to be putting out our webinars and you’ll see more videos and definitely see my face more often. So I look forward to meeting you and to have a lovely time. I love you and above all, God loves you more.

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Bye bye.