2022 National Best Farmer launches ‘Rethink’ initiative to inspire more youth into agriculture
The 2022 National Best Farmer has launched a program known as ‘Rethink’, an initiative of the Siriboe Farms Limited to revitalize the agriculture sector and make it attractive to the youth. The purpose of this initiative is to help change the thinking mentality of the youth about agriculture in Ghana.
The 2022 national best farmer and CEO of Siriboe Farms Limited Oheneba Nana Yaw Sarpong Siriboe I who was speaking at the launch of the initiative at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Accra noted that his office is sensitizing the youth, especially students about the opportunities in the agriculture sector.
The initiative is aimed at helping young people in Ghana who wish to venture into the agriculture sector to secure funding and other forms of support through loans, grants and sponsorships. Speaking at the launch of the program, the Chief Executive Officer of Siriboe Farms Limited and 2022 National Best Farmer, Nana Yaw Sarpong Siriboe said the program is an embodiment of his commitment to inspire the youth to see agriculture through a new lens as a dynamic business opportunity.
He says the Rethink Initiative will focus on sensitization, capacity building, leveraging media for propagating agriculture opportunities and advocacy for the youth in agriculture. Nana Yaw Sarpong Siriboe also noted that the initiative will provide funding opportunities for the interested youth who face challenges with funding, land acquisition, access to Agric inputs and other necessary resources and logistics in order to improve their businesses.
The rethink programme is a clarion call urging our youth to perceive agriculture and the opportunities along its value chain as more than a traditional vocation but an avenue of boundless opportunities,” he stated.
Some representatives from the partners of the initiative while delivering their solidarity messages, pledged support for the initiative to become a success. Director of Agricultural Extension at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Paul Siameh noted that the ministry is fully behind this initiative as it will compliment to government’s planting for food and jobs initiative. Whiles Deputy Director for the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR, Prof. Marian Dorcas Quain believes that the initiative will make access to funding easier for the farmers.
Deputy Managing Director of Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), Eno Ofori-Atta, who also commended the national best farmer for a laudable initiative, however, appealed to him to partner other stakeholders to help secure lands for youth interested in agriculture.
This, she said, would help reduce land acquisition challenges by the youth after they have received orientation on agricultural practices.
The programme, launched on the theme, “Opportunities along the Agricultural value chain,” also brought together representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Afrieximbank, past national best farmers, and traditional leaders and other stakeholders in the agricultural value chain.
