By Ritah Mukasa
The major economic activity of Masaka district is agriculture with the major cash crops grown being matooke, sweet potatoes, pineapples and tomatoes among others.
However, Rt. Rev. Severus Jjumba, the Bishop of Masaka diocese says many young people in this area have shunned agriculture.
His office has done all that is within its means to attract the youth to agriculture in vain.
“We advertise agriculture scholarships but still, they don’t come for them,” he says.
Jjumba says young people want white-collar jobs or businesses which they believe are more profitable.
“Over 87% of our people in Masaka earn a living from agriculture and some of these farmers are old,” he noted.
Bishop Jjumba made these remarks while officiating over the launch of a short course on chaplaincy and pastoral care at the Uganda Martyrs University (UMU) Nkozi main campus in Mpigi district on July 8.
On the other hand, Alisen Nuwamanya, a young agriculturist and farmer majoring in backyard gardening attributes youth abandonment of agriculture to modernity among other reasons.
He says many young people see and admire good things from social media. They become obsessed with achieving that life.
To them, agriculture cannot give them the money they need quickly. That is why, some resort to business, gambling or illegal means like stealing.
Nuwamanya adds that agriculture, just like other jobs, works well for people who are passionate about it.
For instance, right from childhood, he envisioned being a farmer like his parents who earned a living from their farm and plantations and they managed to educate all their eight children. He grew up with that motivation.
“I enjoy what I do even when it involves getting dirty,” he says.
Nuwamanya holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture science from Kyambogo University.
To him, also some youths lack exposure and this keeps them in the dark. They need motivation and inspiration from young farmers who started small and made it.
“When you attend agriculture expos like the one of Vision group, you will find large-scale farmers. This scares away a young person who wants to start from scratch,” he says.
Youth also need opportunities in the agricultural sector that they can easily access.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: Bishop Jjumba (third from left) with the university officials at the launch. Photo by Ritah Mukasa
