By Prossy Nandudu
Professionals not in the agriculture sector should consider agriculture as a source of income. Agriculture ventures to consider include dairy, urban farming, poultry and value addition.
The call was made by Antonio Querido the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Country Representative on Saturday while officiating at the launch of the 9th annual school farm camp at Gayaza High School in Wakiso district.
“Whatever profession you choose in the future may be a lawyer, doctor, an economist, we will believe that you can also look at agriculture as a side job. You can take further by adding value to a number of commodities that this country is so blessed to have,” said Querido.
While carrying out the different ventures in Agriculture, Querido added that farm practices should be carried out in a sustainable manner taking into account FAO’s mission of ensuring better production; better nutrition; a better environment; and a better life so that nobody is left behind.
By doing so you will have contributed to FAO’s mission of fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goal 1 (SDG1) aimed at ensuring no poverty, zero hunger and reduced inequalities by 2030. This will also lead to the attainment of the sustainable agri food systems being championed through Agenda 2063 of the African Union, Querido explained.
The five-day camp that has attracted 800 students from Kapchorwa, Iganga, Bushenyi, Wakiso, Mukono, Gulu among other districts is running under the theme ” Exploring the Entrepreneurial Opportunities along the Agriculture Value Chain”.
It is aimed at equipping students with skills that will enable them to create jobs to avert the unemployment crisis being experienced in the country today, according to Patrick Muhinda, the School Farm Camp coordinator. According to the Labor force survey of 2019/2020 by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics about 30% of the youths who are institutionally qualified in Uganda have no jobs adding that the situation is worse for semiskilled and unskilled youths. And one factor blamed on unemployment includes the lack of skills that match the existing job opportunities.
