Insights
So how do we help to increase food production? We know that increasing the levels and quality of education generally is essential to raising productivity – and agriculture is no different. For starters, improving the understanding and use of soil and techniques such as irrigation; growing the use of technology, and improving seed selection will lead to improved crop yields. In time, feeding more people and animals will improve productivity levels, reduce food insecurity and assist with economic growth.
Growing skills in agriculture through improved education and training will increase agricultural productivity, improve production and marketing processes, and help to unlock the sector ' s enormous potential.
Of concern, however, is the fact that young people are moving away from rural and into urban areas in the search for jobs and opportunities. At the same time, the quality and availability of agricultural education have declined, leading to fewer students enrolling in agricultural courses. Add to this the mass student protests against the high costs of education across the world and the result is a chronic shortage of trained human resources i n t h e e l d o f a g r i c u l t u r e.