Tigania West Member of Parliament (MP) John Mutunga, who doubles as the Chairperson of the National Assembly Agriculture Committee has raised concerns over the significant drop in student enrolment in agriculture courses in higher education institutions.
Speaking to one of the local media on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 in an interview, the MP said there is dire need to revive the sector as the country depends on agriculture for sustainability and as a result more experts are needed.
“As a nation that is heavily reliant on agriculture, we risk facing a severe shortage of skilled personnel, potentially necessitating the hiring of foreign professionals.
“This underscores the critical importance of implementing strategies to rejuvenate interest in agriculture education and careers, safeguarding the sustainability of our agricultural sector,” Mutunga said.
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Mutunga said the government should ensure that the graduates who studied agricultural related courses are given job opportunities as this has been the reason as to why most colleges and universities receive few students in the agricultural faculty in the past years.
“Many young people fail to see the allure of agriculture as a career path, mistakenly believing it lacks appeal to potential employers. We must create opportunities for individuals to engage in various aspects of agriculture, from production to aggregation, management, and ultimately, value addition,” he noted.
The MP said youth have an aversion to labour-intensive tasks, adding that mechanisation will help reduce labour inputs and increase attractiveness to the younger generation.
“By investing in mechanisation and other value-adding processes such as harvesting, transportation, and processing, we can make agriculture a more appealing and lucrative venture for our youth,” he added.
By Vostine Ratemo
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