Around 30% of graduates from agricultural universities pursue careers outside the agricultural sector.
The brain drain has adversely impacted the agriculture sector according to the head of the country’s National Rainfed Area Authority.
He urged universities to produce visionary students and promote new technologies and methods to make agriculture a profitable sector.
Read the story at The Hindu
More on attracting the youth to go into agriculture:
Building women and youth capacity for resilient rice-based food systems in Nepal
Nepal’s rural youth are increasingly choosing employment in areas other than agriculture. Women, children, and elderly people are forced to work in the agriculture sector due to the out-migration of youth. Attracting and retaining youth in agriculture is a major challenge.
With financial support from the International Labour Organization, IRRI implemented a short-term project, “Capacity Development of Women and Youth for Enhanced Employability and Efficiency in Rice-Based Systems to Facilitate Enhanced Food Security and Resilient Livelihoods” in selected provinces of Nepal from October-December 2020.
The project capitalized on the opportunity for developing advanced technical and managerial skills of a new generation of workforce in agriculture specifically from smallholder farmers, women, and youths to support them in improving their employability, efficiency, and incomes for developing resilient livelihoods, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rice Crop Manager spurs women and the youth to embrace digital technologies in Odisha
The Rice Crop Manager (RCM) has proven to be an effective farmer-friendly digital tool to increase productivity and incomes of rice farmers through balanced fertilizer management. The two case studies presented here highlight how women and young people have used RCM on their farm and successfully reduced their input costs, increased yields and the net benefits.
Targeting women and the youth in disseminating climate-smart agriculture in Vietnam
The study on the adoption of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies by men and women in Vietnam is necessary to understand how the different social expectations, roles, status, and economic power of men and women are affected differently by climate change. It will improve actions taken to reduce vulnerability and combat climate change in the country.
