©Shutterstock Fresh and raw chicken eggs on a conveyor belt, being moved to the packing house
Ask any university student what they would like to do when they graduate. Many of them will tell you they want to be lawyers, accountants or teachers but rarely do you hear any of them saying they want to be poultry farmers. In the developed world, when someone tells you he is a farmer, you immediately assume that individual is rich but when you come to Ghana, many people erroneously assume that farmers are poor because they have a narrow view of what farming is. With that being said, I would like to touch on four strategies which can make poultry farming more attractive for the youth in Ghana.
- Invitation of highly successful poultry farmers to serve as a source of inspiration: The agricultural departments of colleges and universities should make it a point to invite highly successful poultry farmers to give speeches on their journey and how they overcame adversities to become the poultry farmers they are today. This way more young people will see agriculture, specifically poultry farming in a more positive light.
- More internship opportunities should be made available for students: Universities in the country should make it a point to partner with the most successful and technologically advanced poultry farms out there so that occasionally, their students would be sent there to work and appreciate the poultry industry better.
- There should be more education on the economic benefits of poultry farming: Well, this is very obvious. Poultry farming is a super lucrative business and if it is hyped up a little bit more, I’m pretty sure more of the youth would consider it as a viable career choice. If you are a young person and you want to know the opportunities available for you in the poultry industry, please read this post – https://tinyurl.com/y8c6guxo.
Conclusion
If we want to push the Ghanaian poultry industry to the next level, it is highly imperative that we fully integrate the youth in the process because they are very innovative and this has the potential to impact thousands in the country in terms of food security and job creation.
Pkom 