RADA says more young Jamaicans pursuing Farming - Agricultural Towers and Robotics

“There is no truth that young people are no longer interested in farming. The universities, they are now seeing tremendous business opportunities in the agricultural sector and the good thing is, we have a number of government-funded programmes that are now able to facilitate and support persons who wish to pursue these areas”

Executive Director of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, Dr Ronald Blake, following the 65th annual staging of the Denbigh Agricultural show in Clarendon

Farming in Jamaica may be seeing an infusion of young people fascinated by growing plants and animals.

So says Dr Ronald Blake, executive director of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs who says interest in farming is on the rise among the young as reported in the article “Bright Future For Farming - Sector Reports 40 Per Cent Increase In Youth Training”, published Wednesday August 9, 2017 by Jodi-Ann Gilpin, The Jamaica Gleaner. 

First watch this video of Denbigh Agricultural Show 2017.

Dr Ronald Blake, who spoke at the Denbigh Agricultural Show 2017 backed up his statement with stats from RADA:

1.      40% increase in the number of youth being trained in areas of agriculture

2.      8% per annum growth in the 4-H movement

More educated persons are entering the farming sector based on data from RADA (Rural Agricultural Development Authority) as noted by Dr Ronald Blake: “This is data that we have derived from the Rural Agricultural Development Authority database, as well as the agricultural census. We are also seeing where the farming population of Jamaica is becoming more educated and that's because more and more youth are entering the profession, and these young people have at least a secondary education”.

Dr Ronald Blake and RADA Stats – Younger Farmers attracted by Technology in farming

This also means that the average age of farmers is trending down from 60 years old as more educated young people enter the field.

So says Dr Ronald Blake, quote: “We have seen an incremental increase in the number of farmers with tertiary training. But the macro indicator is the fact that the average age of the Jamaican farmer is no longer 60 years old. Based on the 4-H initiative, we are able to pull that down and we are now at 47. 8 per cent (of the 60-year-old age group). It is among the lowest in the world”.

More young people are entering the field due to the exciting and new advances for the agricultural sector such as Vertical Farming, the use of Agricultural Towers and Robotics to take the labour out of farming as explained in my blog article entitled “How Australia's University of Sydney Livestock Farmbot heralds Efficient Agricultural Towers”.

Farming is now being seen as a viable economic option for youth; improvement in business and entrepreneurial options in the last three years makes the field potentially a huge money earner for unemployed youth with land inherited from grand-parents.

Noteworthy too, is the improvement in the use of technological innovations such as drones as described in my blog article entitled “Why Agrocaelum and Hi-Pro Herald for JCAA allowing Drone Racing in Jamaica”. 

More high school students are pursuing Farming up to the Tertiary level at CASE (College of Agriculture, Science and Education) a direct indicator of this increased interest in farming to quote Dr Ronald Blake:  “The 4-H movement is growing by about eight per cent per year. What we have seen in terms of opting for agriculture at the tertiary level, is a 40 per cent increase and this is attributed to enrolment at CASE (College of Agriculture, Science and Education). What we have also seen is the constant increase, over the last three years, in the number of young people entering farming”.

Interesting to see what innovative farming techniques the next set of Farmers will utilize to automate Farming, be it robotics or Agricultural Towers made from old buildings!!!