The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) as a step towards realizing the importance of rural youth in agricultural development had initiated ARYA: Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture,” in 2015-16 with a focus on food security in the country. This measure is an effort towards attracting rural youth under the age of 35 into agriculture so as to control the migration of young individuals towards cities.
Secretary (DARE) & Director General (ICAR), Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, added that they are trying to address the challenge of providing sustainable livelihoods for an increasingly growing population and to encourage youth to pursue professions in agriculture. A conference spanning two days was organized at NASC, New Delhi, from 30-31st August on Motivating and Attracting Youth in Agriculture (MAYA).
Dr. Mohapatra also added that he’s also underlining the need for the creation of a ‘Mission for Youth in Agriculture’ and ‘Regional Platform for Youth in Agriculture’ with neighbor nations as partners. There is a need to attract youth into agriculture through the creation of lucrative alternatives.
The Chairman of TAAS, Dr. RS Paroda was also a speaker on the occasion. He urged the youth to consider agriculture. He pointed out that youth must be trained as an employer instead of as an employment seeker. He added that farmers in India need a one-stop solution for their problems, like a multi-specialty hospital.
It was stressed by Dr. AK Singh, DDG (Extension), ICAR, that the youth in rural regions is rapidly migrating to urban areas which in turn puts exponential pressure on urban resources. There has been, therefore, a need created for creating more job opportunities in the rural youth itself by promoting entrepreneurship and in agriculture allied fields.
The conference witnessed more than 200 participants inclusive of farmers from various states, senior research, development, and policy related officials/managers, representatives of national and regional organizations, NGOs, the private sector, education and training institutes and members of civil society. The discussion was focused on coming up with policies to encourage and attract youth into agriculture-related professions which coincides with the aims of MAYA. The conference was also successful in attracting countries like Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.