Dr Rakesh Kumar and Dr. P S Slathia
India is an agriculturally dominated country or it will not be wrong to say that India lives in villages. Primary occupation of villagers is still agriculture and its allied ventures. India is a young country and rural youth constitutes about 41% of total population of India. In the present scenario the interest of rural people especially rural youth is declining towards agriculture. This noble profession of agriculture is taking the back seat among different sources of farmers’ income due to decreasing profit when compared with total cost of production. Keen interest and contribution of rural youths towards agriculture is must for the prosperity of agriculture sector in the country because youths have the energy to work, they want to excel in life.
Moreover they can evolve innovative way of farming keeping in view climate change and other seasonal abnormalities. It is the need of the hour to make agriculture occupation remunerative to sustain the interest of youth towards agriculture. Rural youths too want all comforts of life like their urban counterparts and if profession of agriculture makes them capable enough to satisfy their basic needs and other genuine luxuries of life then attraction of rural youths towards agriculture is natural.On the basis of last few years studies it has been observed that only 20% youth of rural families are directly engaged in the agriculture as a source of employment which is an indicator of grim situation of agriculture in future.
Decreasing size of land holding, increasing population, decreasing profit,want of better living standard etc. are the important factors responsible for taking away youth from agriculture profession. Different schemes run by present and previous governments to attract rural youths towards agriculture have succeeded to a limited extent. It is urgent need to take crucial reform measures in agriculture sector at ground level to make profession of agriculture a profitable venture so that rural youth may adopt agriculture as a source of employment.This can be realized by promoting agriculture related ventures such as dairy farming, bee-culture, mushroom cultivation, sericulture, fish-farming etc. along with crop cultivation.Rural youth should be provided training at panchyat level for taking up these agri-based income generating units as per their interest and availability of resources along with proper financial support at low interest rate from concerned banks and other institutions. The increasing number of farmers’ suicide in some states depicts the sluggishness in agriculture growth and these farmers suicides is a big blot on our agriculture and national development.
Economists for the last few years are advocating to provide the status of enterprise to agriculture and any step in this direction may prove a big leap towards agriculture development in the country. More practical approaches at the ground level need to be taken for sustaining the interest of rural youth in agriculture such as formation of self-help groups, farmers clubs, commodity interest groups (CIGs)etc. and their linkage with different banks mainly NABARD for financial support at low interest rate for starting various agriculture related enterprises.In addition to this different Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVKs) functioning mainly under different state agricultural universities doing excellent job by providing vocational training to rural youths including both male and female to startup different agriculture related income generating units in the villages.
Proper marketing facilities need to be created in rural area so that farmers may get maximum return of their produce. Agricultural economists should come out with new marketing models or should recommend necessary changes in existing marketing structure. Increased profit on continue basis from agriculture produce can act as big catalyst for attracting the rural youths towards agriculture. India is a country of unlimited potential. It is generally said that “India is a rich country inhabited by poor people”. Vast fertile lands, forest stretch, favourable climate for growing different cropsand large proportion of youth population etc. are the important natural resources and need is to make sustainable and systematic use of these resources for generation of perennial employment opportunities for rural youths.The different rural and agricultural development policies of present and previous governments have started showing their impact on ground level and now the picture of villages have changed quite in term of different basic facilities but a lot more need to be done.
Due to lack of these facilities rural youth after securing government job or other type of employment used to migrate to cities for want of better future but now this trend has somewhat reduced. But a lot of reforms still need to be done. If we become able to present different schemes of agriculture and rural development in integrated manner then it can play an important role in channelizing rural youths in adoption of agriculture profession. In continuation to previous schemes ICAR has started a new scheme ARYAi.e. Attracting and Retaining Rural Youth in Agriculture under which each KVK of the country will train about 250 to 300 youths in agriculture and its related occupations. As per report of WHO, there will be six out of ten persons living in cities by the year 2030 and this situation will result in acute shortage of manpower doing agriculture related jobs.
In order to overcomethis government need to frame policies by keeping the needs of rural youth in consideration. Input of rural youth is must for making these schemes viable at ground level.Rural youth will only be diverted towards agriculture profession if it becomes economically attractive. Agriculture extension personnel role is very crucial in this regard as they have not only to make rural youths aware about existence of new agriculture and rural development schemes but also to guide them how to take benefits from these schemes. Rural youths by way of blending traditional as well as modern agriculture technologies can bring revolution in agriculture if properly supported by government policies.Our country food production in future will depend upon number of youth being diverted towards agriculture profession. We have to bring change in attitude and thinking of rural youth that profession of agriculture can also provide them respectable social status.Successful progressive farmers in different agriculture related ventures can act as role model for the rural youths to adopt the profession of agriculture as their source of livelihood.
Proper exposure visits of rural youths should be conducted in their respective areas by concerned agencies on the farms of successful progressive farmers or agri-preneurs so that rural youths may get convinced by personally seeing their different farm activities which made them successful. These successful young farmers should be properly recognized by society like cricketers which motivate them to perform better in agriculture field.In addition to on-farm activities, there is urgent need to promote non-farm activities also in rural areas so that rural youths may have access to diversified source of income.Thus it will not be wrong to say that future agriculture development will largely depend upon the contribution of rural youths and for this to happen we have to make agriculture occupation a rewarding and profit oriented activity on priority basis.
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