AGRICULTURE and Fisheries Minister, Roger Clarke, is calling for greater involvement of young people in agriculture.

This comes against the background of what he says are “worsening” global food insecurity challenges being experienced by many countries, which is compounded by the economic crisis.

Speaking at the handing over of a refurbished poultry abattoir at the Garvey Maceo High School, in Clarendon on February 1, Clarke said in the face of these developments and as Jamaica finds itself grappling with issues, such as job losses, the nation must “look to agriculture as a means to our prosperity.”

“I am of the belief that, without food, we will all die. And I have always said that as long as people have to eat to live, agriculture will survive. It is a way of life for many people, and like any other job, requires time and energy. It is, in fact, one of the foundations of any society, because it facilitates the nourishment of the society, provides employment and generates wealth,” the minister argued.

Clarke said statistics published by the International Labour Organisation in its global employment 2012 report pointed to a serious employment challenge of creating some 600 million jobs over the next decade. Additionally, that some 20 million youth, aged 15-24 years, were among the unemployed, during 2011, and that this cohort was “disproportionately” among the “working poor”.

He said the report also noted that as the number of young people withdrawing from the workforce continues to rise, there was little hope, on the present course, for a substantial improvement in short term employment prospects for young people.

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