Youth participation in agribusiness could bring new life to sector, say stakeholders

AMMAN — Youth engagement in agriculture may increase the sustainability of the sector, according to sector operators.

“Most young people pursue careers that are not in agriculture; therefore, related governmental entities need to focus efforts on stimulating youth’s interest in agribusiness,” Nawash Al Yazjeen, a farmer from the Jordan Valley, told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

Investing in innovative technologies and techniques would help modernise the sector’s practices, and thus increase its profitability — a positive step towards engaging young Jordanians in agribusiness, Al Yazjeen added. 

He pointed out that to attract youth, efforts should be directed to meet young people’s expectations and ambitions for their working lives.

Globally, youth are turning away from agriculture to try and find more profitable paths, according to Khalil Abdullah, a farmer based in the Jordan Valley.

“It is important to explore new ways through which we can make agricultural careers desirable for our younger generations,” he concluded.

“Agricultural careers are connected with negative perceptions among us and even our parents,” Hussam Samer, a Jordanian whose grandparents were farmers in Madaba, told The Jordan Times.

He added that his father never wished to become a farmer, instead becoming an accountant, but he said that he might be encouraged to start an agribusiness if the government provides incentives that give a chance to establish innovative agricultural enterprises.