Agriculture provides most of the
materials we utilize in our day to day endeavors; such as food, clothes,
furniture, bags, shoes, rubber/plastics, cosmetics, beverages and so on. Our
lives are one way or the other connected to agriculture. This therefore shows
that the enormous significance of agriculture cannot be overemphasized.
Agriculture can be defined as the
production of food and the rearing of animals to satisfy human needs.
Agriculture is the basic means of human survival, not technology or the internet
regardless of their significance (if not for the internet you won’t be reading
this!). The internet and as such technology has over the past decades
contributed tremendously to transforming the world with disruptive innovations,
but has not in its rights displaced the strong gigantic role agriculture plays
in our daily lives.
Many people view agriculture as
backbending, cutlass throwing whiles singing, and labour intensive activity. It
is therefore important to indicate that agriculture has gone pass only farm
based activities to retailing, processing, logistics, biotechnology/biofuels
and agroindustrial. The snow ball effect of agriculture is very powerful and
therefore must be accorded the needed attention both by governing bodies and
individuals. Agriculture has served as the precursor to industrialization of
many of the developed countries such as United States of America, China,
Germany and so on.
Let me therefore elucidate some
of the merits agriculture serves our world and especially agriculture based
countries. Agriculture contributes to massive economic growth to the economies
of many countries. Agriculture contributes nearly half of gross domestic
products in developing countries. It remains the economic sector of comparative
advantage by generating revenues from exports, attracting foreign investments
from private entities, reducing imports and employing the highest number of
workforce in developing countries. In Ghana, agriculture employs over 40% of
the workforce(GSS2014)
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| image source:voxafrica |
Agriculture also contributes
immensely to agro based industries, that is, industries that rely on
agricultural produce mainly as raw materials for production. Industries such as
the brewery, beverage, textile, and the biotechnology/biofuel industries. With
increased research and productivity, agriculture is poised to cause huge
industrial transformation in developing countries.
Furthermore, agriculture helps to
protect and sustain the environment by sequestering carbon, managing water
sheds, and thereby preserving biodiversity (WDR, 2008).
Judging from the above merits;
such as basically providing food (crops and meat) for all, reduction in
poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition related death, improving agrobased
industries, sustaining the environment and the many others that has not been
highlighted; shows that agriculture is the basic means of human survival no
matter your location on this earth. Agriculture, therefore, must be treated
with exceeding reverence by Governing bodies, Stakeholders and individuals.
Author: Abraham Quaye, founder of AgroCentry
Author: Abraham Quaye, founder of AgroCentry