Youth Empowerment- Importance of Agriculture

Youth are the voice of the future! Being an agriculturally involved youth means more than attending one or two agricultural events each year. It means being given the opportunity to optimistically 'agricate' the public about the benefit of the agriculture industry. It is statistically proven that the voice of a youth in society is equally as loud as an adult's. This means that the youth of society have an opportunity to positively influence others about certain aspects. I choose to use my voice in the agriculture industry. Whether it be through attending agriculture shows and seminars, posting photo's of my 4-H cattle on Facebook, or teaching others about the industry. There as so many ways possible for youth to let their voices be heard, it just takes enthusiasm, charisma, and a bit of effort! 

Be the VOICE!

Society has discovered that a youth's voice can be heard across a nation, because of this, they implemented the idea of Youth Empowerment. Youth empowerment involves an attitudinal, structural, and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability, authority and agency to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people, including youth and adults. If youth really are the voice of the nation, then why aren't more changes being implemented to allow their voices to be heard? Imagine this, the word of agriculture being spread globally, informing the population of the benefits of the industry. Could you imagine the changes and implements that could be made to our world.

Agriculture is such an important aspect of society, yet only the minority of the population have the ability to see it for its benefits. Whereas the majority, are unaware that many benefits and opportunities are hand in hand with the agriculture industry! The agriculture industry influences the environment, the economy, and the population. Without agriculture we wouldn't have the necessities needed in order to survive such as food and water. 


Why is Agriculture important? 
Agriculture is the key element to the discovery of the various means of collecting and storing foods during the early times. The concept behind the creation of food surpluses would not be developed without people’s understanding of agriculture. This led to the implementation of stratifications in societies. Job opportunities are opened through the agriculture industry. Farm owners hire great number of workers to do jobs like pastoral herding of animals, plant cultivation and plant breeding. With ample knowledge on this field of study, it will be easy for humans to develop new technologies and systems that will be helpful in improving food supplies in the world.Agriculture is also helpful with stimulating environmental and social growth. By learning the various environmental friendly methods of producing and storing food, hunger is successfully alleviated in many countries ever since the 1980's. Aside from these, agriculturists also discovered advanced methods that are helpful to improve the food supply. One of these methods is known as genetic engineering, which is very popular because it allows humans to develop new breeds of crops.Finally, agriculture is important to world economy because it has made great contributions to international trade. The majority of items imported and exported by countries are agricultural products. Political leaders should concentrate on implementing laws and policies that will strengthen the agricultural sector because it has an impact on the gross domestic product, which will sustain and broaden the economy.


Agriculture in Canada-
Agriculture is of extreme importance to the Canadian economy. It is after all an $80 billion a year industry that directly or indirectly employs more than 2.3 million Canadians and represents about eight percent of our GDP. We are blessed in Canada to have an abundant, safe and secure food supply that is relatively affordable. Statistics Canada says that food costs represent just 10 percent of our annual income. Canadians enjoy one of the lowest costs of food to income ratios in the world. Canadian farmers are among the worlds most innovative and technologically advanced which simply means that not only are Canadian Farmers feeding Canadians, they are now exporting around the world especially as trade barriers are being removed and markets expand. This means that the agriculture industry is growing, opening up many great opportunities for Canadians. 


If agriculture is proven to be of extreme importance in both Canada, as well as our world, then why isn't a larger contribution being made to expanding and securing the industry. The Youth of the nation have the voice, all they need is the support. This is where the aspect of youth empowerment holds strong. In order for the entire population to be 'agricated' the youth need to take a stance, but they are unable to do so without support of the rest of society. I personally feel that agriculture is one of the largest and most important industries in our world today. Because of this, we need to ensure and secure the industry. The first step, spreading knowledge of the benefits. 

Spreading the Knowledge- 
As an agriculturally involved youth, I have had the opportunity to experience the various benefits of the industry first hand. During July of last year, I had the opportunity to take part in an incredible program called Summer Synergy. This is a summer livestock show, set up to encourage and benefit youth whom are both active and interested in the industry of agriculture. I was blessed as a recipient with a $2000 dollar scholarship from the Calgary Stampede Summer Synergy board. This scholarship has been invested for my future in post-secondary education. This proves that agriculture can be beneficial in every aspect of life. Spreading the word of agriculture is so important, yet often it is displayed as a negative. Simply typing the word 'agriculture' into the search bar on YouTube, brings up numerous video's on the industry. Sure this is an incredible way of educating millions of people, but just how accurate are these videos? Technology often has the ability to work both optimistically and pessimistically. The video's that share the positive impacts of the industry are the ones that society needs to be aware of. The negative video's often feed us information that is false, or occurs within the industry only in the very slightest amount. Often, the benefits are overlooked, and the industry is discouraged. This is when Youth need to take a stand! 


If the Youth of the nation were able to establish and present the benefits of the industry in a positive manner, imagine the changes that could be made and maintained within the industry! This poses a challenge for the rest of society... Hear the voice of the youth in hopes of sustaining the agriculture industry and showing the nation the positives of the industry! 


-Jess