John Oluwafemi is an Agriculture Consultant in Nigeria and has a degree in Agricultural Economics & Extension.

I still remember the day when I was at University studying Agricultural Economics and my lecturer, Mr Israel Adesiyan, came by to know more about me. Even if in the beginning he didn’t understand why I was studying something related to farming, he encouraged me to have passion for the course and not just to read to pass the exams. I was very young in every sense though, so I didn’t pay attention to his words until the 3rd year of my studies when he introduced me to the Farm Manager and told him to monitor me.

John Oluwafemi is an Agriculture Consultant in Nigeria and has a degree in Agricultural Economics & Extension.

I still remember the day when I was at University studying Agricultural Economics and my lecturer, Mr Israel Adesiyan, came by to know more about me. Even if in the beginning he didn’t understand why I was studying something related to farming, he encouraged me to have passion for the course and not just to read to pass the exams. I was very young in every sense though, so I didn’t pay attention to his words until the 3rd year of my studies when he introduced me to the Farm Manager and told him to monitor me.

We had like 10 different units like Poultry, Piggery, Grasses and Legumes, Fishery, or Permanent crops; still, I noticed that I was always being asked more questions than my mates. I never appreciated it until we had to work in groups and I realized that a man cannot rise or achieve success alone, but it requires helping each other's out to achieve your goals in life. Hence, I decided I wouldn’t wait until I would become a lecturer to empower youth towards agricultural development and afterwards I came across YPARD through my friend, Ajilore Oluwabunmi.

Be passionate

Young people should decide the paths they want to follow and one of the best options nowadays is to know that venturing into agriculture is very promising. We should foresight more in order to build a proper plan towards the following decades and centuries to come. This plan can only be made effective by the young people who are the future of agriculture all over the Globe though.

Firstly, we need to feel passion for what we carry out. Why? Because there is a lot to do, achieve, disseminate and teach to ourselves to get the best from our work. When we create an impact on our society, the best comes out of us. Sowing and reaping, this is basically what agricultural practice is all about; if you sow bountifully, you will reap generously.

Accordingly, it will be good for upcoming generations to invest their time and efforts, as well as to suffer the stress involved at the early stage of practice in order to enjoy the benefits of their work later.

My case, your case

I love using my own personal life and experience as a case study, which is why I put up all my write-ups on what has happened to me to make it real. The truth and way forward have to be made known to encourage and widen young people’s views, as someone boosted me once as well.

I started practicing agriculture on a small-scale before finishing my studies, thanks to it, I spend my time on writing mostly to encourage young people to work in agriculture. Farming is a good and will be a great starting platform for them as it has been for me, as long as their minds are set and dedicated to it.