The All Nations University in Koforidua in the Eastern Region has ventured into agriculture as a major step towards the introduction of a Food Technology programme. 

The university's philosophy behind the cultivation of over 200 acres of coconut, plantain plantation and the rearing of livestock is to give its students hands on training instead of the norm in most tertiary institutions where training is limited to the theoretical underpinnings of their fields of study.

The President of the university, Rev. Professor Samuel Donkor, who spoke after a tour of its land on the Effiduasi-Akwadum road, where the food and livestock farms are located, said "we want to train agriculturists with a focus on agri-business that will impact meaningfully on food security and entrepreneurship."

"We want to motivate the youth to be interested in agriculture that will be beneficial in terms of giving them something profitable to do by way of producing food and creating jobs", he said.

Farming

Prof. Donkor said that the traditional mode of farming had not been appealing to the youth hence their drift to the cities for non existent white collar jobs which led to the colossal loss of talents.

"If the universities can introduce programmes that will help the youth to be more productive, especially by venturing into profitable agri-business,  our graduates will contribute more to the development of the country, improve food security, reduce the food budget and export the surplus to needy countries", he explained.

Prof. Donkor advocated a paradigm shift in our agriculture policies that motivated the youth to remain in the farming communities to cultivate the land or take to livestock farming, saying, " the state can give a young person about three goats, two fowls and sheep in the villages where land may not be an issue and in no time these animals can multiply and thereby enable the young farmer to earn money to support himself and family."

He said about 50 years ago, cocoa farming was so attractive that many men and women migrated to the cocoa growing areas, and through that initiative the farmers became successful but the dynamics had changed.

"That is why the youth who were not raised in the rural areas have to be reoriented about the agriculture as holding the key to unlock the unemployment challenges, as we still have about two-thirds of our arable land yet to be cultivated". 

Support

He suggested that the government should support  tertiary institutions to train entrepreneurs who could create jobs instead of seeking employment hence the intention of ANU to train interested youth in Food Technology so that they could venture into coconut farming, livestock and maize production using modern technology.

He expressed regret about the near collapse of the poultry industry even though there was demand for chicken, saying "as a country we prefer to import "mortuary" birds because we do not undertake any quality assurance in importing meat into our country."

Prof. Donkor expressed optimism about resolving the unemployment problem through agriculture without very massive investment because, "we have the land and human capital and if we give skills to the youth as well as a little support, we can solve food security challenges and export to the rest of Africa to bring prosperity to all.

Food Technology

He said there was no reason for the prohibitive food prices in the country while vast lands laid fallow, explaining that "this is the drive, motivation or passion for the introduction of the Food Technology programme."

Currently, ANU can boast 225 acres of coconut, 62 cows, 39 sheep and 49 goats.

Prof. Donkor hinted of plans to expand the activities of the university to include the establishment of a Nursing and Medical School that can access facilities at the Eastern Regional Hospital which is already a teaching hospital and soon to move to its new site opposite the university's main campus.