Progress in the ongoing quest for food insecurity across the globe has been steady. According to Stats SA's latest General Household Survey Report; the percentage of South Africans that are vulnerable to hunger fell from 29,3% in 2002 to 13,1% in 2015.

At the same time, the agriculture and food security landscape in South Africa has undergone significant changes in recent years. Higher food prices, the current drought, along with a projected 60 percent expansion in demand for agricultural products by 2050, mostly affect populations in rural areas. These trends are of particular significance when viewed in the context of the growing youth populations in these areas.

The demographic structure in Africa is particularly youthful, with over 60 percent of the population currently below the age of 25 (FAO) - large proportions of which live and work in rural areas, supported directly or indirectly by the agricultural sector.

Small-scale and subsistence farms dominate rural landscapes across the developing world, accounting for up to 80 percent of food produced in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa while supporting livelihoods of up to 2.5 billion people (IFAD, 2015). This knowledge has driven a resurgent interest in government and policy makers to support small-scale and subsistence farmers in these areas.

However, some of the challenges faced by smallholder farmers have their origin in long-standing barriers, hampering access to and the use of technology, finance, knowledge, and markets. It is, therefore, important to develop the knowledge, skills, and talent of youth in agriculture to provide successful examples and viable livelihoods for all future generations. This month, @ManstratAIS takes a look at the current effect of agriculture and food security on the youth.

Here's to a productive agricultural season.

Modern agriculture describes the broad type of production practices employed by farmers on a worldwide scale. Modern agricultural methods include the wider use of new high-yielding seed varieties (to replace indigenous varieties) together with chemical inputs like pesticides, herbicides, and mineral fertilizers, and irrigation that allows the development of more intensive, monoculture-based agriculture (AgriCultures Network, 2013).

These technologies were first introduced from an approach dubbed the "Green Revolution" that occurred from the 1940's to the late 1960's as a driver of modernization in the agricultural sector in the developing world. The aim was to increase the wheat, rice, and maize production to meet the needs of growing populations across the globe.

Although modern technologies have indeed contributed to increased food production in highly populated continents such as Asia, it is not the case in many parts of southern Africa. One of the various reasons for this is the fact that farmers are often too isolated, physically and technologically to enjoy proper access to these technologies. A further hurdle is that for most small-scale farmers, technology per se is expensive beyond their reach.

This month we discuss the importance of modernizing agriculture in ways that include small-scale and subsistence farmers in South Africa. We also highlight useful technologies and information that can assist farmers and other agricultural role players in learning more about readily available technologies in the country. -Here's to a productive winter season.

Reference:

AgriCultures Network, 2013. "Modernisation" of agriculture. [Online] Available at: http://www.agriculturesnetwork.org/resources/... [Accessed 5 May 2016].