The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has expressed the difficulty it faces in persuading young and unemployed Nigerians to embrace farming as a viable career option.

The organisation said that many youths in various communities show preference for immediate cash rather than receiving the necessary training and knowledge to succeed in agriculture.

At a media roundtable held in Akure, the Ondo State capital, yesterday, the Project Coordinator for Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise Project for the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) in Ondo State, Olawale Ademola, said the project has successfully empowered 2,350 youths and women in the state out of its intended target of 4,250 individuals to be trained and empowered in agricultural business over a six-year period.

Ademola further disclosed that about 2,000 beneficiaries have already established their enterprises across the entire value chain of their chosen agricultural pursuits.

The State Project Coordinator said IFAD was out to help youths set up a better life, but many youths declined to participate in the programme, because money was not given to them.

He said: “The major challenge is how to convince youths to come into real farming as a business. We try to give them orientation, out of which they will develop a business plan.

“In one community, I told them they should not expect money; many of the youths left. For those that joined the training, we gave them a business plan based on their chosen capacity. We empowered them, gave them mentorship, and did follow-up.

“For those in poultry, we gave them 500 chicks and feed for the birds throughout the period, and we gave healthy juveniles to the fish farmers as a start-up.”

One of the beneficiaries, Samuel Tinubu, said he has registered his business after receiving N700, 000 to kick-start his project after undergoing training.